The comment period is underway for Erie County residents to weigh-in on whether the county should move forward with plans to build a new convention center. 

A recent study said the current Buffalo Niagara Convention Center is "functionally obsolete."

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz gave the harsh assessment of the 40-year old Buffalo Niagara Convention as determined by a months-long study.

"Do we want to stay in the convention business? If so, we're not gonna be able to really do it here. We're gonna have to do something," said Poloncarz.

For Jay Manno, the owner of Soho Buffalo and Frankie Primo's Plus 39 on Chippewa, the answer is obvious.

"Do we want to stay in the convention and visitors business? Which, obviously we do. The amount of income that it brings to the city on an annual basis is immeasurable," said Manno.

Manno say the answer to the second question Poloncarz raised is also obvious.

The study proposed two options: renovate the current convention center and expand it across the street into the Statler building and the block north of Mohawk or option two: build a brand new convention center from the ground up on the HSBC and Buffalo News parking lot on Scott Street between Michigan and Washington.

"We have the highest foot traffic in the city and we're in the heart of downtown. We have all the new development, all the new hotels. I think maybe a dozen new hotels within a block or two of the convention center, as well as the theater district, several probably 30 or 40 restaurants. It makes the most sense here from a foot traffic standpoint. People, when they're in from out of town, they want to be able to walk places," said Manna.    

While Poloncarz hasn't stated which plan he prefers, he agrees the downtown location has its advantages.

"Both sides have pros and potential, and both sides have cons. The HSBC site has a big con, which is it has one quarter of the hotel space than the current facility. That's huge, because if we're going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars and build a facility that doesn't generate as much economic revenue as it possibly could then that's not great either. So, both sites have positives and both sites have negatives," said Poloncarz.

Both projects would cost close to $400 million. Residents have 90 days to comment on the proposed sites or whether they think the county should get out of the convention business altogether.