CB4 Committee Sides With Opposition to Developer’s Hudson Yards Casino Bid
A unanimous Dec. 12 vote by Community Board 4’s “Land Use Committee” signals discontent with Related’s bid to land one of three downstate gambling licenses, which would place two new commercial towers in its Hudson Yards complex. The recommendation will go before the full board in the new year.
| 26 Dec 2024 | 08:01
A rendering of Related’s proposed Hudson Yards casino project. It has attracted some local opposition from those who believe that it will cast a shadow, literally and figuratively, on the High Line park. (
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Several towers in Hudson Yards are currently viewable while strolling the High Line, but opponents of the proposed $12 billion casino project argue that it would create two towers too many. Related argues that the project would create jobs. (
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Related Co.’s $12 billion bid to place a casino in Hudson Yards continued to attract community opposition this month, as Community Board 4’s “Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Land Use Committee” on Dec. 13 unanimously voted against allowing zoning changes that would be needed for the project.
The committee’s advisory recommendation, which followed public testimony, will be considered by CB4’s full board on January 6. If they provide an advisory vote of its own against the zoning overhaul, it may influence the State Gambling Commission’s deliberations on whether to grant Related one of three downstate casino licenses up for grabs in 2025.
Related is specifically banking on overhauling the “West Rail Yard” agreement, which has governed the Hudson Yards special zoning district since 2009. It outlined the eventual creation of at least 3,454 units of housing, 4.3 acres of public space, and various access points. Related’s hoped-for changes would reduce that housing unit figure to 2,000, as well as alter height limits to permit the construction of two commercial towers. For its part, Related has defended the bid by issuing projections that it would create 5,000 permanent union careers and 35,000 construction jobs, drawing support from certain labor leaders.
Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit that helps NYC manage the famed West Side park–located between Gansevoort St. and W. 34th St.–has notably started a high-profile “Protect the High Line” campaign organized around protesting these changes.
After the Dec. 12 CB4 vote, Friends of the High Line Executive Director Alan Capelle issued the following statement: “Our community is fortunate to be represented by extremely thoughtful representatives on the land use committee. Their discussion and vote showed the importance of taking the long view on the great opportunity for public-spirited development on the Western Rail Yards site and adjacent Javits Convention Center parking lot.”
“The High Line is fully committed to participating in a community-informed process to meet the goals articulated by the committee: putting housing first in a thoughtful urban design, while protecting the High Line experience,” the statement concluded.
Related Co. President Jeff Blau showed up to the CB4 meeting to further argue in favor of his company’s bid, noting that it would be a “lifetime change” for the neighborhood. Addressing the High Line’s campaign, he said that Related “welcomes the input, and are happy to engage.”
Some other local residents clearly weren’t having it. Candida, who noted that she had moved to the neighborhood in 1998, pointedly said that the High Line is her family’s “life,” before slamming the casino proposal as an attempt to build “a gated community.”
“It’s only for the people that come from the outside, and for Related Company, who wants to build something for business, but not for the neighborhood,” she added.
Elke Fears, the president of the 47th St. W. 47th-W. 48th St. Block Association, advocated in favor of the 2009 zoning agreement remaining the same. “Today, the High Line is loved by all New Yorkers, as well as visitors around the world,” she said. “There are many, many concerns of the building of huge structures on the Western Railyard, as proposed by Related, and the negative impact it would have on the High Line and the community as a whole. I agree with those concerns.”