Deadline Day: Three Manhattan Casino Bids Are Among Eight Submitted

On casino proposal deadline day, three gargantuan proposals for Manhattan were among eight submitted citywide: Silverstein’s “Avenir” project in Hell’s Kitchen, SL Green’s “Caesar Palace Times Square” complex, and Soloviev Group & Mohegan’s UN-adjacent “Freedom Plaza” venture.

All bidders paid a $1 million fee to the NYS Gaming Commission by a 4pm deadline on June 27. They are all competing for one of three downstate casino licenses to be handed out by NYS.

They’ll initially go before six-member Community Advisory councils, composed of six elected officials, the governor, mayor, state senator, state assembly member, borough president, and city council member. for one round of vetting and approval prior to Sept. 30. The Gaming Facility Location Board is then expected to announce winning bids by Dec. 1 and award the actual licenses, which will cost $500 million each, by Dec. 31.

The “Freedom Plaza” bid was submitted on June 26, a day before the deadline. The submission came with a glitzy video outlining the contours of the casino bid, which would involve the creation of two residential towers with 1,049 affordable-housing units, a 4.7-acre public park as well something called the Museum of Freedom & Democracy.

Located on the currently unoccupied site of a former Con Edison substation, it would be designed by “starchitect” Bjarke Ingels, who said that he’s emulating the design of the nearby UN headquarters.

The video included commentary by CEOs of the bidding corporations, as well as local bigwigs. Soloviev Group CEO Michael Hershman said that “we’re extending our hands to the community, to be partners in this development.” Ray Pineault, Mohegan’s CEO, proclaimed that “when we talk about welcoming and cooperation and mutual respect, that’s who we are.” Bryant Park Corp. CEO Dan Biederman, meanwhile, said that “this project has taken a very democratic with a small-d approach.”

SL Green’s Times Square bid, which was submitted by the 4pm deadline, is intended to transform an office building at 1515 Broadway into a 992-room hotel-casino containing various commercial establishments; it would reportedly have nightclubs curated by Jay Z’s Roc Nation, with the entertainment corporation Live Nation signing on as well. Notably, the Reverend Al Sharpton endorsed the bid this week, citing the creation of union jobs.

“Caesars Palace Times Square is the only proposal that can be delivered quickly, is transit-accessible and sustainable while maximizing economic impact for New Yorkers,” SL Green VP and project lead Brett Herschenfeld said.

The Silverstein “Avenir” proposal, which would take the form of a 45-story mixed-use tower at West 41st Street and Eleventh Avenue, includes a 1,000-room hotel and “dozens” of restaurants and bars. As of this week, Silverstein announced that it would develop around 2,000 affordable apartments in the surrounding neighborhood—via office-to-residential conversion—in conjunction with the construction of the Avenir, in a bid to make their proposal more attractive to the political leaders who could give it a thumbs-up or -down.

Of course, the possibility of a casino (or two) coming to Manhattan has led to a fair bit of opposition. West Side State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who appears on track to be elected the next Manhattan borough president come November, has said that “Manhattan is no place for a casino.” Related Co. dropped a casino bid for Hudson Yards earlier this year, partially due to withering local criticism that included a “Protect the High Line” campaign.

Many handicappers predict that the so-called “racino” bids—horse-racing tracks in Yonkers and Southeast Queens that already have slot-machine casinos—would face the least local opposition, since they are already managing gambling operations. However, trade unions are hoping for casinos that would need to be built from the ground up, as it would ensure more jobs for construction workers.