The Wynn New York City casino proposal in Hudson Yards has more opposition to face.
The High Line, a nonprofit organization and a public park in Manhattan, launched a campaign this week to ensure that the Wynn New York City project on the Western Rail Yards essentially does not happen.
In a press release, High Line noted that its campaign would make sure that any development “protects the iconic nature and experience” of the area.
The Wynn casino proposal, however, “would negatively impact the experience of millions of visitors and obstruct important and iconic views from the High Line.”
High Line: Wynn proposal goes against 2009 rezoning agreement
According to the announcement, community stakeholders and Related Companies – a partner with Wynn to develop the casino project – came to an agreement in 2009 with the mayor’s office as well as the city council and other elected leaders to rezone the area.
The plan called for a commitment of 3,454 housing units along the Western Rail Yards and 4.3 acres of open space.
Now, Related and Wynn have requested approval to replace that agreement with two scenarios that include “significant changes,” according to the High Line. One includes a Wynn casino and would feature 2,000 fewer units than originally agreed upon while also reducing access to the planned open area. All while “dramatically” increasing the size of the buildings.
The “Protect the High Line” campaign aims to solicit feedback from community stakeholders to help advance the development of the Western Rail Yards while staying in line with the 2009 rezoning agreement.
“This proposed plan is bad for the High Line and everyone who loves it, and we will work with the community to make it better,” Alan van Capelle, executive director of Friends of High Line, said in a statement. “We aren’t against development and support the development of the Western Rail Yards in a way that improves upon the 2009 agreement. However, the proposed changes are significantly more impactful than what was agreed to and were developed without any community input.
“We have expressed our concerns directly to Related and feel it is critical to broaden the conversation to include all relevant stakeholders and our community so we can all move forward together with a better plan.”
Wynn project does not solve ‘serious housing crisis’
According to the release, “scores of community leaders and grassroots supporters” have joined the campaign, including co-op board members, block association presidents, and tenant leaders.
Sally Greenspan, president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations, underscored the “serious housing crisis” faced by Chelsea, one that will not be solved with the proposed Wynn New York City project that will feature an 80-story hotel tower with the gaming facility, another tower for apartments, and a third tower for offices, all surrounding a 5.6-acre park.
“Chelsea needs more housing, not more office space and CCBA opposes the potential inclusion of a casino,” Greenspan said in the press release. “CCBA supports the Protect the High Line campaign to get the Rail Yards plan back on track.”
Of course, nothing is a given with the Wynn New York City proposal, which looks to earn one of three downstate casino licenses that could allow recipients to offer online casinos in New York once lawmakers legalize iGaming. This proposal requires approval from the Uniform Land Use Review Process, for starters.
High Line campaign comes weeks after community board opposition
In April, Manhattan Community Board 4 said it was “mystified” by the Related bid, noting the digression from the 2009 rezoning agreement as the reason.
In a letter from its members, the board emphasized that it “cannot support the proposed project’s drastic shift from residential to commercial use designed around casino use.”
“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 later date?”
That letter came on the heels of Andrew Rosen, chief operating officer for Related, telling the MCB4’s Hell’s Kitchen Land Use committee that the revised plans for Wynn New York City would still follow the 2009 agreement.
He added that Related “took those as a baseline for our proposal here.”
