Two highly anticipated casino projects in Manhattan, New York City have officially faced setbacks and been rejected due to lack of community support. The “Caesar’s Palace” at Times Square and the “Avenir” in the Hudson Yards proposals were both voted down by the Community Advisory Committees.
On the morning of September 17th (Wednesday), the Community Advisory Committee responsible for reviewing the “Caesar’s Palace at Times Square project” voted 4 to 2 against the proposal. Councilman Eric Bottcher stated, “Locating a casino in the community must meet extremely high thresholds and require broad and solid community support. Despite extensive outreach efforts by the developers, they did not garner sufficient approval.” The Broadway League also strongly opposed the casino plans, stating that rejecting them “protects the magic of Broadway and safeguards the livelihoods of 100,000 New Yorkers who depend on this industry.”
The “Avenir” project located in the Hudson Yards area had an estimated total investment of $7 billion, including plans for a 1,000-room hotel, 2,000 residential units (with 500 being affordable housing), 12 restaurants, and a public art gallery. The developers claimed that the project would create 4,000 union construction jobs and 5,500 permanent union positions. However, similar to the other proposal, this project was also rejected by the committee, preventing it from moving forward.
Currently, the New York State Gaming Commission plans to issue three downstate casino licenses by the end of the year, with six proposals set for community committee votes this month. The elimination of these two major casino projects underscores the highly controversial and resistant nature of advancing casino projects in Manhattan.
Despite both proposals being unsuccessful, the New York State Gaming Commission still intends to issue up to three downstate casino licenses before the year ends. The proposals still in contention include Resorts World’s application to upgrade its existing facilities in South Queens, the partnership between billionaire Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International for Metropolitan Park, Bally’s proposal at the former Trump golf course in the Bronx, a casino in Coney Island, Freedom Plaza in Manhattan’s East River, and MGM’s redevelopment plan for Yonkers Raceway.