Plans have been revealed for Hudson Yards Phase Two, the latest bid for a potential mixed-use casino development in Manhattan. Partners Related Companies and Wynn Resorts filed plans with the Department of City Planning calling for a $12 billion complex consisting of multiple skyscrapers that would yield 1,500 apartments, 2 million square feet of office space, a public school and daycare center, and a hotel and casino operated by the Las Vegas-based hospitality brand. The development is slated to rise directly west of the first phase of Hudson Yards over the 13-acre open-air Western Rail Yards bound by West 33rd Street to the north, West 30th Street to the south, Eleventh Avenue to the east, and West Street to the west.
“We are excited to continue engaging with stakeholders across the local community as part of the city land-use process for the undeveloped rail yards,” said Jon Weinstein, executive VP of corporate communications at Related Companies. “As the state’s parallel process moves forward, we look forward to unveiling our full proposed plan, which will provide thousands of jobs, billions in revenue and community benefits, a new park, affordable housing, a school, and more.”
One schematic design puts the casino within the five-story podium of an 80-story, 1,189-foot supertall skyscraper along the northern end of the rail yards by the corner of Eleventh Avenue and West 33rd Street, near the Jacob K. Javits Center and northernmost terminus of the High Line. The 2.7-million-square-foot tower would hold 1,750 guest rooms along with a conference center, retail, and restaurant space. A 1,366-foot supertall office building would stand on the southern end with a 750-seat public school in its multi-story podium, along with a separate 1,172-foot supertall residential skyscraper yielding 1,507 units, of which 324 would be dedicated to affordable housing. The area in between would feature six acres of public open space.
Schematic master plan with the casino component.
Schematic building massing and zoning diagram with the casino component.
Another schematic iteration shows five towers in total, consisting of two 800-foot-tall residential skyscrapers along the northern corner situated on top of a podium, an abutting 1,159-foot supertall commercial skyscraper on the eastern corner, a 1,172-foot supertall residential structure on the western end, and a 1,366-foot supertall commercial skyscraper on the southern corner with a public school. This alternative scenario comes without the casino proposal.
Schematic master plan without the casino component.
Schematic building massing and zoning diagram without the casino component.
Related Companies and Wynn Resorts are the latest consortium to enter the competition for the coveted Manhattan casino license. New York’s Gaming Facility Location Board will soon publish answers to a second round of questions posed by applicants, followed by local input through a six-person Community Advisory Committee (CAC). For the Hudson Yards location, the committee would consist of Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, senator Hoylman-Sigal, councilmember Erik Bottcher, assemblymember Tony Simone, and Manhattan borough president Mark Levine.
The other proposals for a Manhattan casino have come from Silverstein Properties for a large plot by the Lincoln Tunnel in Hell’s Kitchen; from Hudson Bay for the site of the Saks Fifth Avenue department store in the heart of Midtown; from SL Green, Caesars Entertainment, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for 1515 Broadway in Times Square; and from The Soloviev Group for Freedom Plaza along the East River.
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This and the “Freedom Plaza” proposal annoy me because they are clearly going to build the casino as fast as possible and then drag their feet on the rest, if they ever build it at all.
If we must have Casinos, I believe this location and willets point would be best. Maybe they could build a bridge connecting the high line over the west side highway. Connecting the bike path and ferry passengers.
A bridge over the west side highway has always been mentioned as part of the original Hudson Yards project, so I don’t think we need to have a casino to see that.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
Correct.
Thanks!
The so-called “Willets Point” site is actually part of Flushing Meadows Park. Granted it is currently a parking lot and not much of a park other than a few trees on the islands. I suspect Manhattan is the location people would prefer for a casino. We already have casino-like things at inconvenient racetracks, but they do not seem so popular.
Another use of the Westside Yards site could be for a new Madison Square Garden.
I completely agree with Cheesemaster (see comment above). Not only that, but casinos come with hookers, so watch out, Chelsea/HK. And has anyone checked on our electrical grid? How is all this going to be powered up?
Interesting comment about the grid. I don’t understand this, “all in” push with electricity. Better to use natural gas for heat and stoves, so we don’t have brown outs like they do on the left coast. Plus natural gas is much more efficient and less expensive.
And if more people really do buy EV’s, the grid is going to fail.
Heat pump HVAC using electricity can be more efficient than gas. This is much like the cold air conditional, that is due use and can pump cold air out of the building, ie. heating the interior.
