Manhattan Borough President Opposes Related’s Hudson Yards Casino

The odds keep getting stacked against Related Companies’ high-stakes plans to build a casino at Hudson Yards, with another lawmaker doubling down against the project.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine announced he will oppose Related’s proposal to build a $12 billion casino complex along the High Line pedestrian park, as the project would require drastic zoning changes to the area, Crain’s New York Business first reported.

“I have received input from thousands of New Yorkers and organizations advocating both for and against this proposal and have heard concerns about the number of proposed residential units, concerns about urban design and impact on the surrounding community,” Levine said in a statement to Commercial Observer.

Related teamed with Wynn Resorts in March to unveil the design for its proposed 80-story casino tower with a gaming facility and hotel, but the plan was met with strong opposition from local politicians who represent neighborhoods around the High Line and who will vote on granting the highly competitive downstate casino licenses.

Levine is the latest lawmaker to speak out against the project, following state Assembly members Deborah Glick and Tony Simone who criticized the project in the summer. All say Related’s current plan would reduce the roughly 5,800 residential units the real estate firm committed to building in 2009, as well as block sunlight from reaching the High Line, Crain’s reported. The gambling den has also received opposition from local residents, with Manhattan Community Board 4 rejecting the proposal in January.

Levine’s vote does not hold too much weight, since borough presidents have only an advisory role in the rezoning process. Yet he is part of a team that will appoint a committee to vote on every casino plan this summer, Crain’s reported.

Levine told Crain’s that Related’s proposal is “not good enough,” but he did suggest the developer could make “substantial changes” to its plan by adding more affordable housing to the development on the 13-acre Western Rail Yards.

“A site the size of the Western Rail Yards could help transform our borough’s housing landscape, and I am eager to see a path forward for development at the Western Rail Yards,” Levine said in the statement to CO. “But we need to get it right.”

Related, meanwhile, has said that adding to its project on the rail yard would end up being too costly, Crain’s reported.

“The plan was developed with careful consideration of the High Line and neighborhood, while still taking into account the substantial infrastructure requirements of the platform on top of active rail yards,” a spokesperson for Related said in a statement sent to CO.

Related has plenty of competition for the chance to build a casino in New York City. Other proposals for the coveted casino license include Point72 Asset Management’s plan for a gambling house next to Queens’ Citi Field; the Soloviev Group and Mohegan’s proposed entertainment district near the United Nations headquarters; SL Green Realty, Caesars Entertainment and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation’s goal for a Times Square casino; and Resorts World New York City’s plans for a major Queens gambling hub.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.