City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander is calling on a major real estate firm to pull the plug on its bid to develop a casino on Manhattan’s west side, saying the plan would pose a burden on the High Line and fall short when it comes to affordable housing.
The bid, submitted by Related Companies in coordination with Nevada-based gambling giant Wynn Resorts, proposes to erect an 80-story tower in the Hudson Yards that’d house a luxe casino and hotel. The plan has an estimated price-tag of $12 billion.
In a statement shared exclusively with the Daily News, Lander said the Related-Wynn plan would disrupt the High Line, the iconic 1.5-mile elevated greenway spanning through the old train yards. Lander said he’s even more concerned the latest version of the Related-Wynn plan drops the number of housing units — from 5,700 to 1,500 — that they’d have to build in the surrounding area in exchange for getting to operate the casino. Just 324 of those units would be affordable under the plan.
“The proposal to rezone Hudson Yards would undermine one of New York’s greatest urban transformation stories of recent years — and, even worse, dramatically decrease the amount of housing that was agreed upon there, amidst a grave housing affordability crisis,” said Lander, a progressive who’s running for mayor in June’s Democratic primary.
“I call on the developer to withdraw their current proposal, and to work with the community on one that delivers more housing and access to open space, not less.”
His position makes him the first citywide elected official to put a finger on the scale in New York’s high-stakes gambling license competition, which will come to a head this year. Other mayoral candidates have spoken out on the issue, including state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who has been vocal in opposing Mets owner Steve Cohen’s casino plan for the Citi Field area.
Reps for Related, a Manhattan-based firm whose chairman, Stephen Ross, is a big donor to President Trump and other Republicans, didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Wynn reps didn’t immediately respond to messages, either.
Gov. Hochul’s administration is expected to by the end of 2025 award three new licenses for casinos to operate in the greater New York City area. The casinos are expected to generate significant tax revenue for the state and each of the three license winners must also fork over a $500 million permit fee upon being picked.
Lander doesn’t have any formal role in the state’s selection process, but the city government must approve accompanying rezoning proposals for the bidders before they can get gambling licenses. In his capacity as comptroller, Lander could exert sway over that process.
Two of the new licenses are widely expected to be given to existing racinos in Yonkers and Queens, which are currently only offering slots. With permits, they’d be able to host table games such as poker and blackjack.
That means there’s likely just one license up for grabs for an entirely new casino. That has set off a frenzy from developers and gambling powerhouses looking to cash in on the highly lucrative opportunity to operate one of the Big Apple’s first-ever casinos.
Including the Wynn-Related and the Citi Field bids, 11 different casino bids are under consideration. That includes a proposal from SL Green and rap star Jay-Z to build a casino in Times Square, a plan that has received backing from a top aide to Mayor Adams, who has so far stayed on the sidelines in the gambling license battle amid his federal indictment and surrounding scandals.
Even before Lander’s announcement, the Wynn-Related plan has faced obstacles.
Manhattan’s Community Board 4 earlier this year unanimously advised against the proposal, as did Borough President Mark Levine, citing similar concerns to Lander.
The plan is currently pending before the Department of City Planning, which will provide its own advice before the City Council must vote on whether to grant the underlying rezoning proposal that Wynn and Related would need to build the casino.
Friends of the High Line executive director Alan van Capelle, whose group has mounted a grassroots push against the Wynn-Related plan, thanked Lander for opposing the proposal.
“The High Line is a cherished public space for the community and Related should abandon this flawed proposal that has generated overwhelming community opposition,” he said.