There’s nothing efficient about fossil gas that is greatly contributing to our climate catastrophe.
Brown outs?! Do you work for National Grid?
According to the NYC Mayor’s office – NYC relies on 24 in-city power plants that run on natural gas and/or fuel oil. Most of these plants were built decades ago and 70% are over 50 years old. In addition to releasing GHGs that contribute to climate change, these plants release air pollutants that cause air quality and health issues in NYC communities.
And regarding HVAC heat… Pushing hot air through the HVAC is counter productive due to the placement of vents. Heat rises, so baseboard heating systems are much more effective. And every chef will tell you that gas stoves are superior.
Hudson Yards has it’s own microgrid.
I like this location.
This proposal would be far preferable to the East Midtown Soloviev location 38-41 Streets, east of First Avenue, which is in the U.N. and residential areas. Plus, the Related proposal will mean they will finally platform over the remaining train yard.
Still, I suspect the people in the plaza would prefer the housing, office and school version instead. Casinos are bad on so many levels, as recent heavily attended public meetings have shown. They never make back the revenues promise, bring crime and gambling addiction, lower property values and compete with local more wholesome businesses. Even the theaters think they are poor neighbors for the Broadway/Times Square option. Collectively, their revenues have shrank nationwide because it’s an over-saturated business, parasitically draining the host.
Between this and the other west side location by the Lincoln tunnel, Hudson yards makes more logistical sense and would be much more convenient for people to get to, and cater to people going to the javits center throughout the year
Hate to be a NIMBY, but I was hoping to see shorter buildings in Phase II of Hudson Yards (>150 m), to help balance the supertalls in Phase I. Like many others, I was also hoping Phase II would feature towers with less glass.
Of the two proposals here, the 5 tower scenario looks slightly better, but still 3 supertalls, seriously?
If there’s going to be a casino, I think Silverstein’s proposal is better for this area because it’s closer to the convention center and is on land that really needs to be developed to help connect Hells Kitchen to Hudson Yards. HY Phase II will ultimately be built either way, as will the land proposed for Freedom Plaza.
Finally comment… The Saks Casino proposal is the best of them all because (from what I’ve read), it would be a high-end casino. Why is this better? Because allowing the rich to gamble is fine, let them put their millions at risk. Better than offering up more ways for the middle class to loose their money and become a financial burden to the rest of us when they loose it all.
Could someone fact check the numbers here?
Looking at the 3 tower proposal, the 3 buildings don’t all appear to be over 1,000′ tall. The illustration for site A is considerably shorter than site C & B, yet you list the 3 buildings as being 1,366′, 1,189′, and 1,172′.
Looking at the 5 tower proposal, there are no two towers that appear to be the same height at 800′, unless that’s C2 and A. But you state 3 of the 5 are over 1,000′ and two are 800′. doesn’t look that way, does it? Maybe one is shorter than 800′, then there’s 3 above 1000′?
Seems off.
I think they’re right, but the diagrams that were presented from Related might be generalized and just for illustration proposes
You may be right but it’s odd to illustrate something that doesn’t align with the proposals.
Ho hum. I are these serious proposals?
It’s time to leave NY
There is a better location, project proposed by SL Green and Roc Nation and Caesars Entertainment. See abettertimessq.com
The only places for casinos are Times Square (it already sucks!), Coney Island, and expand the Racinos.
Casinos are dumb and the greatest city in the world does not need this. People now give their money away by gambling on their phones anyway.
Agreed about casinos in NYC – its the last thing the city needs. But phone gambling isn’t legal in some states, like California, oddly… (And voters there recently said “no” to two propositions that would legalize online gambling in the state. So, no FanDuel or Draft Kings.)
the original hudson yards western yards proposal (which can still be found on the related company official website by googling HY_PressKit_General_030819_web.pdf ) called for 8 residential towers (ok tbf 1 of the 8 was labeled as hybrid residential / office). That has somehow now been reduced to just 1 residential tower?
Even in the version without a casino – they have shifted mix away from residential and more towards office. that seems like a curious choice given that most of the other office projects in the area (3 hudson boulevard, BioTech Tower, 418 11th Avenue, 99 Hudson Boulevard, Penn 15, etc) are all cancelled or on indefinite hold because of plummeting office demand. Recent estimates predict at least 20%+ vacancy amongst existing NYC office stock for next several years. I thought the office vacancy issue was pretty severe hence the Mayoral Office Conversion Accelerator Program and 46 buildings that have supposedly enrolled or expressed interest in conversion.
