A plan to bypass the community review process to expedite casinos in Hell’s Kitchen has been unanimously rejected by Manhattan Community Board 4’s Land Use committee.
The city’s Planning Department presented a text amendment to New York City’s zoning to allow casinos and their associated business ventures at Wednesday evening’s meeting. The plan would bypass the standard process, ULURP — Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
Committee members reacted with incredulity to the proposal, saying that it was an “embarrassment” and that city planners should feel “shame” at “abdicating everything to the state.” It was also called an undemocratic idea and “nuts” by members of the public speaking at the meeting.
The Community Board made it clear that they would not vote to be taken out of the public review process, saying it was their main reason to be in place. The ULURP process involves community boards offering an opinion on land use plans.
“Shame on city planning to abdicate everything to the state,” said Delores Rubin, a member of the land use committee. “You literally are just giving away any opportunity for what has been fought for by city planning, but more importantly, by each community.”
Stephen Johnson, who made the presentation to the community board on behalf of the New York City Planning Department, explained that local input would come through a six-person Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which for each local bid will consist of Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, City Council Member Erik Bottcher, Assembly Member Tony Simone and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
Committee member, Chris LeBron, was concerned that elected officials would come under budgetary pressure from the Mayor and Governor. “All there needs to be is pressure from the executive body on these elected officials and they’ll vote the way that they’re told and they won’t represent the community which we represent. So this text amendment is eliminating part of the democratic process and turning it into the new version of ‘three men in a room’.”
In the public session, local resident David Korman said: “I’ve lived in Hell’s Kitchen since 1987. It’s completely unacceptable to remove gaming facilities from the ULURP process. ULURP was created as part of the 1975 revision of the New York City charter to democratize the planning process to allow public review. We should not go back to the days of Robert Moses, where communities were shut out of important planning decisions that shaped their neighborhoods. The proposed amendment would leave out the professionals at city planning too, which is nuts.”
The decision to allow casinos in New York was made by voters back in 2013. However, the Gaming Commission process to award the three remaining licenses downstate in New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Long Island has proved contentious.
In Manhattan, three of the five casino applications are around Hell’s Kitchen. Silverstein Properties has proposed a new hotel and casino in partnership with Greenwood Entertainment and Entertainment Affiliates at 11th Avenue and W41st Street called Avenir; SL Green has partnered with Caesars Palace and RocNation for a casino in Times Square; while Related has partnered with Wynn Resorts to propose a casino on the western railyards side at Hudson Yards.
Whatever the review process, the final decision will be made by the State’s Gaming Facility Location Board
In October, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams issued a joint statement with Planning Director Dan Garodnick, saying: “Casinos have the potential to bring jobs and economic opportunities to New Yorkers, but applicants within New York City are at a disadvantage today because the city does not currently have a mechanism in our land use regulations to properly review casino siting.”
Rolling the dice on a Manhattan casino is presented as making big revenue for the city. Crain’s reported that just one casino could generate $2 billion in revenue. However, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reported that from 2017 to 2022, New York’s four licensed casinos brought just $176 million in gaming tax revenue to host and regional local governments. “Casinos are not a magic fix that will solve local fiscal challenges,” DiNapoli said.
The 60-day consultation period on the text amendment ends on February 5, 2024.
Thank you community Board #4
What else does the city and state plan on putting in Hell’s Kitchen? Maybe they can give some of the rooms in these proposed casino/hotels to the homeless or asylum seekers they have placed here – without notification. And let’s not forget with all the added traffic AND thanks to congestion pricing it will be an even bigger money grab for the city and state. And I’m pretty sure most of that will not go back into Hell’s Kitchen.
Even though I don’t live in the Hell’s Kitchen anymore, I can’t imagine what casinos would do to that neighborhood. Makes me sad.
Isn’t the planned casio within CB5’s jurisdiction? CB4 ends on 8th avenue, no?
Incorrect. There are 5 manhattan bids.
Saks
1515 Broadway
Hudson Yards Related
Hudson Yards Silverstein
UN
Regardless of the border of CB4 the residential proximity of Hell’s Kitchen to the 1515 Broadway bid is such that we should not remove the ULURP process that provides our block associations and tenant associations from having a say. Because these organizations exist it is their responsibility to engage in business located in CB5.
A joke right? “Regardless of the border…” This is the same board that approves almost everything the Mayor, City Planning or developers propose. How many times have I heard CB4 say they must support something or they won’t get support on its own issues? Look at Hudson Yards, which CB4 essentially supported. Sure they nitpicked a little, but they helped make it happen.
