No slot machines and tabletop games for the West Side. The $12 billion Hudson Yards Casino plan will not be moving forward.
“After careful consideration, we have decided not to lodge an application for a gaming license in New York City,” Wynn Resorts representatives said in a statement.
Opposition from Community Board 4 and Friends of the Highline ultimately led Wynn Resort-Related Companies to pull the bid one month before it was due.
The Hudson Yards Casino won’t be moving forward
The project has been highly controversial since its proposal, and locals did not find it necessary for the area, despite efforts to show otherwise.
The statement continued, “The recent rezoning process has made it clear to us that there are uses for our capital more accretive to our shareholders, such as investment in our existing and upcoming developments and stock buybacks, than investing in an area in which we, or any casino operator, will face years of persistent opposition despite our willingness to employ 5,000 New Yorkers.”
Part of the adventurous undertaking planned to include the following:
- 5.6-acres of publicly accessible open space
- Hotel rooms and suites, restaurants, bars, lounges, and a spa
- A residential building including affordable housing
- Class AA commercial office space
- A public K-8 school with a community facility and a daycare center
Although Wynn Resorts has dropped out of the undertaking, its development partner, Related Companies, will be moving forward by creating 400 affordable housing units in the city, which City Councilmember Erik Bottcher considers to be, “among the largest additions to Manhattan’s housing stock in decades,” according to Gothamist.
In the fall of 2024, a Hudson Yards affordable housing listing included luxury units for under $1,700, which caused a buzz. Undoubtedly, a similar project will likely be well received.
“The totality of these changes mean that we can move forward with a plan that will create critically needed housing at all income levels,” Jeff T. Blau, the CEO of Related Companies, said in a statement.
We’ll be sure to keep you informed as we learn more about the Hudson Yard’s new developments.