I lived right above hudson yards in 2021-2 and Related actually sent a survey to me asking what i would want to see in a phase two. It seemed like they were on the right track. IIRC, there was a self-awareness in the survey answer choices that the current hudson yards does not have enough residential units nor amenities for locals like deli’s, local restaurants, laundromats, pharmacies, street level retail, schools, etc. I am guessing most residents did not respond saying that what they really want is a casino and office tower.
I agree times square would be better fit for a casino, though the building selected for that proposal is already constructed, in good shape, and fully leased to Paramount Global, so converting it to a casino IMHO would not really revitalize the area or add much value. I would much rather they use the casino license to fund in-fill or restoration of dilapidated building to actually add value.
The original plan was put together when the high end condo market was strong. It costs something like a billion dollars to build just the platform over the tracks itself so you have to add that cost to the cost of building the buildings which is another billion+ per building. The only way to even break even on the deal with residential is through high end condo sales and that market has been depressed for years now which I’m assuming is why the plan is changing.
Just build it. Much better location and easier access than the East side.
NYC has millions of sq. ft. of unused office space, apts. nobody can afford and the homeless situation is getting worse. So yeah, by all means, build another supertall that doesn’t address any of the city’s problems – only contributes to them and making more.
Surely Shirley, it’s all a real gamble.
Tacky casinos and empty office space how about build apartments especially market rate and supply the demand. To make the city more affordable. No just build tacky casinos and empty office building. And add more mandates and taxes on apartments and people wonder why rent keeps going up.
If we must have a casino complex in manhattan i think this is actually the best location so far proposed. Feels more out of the way yet close to things over there.
Following the Master Plan for Freedom Plaza we now have this equally uninspired plan for Hudson Yards, also anchored by a casino. This is the last thing the City needs – a magnet for every sort of vice in some mediocre exclamation points accenting the fact we can’t think of anything better to do with this terrific space. Like I said about the Freedom Plaza Plan, start over before it’s too late.
Looks like NYC is looking to replace all of the empty office space in midtown with a Casino. This will 100% pass and get developed in record time. They will turn NYC into a 2025 Atlantic City. And I Manhattan will end up looking just like AC.
CHELSEA RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT A CASINO. We need apts,pharmacy’s,delis ..Please do not ruin our neighborhood..Go green
Agree. At the end, it will be Flint, Michigan, or Appalachian abandoned coal mines, or boom and bust oil towns in Texas & New Mexico
This gonna be up in no time.
That would be a good location to rebuild the original World Trade Center.
What is it with these straight up and down rectangular boxes? Don’t they have any sense of aesthetics anymore?
Howard Roark would be pleased. Why waste time and money on needless decoration?
I’m a retired NY trial lawyer now living out West in AZ, but I still go back every other month; I just got back last night from a visit. I’m 75 y/o and read YIMBY every day. When I go back to the City and Long Island, I always make sure to drop by a law firm for which I do some appellate work to say hello. Given that the firm is in the Hudson Yards, I’ve gotten a chance to see, what I call, “Crystal City.” It’s not Rockefeller Center, although it has the makings of becoming a focal point because of its themed structure and the fact that the humongous building “respect the street.” which is one of the secrets of Rockefeller Center. However, a casino???? Who’s idea is it to have a public school next to a casino. I never could understand why Governor’s Island wasn’t used by the City to build a casino as a “cash cow” for inveterate gamblers. It’s not as though there is no draw now for tourists from around the US and the world to come to the City, in contrast to Vegas and Atlantic City.
Boring Boxes…Boxes…Boxes
Reminds me of the Weeds theme song lol
Keep NYC rising. No, casinos don’t necessarily bring in the prostitutes and crime syndicates. There are casinos in almost every state and I don’t recall ever hearing of such stereotypes hanging about the countries casinos. The casino will probably be the reserve of high rollers and the wealthy anyway.
My eyes were drawn to a skyscraper shaped like the original World Trade Center, I’m the only one who knows I like it: Thanks to Michael Young.
I really, really hope the casino doesn’t end up here. The second phase of HY should be predominantly residential as called for in the original plans. I also think a taller building than 30HY would detract from the aesthetics of the whole development—it works well as the “signature” building of the complex.
Above all, though, I just want some of these buildings to have masonry exteriors.