Rival med center scales-back, MCC body votes approval

The medical trade mart in New York City that has been a rival to Nashville's own planned Nashville Medical Trade Center has scaled-back its square-footage plans to enable the group -- the World Product Center -- to begin operating earlier than previously planned. Crain's New York Business Health Pulse (subscription) says the WPC's planned "tower" has been "scrapped," and goes on to explain, in part, "The center's backers now say they will lease only 300,000 to 350,000 square feet initially, which they hope to secure by the end of March. They're scouting Manhattan for a site where more space could later be leased for expansion. They say that the initial downshift will enable them to open within 18 months instead of in 2013 as originally planned, giving the project a huge advantage over medical markets proposed for Nashville and Cleveland." News out of Cleveland this morning shows that project has gotten a new head of steam. Meanwhile, here in Nashville, the NBJ reports that this morning the Convention Center Authority, as expected, voted to approve the budget proffered for the new Music City Center, all of which goes to a critical vote in Metro Council, Jan. 19.