Bigger may not be better for Javits.

If yOU can't make it bigger, make it better. That appears to be the fate for the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, whose grand expansion plans were recently nixed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer because of skyrocketing construction costs.

"We're committed to a full renovation," said Warner Johnston, spokesman for the Empire State Development Corporation, which oversees the West Side facility's Convention Center Development Corporation. "Top to bottom."

In "dire need of renovation," the nearly 22-year-old facility's biggest problems include its leaking roof.

"There's a lot of damage to the ceiling," Johnston said, adding large plastic sheets called "diapers" are currently hanging from inside of the center to catch falling water.

While an approximately $1.6 billion plan to expand the facility had long been on the table, Spitzer recently said necessary changes to the proposal have made the project cost-prohibitive. Spitzer said a proper expansion would increase the price tag "100 percent"--to about $3.2 billion, which he said could be better spent on other needs in the city such as transportation or housing.

Spitzer wants the state to sell land adjacent to the center, a move that would effectively kill any future plans for a sizeable expansion.

Johnston said officials are committed to doing what they can for the Javits center while staying in line with the original budget of $1.6 billion. The renovation is expected to cost $800 million, with another $800 million to potentially be spent on a modest expansion of 80,000-100,000 s/f--an increase in space that would not include the land Spitzer wants to sell.

Johnston said the renovation could begin "this year," but he did not elaborate.

Is there disappointment that the center will not see a sizeable expansion?

"We're dealing with the cards we're dealt with," Johnston said. "We're going to make the best of it."

Of course the center's mainstay shows and conventions should not be disturbed during the renovations.

"There's a pretty comprehensive plan for that," Johnston said. "Obviously we don't have the option to close down while we're undergoing renovation."