The New York City Planning Commission has given its endorsement to a plan to rezone the Western Rail Yards area of Hudson Yards in Manhattan, despite opposition from Manhattan community leaders and area residents. While the Planning Commission’s vote doesn’t compel the New York City Council to approve the plan, it does represent a significant advancement of Wynn Resorts‘ ambitions for a casino in New York.
Many more obstacles lie ahead of Wynn’s plans at this point, starting with convincing the member of the city council representing the area affected by the zoning plan to support Wynn’s bid. Time is running short for Wynn and other parties interested in downstate New York casino opportunities to line up their ducks.
Planning Commission approves rezoning plan
According to Dashiell Allen of W42ST, the New York City Planning Commission voted 9-4 on Wednesday to approve a zoning plan submitted by Wynn and a development partner, Related Companies. The relevant area is an undeveloped plot in the Western Rail Yards between W31st St and W33rd St stretching from 11th Ave to 12th Ave. The plans include shifting space that had been dedicated to new housing to commercial use and the option to operate a casino.
Related and Wynn have shared their designs for gaming and other developments in the area, encompassing a total investment of $12 billion into office space, retail and a smaller housing footprint. The plans also call for a public park.
Although the Planning Commission approved the design, getting the full New York City Council to sign off is no foregone conclusion. The Planning Commission’s hearing itself was evidence that opposition to Wynn’s plans remains fervent.
Dissent votes echo community opposition
Allen reports that Planning Commission members who voted against the rezoning explained their votes by pointing out the reduction in housing as a primary reason for their votes. That is a sentiment that Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) share.
Levine stated in February that “the plan as currently proposed is not good enough” as an April 2024 letter from MCB4 declared that it “cannot support the proposed project’s drastic shift from residential to commercial use designed around casino use.” Furthermore, a community group called The High Line has been running an opposition campaign since July 2024.
While the entire New York City Council could concur with the Planning Commission regardless of Levine’s and MCB4’s concerns, it will be more difficult to do so if Council Member Erik Bottcher is not on board. Bottcher represents the area in question and his input will be crucial at several steps of the process.
Council member can sway zoning and gaming licensing processes
For Wynn’s ambitions, few people are more pivotal than Bottcher. Bottcher’s opinion will not only carry weight regarding the necessary rezoning for a casino in Hudson Yards but also whether or not Wynn will get a gaming license from the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC).
Under state law, each proposal for one of the up to three licenses for downstate casinos the NYSGC plans to award this year will undergo the review of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The New York City council member representing the affected area is a part of the CAC relevant to each bid.
If Bottcher withholds his consent, he only needs to convince two other members of the CAC to vote with him to kill off the bid. Proposals must receive a supermajority vote in favor (four out of six members) to advance from its CAC to a separate site selection committee that will make recommendations to the NYSGC.
Both The High Line and Related are trying to sway Bottcher their way per Allen. The forthcoming vote on whether to approve the Planning Commission’s recommendation on the zoning plan will be a bellwether for Wynn’s future in New York City.
