All Bets Are Off as Committee Rejects Avenir Casino Application

The odds are bleak for a casino at The Avenir on Manhattan’s far West Side as the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) tasked with reviewing applications for new  gambling licenses rejected the proposal.

Due to the Wednesday vote, Silverstein Properties, Rush Street Gaming, Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, and Hyatt’s partnership for a $7 billion facility at 11th Avenue and West 41st Street is no longer in the running for one of the three available downstate New York gaming permits.

“Obviously, we are disappointed that our West Side elected officials didn’t see a path forward for The Avenir project,” Dino Fusco, chief operating officer Silverstein, said in a statement. “We are grateful to everyone who has supported this project and partnered with our team throughout this process and appreciate their confidence in our vision for the Far West Side.”

Two CAC members, Angel Vasquez and Nabeela Malik, said that much like the Times Square proposal rejected roughly an hour earlier, the vote was rushed and there was not ample time for appointees of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams to deliberate. Both Vasquez and Malik voted in the affirmative.

Former state Assemblymember Richard Gottfried argued that the entire process, including public review, had been thorough. Gottfried voted nay.

The Silverstein-led partnership, however, did not have high hopes leading up to the CAC vote on Wednesday, stating the CAC had made a request late Tuesday night to respond to a “a very significant additional request” about the project.

“Despite the Avenir team working in good faith throughout the process to respond to questions and concerns and amend our proposal as needed, last night at 10:50 p.m. the Community Advisory Committee made a very significant request, and our team has not been given a chance to consider this request before today’s vote,” a spokesperson for The Avenir said in a statement. “This action taints the CAC process, and today’s vote should be postponed.”

The CAC held the meeting 12 hours later anyway, essentially killing the partners’ odds of getting a casino license.

The Avenir submitted an amendment prior to the vote to increase the number of housing built into the plan from 2,000 to 2,200 units, with 500 deemed affordable.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.