And yes, 1515 Broadway is a block east of the CB4 border, well within CB5 jurisdiction. But has CB4 said or done anything about the 1000 foot tower going up now on 8th Ave (with amusement rides on top)? What have any of the electeds done about that? What have the so-called Hell’s Kitchen Democrats done about that?
I’m surprised to see a little bit of honesty coming from a CB4/HKDem member. “All there needs to be is pressure from the executive body on these elected officials…”
I’d watch your back.
Thank you CB4! Residents of midtown Manhattan are treated like we’re invisible and Eric Adams wants once again to ignore us in favor of what he sees as a feather in his cap. Will be interesting to see a list of his campaign donors.
The SL Green/Caesar’s Palace project is particularly annoying since they keep doing presentations like it’s already a done deal. It is not! They have one coming up at Hartley House. We need to push back!
Look. I’m just gonna say it. You might have hired a talented Hell’s Kitchen visual artist to generate the image for this instead of turning to AI. There are a lot of people nearby who could use the work, and they are getting pretty discouraged as AI continues to take over the landscape. If you want to contribute to this vibrant Hell’s Kitchen community, using AI might not be the way to go.
I hear you Maureen. But when you’ve been up writing to 1:30am, and looking for something to illustrate the news story at 8am for a 8:30am deadline … there are limited options. We didn’t want to run a rendering from a casino bidder as lead picture… and, of course, we are a local news publication with some budget limitations. But saying that, it would be my preference too. Appreciate the feedback.
Whoa!!! Slow down there, Nellie!! I guess I could feign shock and surprise, but as Hells Kitchen is ALWAYS treated like the neighborhood doesn’t really matter! The idea of Hells Kitchen being “transient”, obviously comes from person/persons who know nothing about the neighborhood! It’s doesn’t take a whole lot of brain cells to know Casinos here in midtown are a BAD IDEA! 11th and 41st. Are they kidding???!!! Has anyone bothered to check what traffic is like now 11th goes one way to Lincoln Tunnel? I live at 45&11 and I can tell you it’s worse. And what about Phase 2 at Hudson Yards? And all the remaining affordable housing units promised? I’m losing what little faith I had in our city government. Just because something MIGHT look good on paper, does not mean it will work. Remember moving the homeless during Covid? Good on paper. POORLY executed. I’m surprised they even said anything. You know they’re going to do it no matter what. The 6 person committee is laughable. Where’s the money? And who’s benefitting? It’s not the residents of Hell’s Kitchen, I can guarantee that!!!
Christopher LeBron: Chris, you are correct there are 5 Manhattan bids, and I also did a double-take when reading the article, but the reporter accurately describes 3 casino proposals in Hell’s Kitchen: “In Manhattan, three of the five casino applications are around Hell’s Kitchen”:
Saks – this is outside of Hell’s KitchenIn Manhattan, three of the five casino applications are around Hell’s Kitchen
1515 Broadway – IN Hell’s Kitchen
Hudson Yards Related – IN Hell’s Kitchen
Hudson Yards Silverstein – IN Hell’s Kitchen, but the Avenir proposal is not really at Hudson Yards – it is east of Hudson Yards on the site of the old Mercedes Benz Manhattan dealership property.
UN – outside of Hell’s Kitchen
The only slight inaccuracy is this statement: “The decision to allow casinos in New York was made by voters back in 2013. However, the Gaming Commission process to award the three remaining licenses downstate in New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Long Island has proved contentious.” There are not three remaining casino licenses, but rather three licenses for full human-interaction casino table games, as opposed to solely electronic games currently at the Empire City Racino at Yonkers Raceway and Resorts World Racino at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens. Of the three live table game casino licenses, it is pretty much a given that one each will be given to Empire and Resorts World, but the big question is where that third license will end up. Will it end up in Manhattan with its tourists and given population density, or end up in one of the outer boroughs or Long Island. I do not believe at all there will be one in the Bronx (Bally’s) because it is too close to Empire in Yonkers. Likewise, I do not believe at all there will be one at Willets Point (Steve Cohen – Citifield) as there is already Resorts World in Queens less than ten miles away. The Saks proposal looks unrealistic, but the Coney Island proposal might have some legs (that consortium includes Thor Equities, gaming operators Saratoga Casino Holdings and The Chickasaw Nation and Legends, the sports and entertainment firm co-owned by the Yankees, which has a lot of political juice). For the record, I never gamble – I bust my ass too hard to earn my money to feed it to a casino. Glenn in Brooklyn, NY.
To Glenn in Brooklyn. For the Coney Island project, you need to also look at Thor Equities and their financial problems … one foreclosure after another. Not a great record.
On 1515 Broadway, that is NOT in Hell’s Kitchen. Close perhaps, but not in HK.