West Side's bet to Wynn
Casino pitch for Hudson Yards
Wynn Resorts unveiled art renderings for a massive $12 billion complex the casino giant hopes to build on Hudson Yards, a former graveyard for LIRR trains on the West Side of Manhattan.
The ambitious proposal — created by real-estate giant Related Companies — features an 80story tower overlooking the Hudson River that houses a gaming facility and hotel. Office buildings, apartment towers and a spacious 5.6-acre park would surround the gleaming casino.
Tourists walking along the High Line, an elevated train line converted to a public park, would wander past the site and could enter the resort between West 30th and 33rd streets and 11th and 12th avenues.
From the Hudson River, the design shows a shiny office building and residential tower to the right of the casino resort tower.
The project also includes a 750seat public school, a community facility and day care center.
Hudson Yards West — whose partnership also includes the Oxford Properties Group — would provide 35,000 union construction jobs and 5,000 permanent careers in the resort, planners claim. The hotel would be an essential destination for visitors attending events at the Javits Center next door, promoters of the plan argue, claiming the development could help boost New York tourism and economic development.
“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,” said Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies.
A price for the project was not revealed, but it was previously reported the complex would cost up to $12 billion.
The state is considering awarding up to three casino licenses in the downstate region, including New York City, Long Island and northern suburbs. The winning bidders would have to pay at least a $500 million license fee for the privilege to run a casino.
A fierce competition over the coveted casino license has emerged.
In Queens, Mets owner Steve Cohen has proposed a sprawling $8 billion gaming center, hotel and music venue near Citi Field that he has dubbed “Metropolitan Park.”
A short trip from Flushing, the owners of Resorts World New York City slot parlor at Aqueduct race track in South Ozone Park recently announced a $5 billion expansion of its facilities in hopes of obtaining a license to offer table games, which would include a 7,000-seat concert Hall.
The operators, Genting, already run a hotel there and have a decade-long track record in the Queens neighborhood.
Other developers and casino operators have joined forces for proposals to build a casino in Times Square, Coney Island and possibly Ferry Point in The Bronx, where gaming operator Bally’s recently took over the golf course from the Trump Organization.