Related releases renderings of proposed Hudson Yards casino complex
Renderings courtesy of Related Companies
This is what a massive casino complex in Hudson Yards could look like. Related Companies and Wynn Resorts on Wednesday unveiled renderings for Wynn New York City, their $12 billion development proposal that would transform an undeveloped western portion of Hudson Yards into a casino and resort, three skyscrapers, a 5.6-acre park, office space, and a public school. Related is one of the most recent developers to throw their hat in the ring to secure one of New York’s three downstate casino licenses that will be awarded in the coming months.
In February, Related filed plans with the city detailing the ambitious project. The plans call for three new skyscrapers, including an 80-story residential building with 1,500 apartments, an office tower with roughly 2.2 million square feet of office space, and a gaming facility and hotel resort with 1,750 rooms run by Wynn Resorts.
The project would span across an area bounded by West 30th and West 33rd Streets and 11th and 12th Avenues, and require the construction of a platform over two-thirds of the 13-acre site of the rail yard that resides below ground. The site is located next to the first part of Hudson Yards, which opened in 2019.
As outlined in the proposal, the casino complex would be situated along West 33rd Street. The building would contain a five-story gaming facility within the podium and an 80-story hotel with 1,750 rooms, including 250 “extended stay units.”
The design of the proposed 5.6-acre park, whose size could be best compared to Bryant Park, would take into account the needs and input of community stakeholders and feature programming and areas for residents and their pets.
Other features include a comprehensive community benefits program, a security program, and a traffic mitigation plan that will be revealed after Related and Wynn submit their application to the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board.
Before the project can move forward, Related must gain approval from the state and go through the city’s review process because the proposal seeks to change the terms of the 2009 rezoning agreement for Hudson Yards. The original plan called for six buildings, which the most recent plan has reduced to three taller and denser towers. The public school and affordable housing components detailed in the 2009 rezoning will stay the same.
If approved, Related expects Wynn New York City to be a catalyst for the redevelopment of the western edge of Hudson Yards, which currently lies undeveloped. Wynn New York City would create 35,000 union construction jobs and 5,000 permanent jobs in the gaming resort, and bring public open space, affordable housing, and a school to the neighborhood.
Related is unlikely to move forward with the amended project if they are unable to obtain the casino license, Related spokesman Jon Weinstein told Crain’s. The developers expect construction on the project to take about five years to complete.
“Hudson Yards has already proven to be an unparalleled catalyst for the New York economy, first through tens of thousands of construction jobs and now as home to the world’s leading companies, retail, and housing,” Jeff T. Blau, CEO of Related, said.
“Moving forward with the second phase of development presents an incredible opportunity to double the impact and provide generational benefits to the State, City, and especially our West Side neighbors.”
The application process for the gaming licenses is expected to begin later this year. In the coming weeks, the Gaming Facility Board will release answers to a second round of questions that applicants have asked about the process. Following that, completed applications will be due within 30 days.
Next, the state’s six-member Community Advisory Council made up of lawmakers who represent each proposal’s neighborhood, will meet to consider each proposal. Any proposal that gets less than four votes will be discarded.
Bids that are approved by the committees will then be reviewed by the Gaming Facility Location Board, which will distribute up to three licenses after considering proposals based on their potential for economic impact, and other criteria.
Related is one of many prominent developers who have released proposals for casinos since the state legislature approved licenses for three new casinos in the NYC area in April 2022, including one by Silverstein Properties for next to Hudson Yards called “The Avenir.”
In December 2022, SL Greene Realty revealed plans for a Jay-Z-backed Caesars Palace casino in Times Square. The proposal would redevelop the 54-story office tower at 1515 Broadway into “Caesars Palace Times Square,” which includes a hotel, wellness center, theater space for “The Lion King,” entertainment, and dining.
One of the most ambitious proposals is New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s $8 billion “Metropolitan Park,” a sports and entertainment complex across from Citi Field that features a Hard Rock casino. Cohen’s plan would require the state to allow construction on the site since it is technically parkland as part of the 1939 creation of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
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