Silverstein Brings in Rush Street Gaming to Boost Far West Side Casino Bid

Silverstein Properties has brought in a major casino developer to strengthen its bid for one of three coveted downstate New York gaming licenses.

Silverstein, helmed by World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein, announced Friday its partnership with Rush Street Gaming to operate the Avenir — a planned gaming, hotel, entertainment and residential complex on a 92,000-square-foot vacant lot near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s Far West Side.

Rush Street, which has developed six casinos in the U.S. and Canada, would operate the Avenir, while Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment — which was named a partner on the project in Silverstein’s original June 2023 announcement — will remain a partner, adviser and investor, the announcement said.

“Our company has been part of the West Side for over 40 years, and we look forward to continuing to work together on a project that will bring much needed jobs, tax revenue, economic development and affordable housing to the city and state,” Silverstein CEO Lisa Silverstein said in a statement.

The proposed casino at West 41st Street and 11th Avenue — land that Silverstein has owned since 1984 — would comprise two 46-story towers linked by a skybridge, 1,000 hotel rooms and a 600,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment facility, Silverstein said in 2023.

Silverstein also said the project would bring 100 units of affordable housing, create 4,000 union construction jobs and more than 5,000 permanent union jobs, as well as generate “billions of dollars” for the state and city and funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — all of which should earn the developer points with the New York State Gaming Commission in its search for a casino with community benefits.

The developers also noted in the Friday announcement that the Avenir is “free of complex logistical hurdles” such as land-use approvals and the need for residential displacement, unlike some other casino bids in the city.

“We are a company with deep roots in our communities,” Greenwood CEO Eric Hausler said in a statement. “Over the past two years, we have enjoyed working with the Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Yards and far West Side communities’ elected, civic and labor leaders to create something that serves the neighborhood and its residents.”

In addition, with Rush Street on board, the Avenir would be focused on “innovative, sustainable development,” with several “environmentally friendly components” such as energy efficient building systems and renewable construction materials, Silverstein said.

“We greatly admire what Silverstein Properties has accomplished in terms of developing important projects in New York City,” Rush Street CEO Tim Drehkoff said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Silverstein, Greenwood and the far West Side community on the Avenir.”

Still, Silverstein is just one of numerous New York City developers vying for one of the state’s casino licenses set to be awarded by the end of the year.

The other proposals include New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International’s casino bid near Queens’ Citi Field; Soloviev Group and Mohegan’s Freedom Plaza project near the United Nations; Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings, the Chickasaw Nation and Legends’ goal for a casino in Coney Island, Brooklyn; SL Green Realty, Caesars Entertainment and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation’s project in Times Square; and Resorts World New York City’s bid to redevelop its Queens casino.

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