New York Legislators Oppose Proposed Wynn Hudson Yards Casino

The area behind the food vendors outside Hudson Yards in New York is the Amtrak train yards where Wynn Resorts wants to build an 80-story hotel and casino on a platform over the yards. Assemblyman Tony Simone (inset) opposes the project. (Image: Richard B. Levine / Alamy)

Two local state legislators have come out against a proposal by Wynn Resorts and Related Companies to build a $12 billion casino in the Hudson Yards area of New York City. 

The proposed casino is one of several potential bids in the city for one of three downstate New York casino licenses, which are expected to be awarded by the end of 2025. 

Simone: ‘The Community Has Been Against It’

Assemblyman Tony Simone (D-Manhattan) made the strongest statement, telling The New York Post that he’s following the lead of local residents and their feelings on the project.

“I’ve been clear: I’m philosophically opposed to a casino on the west side of Manhattan,” Simone told the Post. “The community has been against it, and unless that changes, I’m a no.”

Simone’s opposition could be particularly troublesome for Wynn and Related, and he will serve on the six-person Community Advisory Committee that would need to approve the project before it could become eligible for a license. 

Much of the opposition to the proposal has focused on how the potential casino could impact the High Line, the nearly 1.5-mile-long elevated park trail that was built on a former New York Central Railroad line. The popular park would go directly past the proposed site of the resort, and opponents say the new construction would obstruct some of the trail’s iconic views of the city.

“The High Line is a unique and beloved park intended to get New Yorkers and visitors outside and above the congested streets and sidewalks,” Assemblywoman Debroah Glick (D-Lower Manhattan) told The Post. “Any plans that block views from this distinctive vantage point or allow for building closer to the High Line run counter to the High Line Special District and would significantly alter the experience.”

Casino Would Replace Existing Residential Plan

These are not the first complaints made against the massive project proposed by the Related Companies/Wynn Resorts partnership. The proposal would create an 80-story tower that overlooks the Hudson River, including both a casino and a hotel. A large park would surround the skyscraper, along with apartments and office buildings.

However, that plan was blasted earlier this year by Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4), which said that the proposal would erase a 2009 plan for the Hudson Yards Special District, which would have created 5,700 apartments and just one commercial building in the neighborhood, with open public space connecting to the High Line.

“Why should communities around the City of New York work with the real estate industry and the City government to respond and agree to zoning changes with detailed site plans and Points of Agreement when such plans and agreements can be discarded at a later date?” MCB4 board members wrote in a letter to Related Companies in April.

For their part, Related Companies released a statement on Monday saying that their plans had yet to be finalized. 

“Our proposal to transform the western yards into a massive new park, housing and development that will generate tens of thousands of jobs, billions in new taxes and community investments, has not even been formally submitted yet,” Related Companies said. “We would hope our government leaders would wait to read it before forming a judgement.”

The Hudson Yards proposal is one of several in Manhattan that may vie for one of the three downstate casino licenses. Others include a Caesars Entertainment-led bid in Times Square, a Mohegan bid near the United Nations, and a potential renovation of the Saks Fifth Avenue building by owner Hudson’s Bay.