Community board rejects Wynn’s $12bn Hudson Yard casino complex

A proposed $12bn casino complex development project in Manhattan’s Hudson Yard has fallen at the first hurdle after being rejected by the local community board, according to the New York Post. 

The project, developed by Wynn in partnership with Related Companies, was bluntly criticised and rejected unanimously by Community board 4 – which represents the Hudson Yards neighborhood in Manhattan. The local board yields the power to weigh in on any zoning changes relevant to the local community that it represents – and has rejected the project’s request for a zonal change which would allow it to pursue further development.  

Featured as part of the plan is an 80-story rose gold gaming facility and hotel tower on the banks of the Hudson River, with a four-story base of office buildings, apartments and a 5.6-acre park which would encircle the tower.  

The opposition to the project was led by Friends of the High Line, a recent Manhattan development which features an old overground railway line that has been converted to an elevated parkland walk. Indeed, the group claimed that the tower would negatively impact the area and cast shadows over the High Line, which has proved to be a hit with locals and tourists, alike, in recent years.  

Commenting on the community’s rejection of the project, former Community Board 4 member and Co-Founder of the High Line, Joshua David, said, “A carefully planned mixed-use neighborhood is wiped out for a garish Las Vegas-style monstrosity that has no place on Manhattan’s West Side. If we wanted to live in Las Vegas, we would live in Las Vegas.” 

Good to know: In October, New York State posted the US’ highest ever monthly sports wagering handle of $2.32bn 

This latest project proposal by Wynn and Related Companies is one of four proposed casino projects currently in the pipeline for New York City. Promising signs for developers came in the form of the New York City Mayor’s proposal of new zones for casino development in 2023, with hopes being compounded by a proposed bill that would speed up the casino license approval process in May 2024.  

However, it is now looking like New York City casinos are, at best, a long way off, as New York Governer Kathy Hochul vetoed this bill in November. What’s more, this point is evidenced further by projects such as the Hudson Yard development struggling to gain local approval, before even thinking about trying to gain regulatory approval from state gaming regulators.  

Will Underwood

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