Huber Heights city leaders and residents will get the first look at the proposed $18 million music center on Tuesday when a presentation is made to the city’s administration committee.

City staff is scheduled to present findings from the last three months, including the results of studies completed by several national companies to see if it is feasible to build a music center near the Interstate 70 and Ohio 201 interchange.

The presentation is expected to take 30 to 45 minutes, and it will be similar to the final presentation that will be made at the March 14 City Council meeting, assistant city manager Scott Falkowski said.

A vote on whether to move forward with the music center project could come as early as March 14.

“We want to make sure everybody has as much information as possible to make an educated decision,” Falkowski said. “I see a lot of positives in this project. If council approves it, then probably in a couple months we’ll get started on site work.”

Huber Heights announced in December that the proposed music center would anchor the $220 million Heights commercial development. City Council unanimously passed legislation authorizing staff to spend $100,000 to research the proposal.

The proposed music center will seat 4,500 people and be modeled after the PNC Pavilion at Riverbend in Cincinnati. The covered venue will require between 1,500 and 2,000 on-site parking spaces.

The music center is projected to open in the spring of 2014. The 28-acre site would be located off Executive Boulevard.

City officials have said using TIF money will be the most likely scenario to pay for the $18 million music center, but other funding sources could be state or federal grant money, sponsorships and selling the venue’s naming rights.

“I think everything is proceeding to construct,” Vice Mayor Mark Campbell said. “I haven’t heard any reason why we would not want to do this.”

City staff has spent about $92,000 of the $100,000 that it was given, and that includes contracts with the architectural firm MKSK, Music and Event Management Inc. to provide its expertise and guidance in the industry, and M-E Companies for traffic studies.

Conventions, Sports & Leisure also was hired to conduct a validation study. Representatives from CSL are expected to be present March 14.

“What’s important to me is the amount of impact a music center will have on The Heights,” Campbell said.

Conceptual drawings of the site, results of the traffic and sound studies, and drainage and utility reports will be included in Tuesday’s presentation.

Falkowski said the traffic study revealed that the routes to both I-70 interchanges are capable of handling the expected traffic flow. A separate right-turn lane into the facility was recommended, as well as minor timing changes to the traffic signals.

“If everything (council) heard when they made the original decision to move forward for due diligence was good enough to sell them, they ought to give it a thumbs up based on everything we’ve put together the past few months,” said project manager Ken Conaway.