Rendering shows the proposed Times Square casino complex, which developers say would feature a 150,000-square-foot gaming floor, luxury hotel rooms, celebrity-chef restaurants and a renovated Broadway theater.
Photo courtesy of Caesar’s Place Times Square
The Jay–Z–backed Caesars Palace Times Square casino bid was voted down by the Community Advisory Committee on Wednesday, 4-2.
Representatives for Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul were the only members of the politically appointed committee to back the bid.
The committee had until Sept. 30 to decide whether the bid could move on to the next stage of state-level approval. Laura Smith, appointed by Adams, criticized the committee for holding the vote less than a week after the proposal’s final public hearing, saying two weeks of deliberations had been squandered.
Associates from SL Green Realty, Caesars Entertainment, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation stormed out of the Times Square office where the vote was held after one of the executives lambasted the committee.
The following voted no: Richard Gottfried, appointed by Sen. Liz Krueger; Matthew Tighe, appointed by Assembly Member Tony Simone; Chris Carroll, appointed by Borough President Mark Levine; and Carl Wilson, chair, appointed by Council Member Erik Bottcher.
The bid had faced significant pushback from the Broadway community.
Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League and member of the No Times Square Casino Coalition, lauded Wednesday’s vote as one that will “protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods.”
“A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here. We are so filled with gratitude for the committee members and the local elected officials—State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Tony Simone, Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Erik Bottcher—who looked at the facts, listened to the residents, and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community,” said Laks.
Council Member Bottcher’s district also encompasses the proposed Avenir casino in Hell’s Kitchen, which is facing a final vote from the committee on Wednesday.
In a statement before the final vote on the Avenir, Botcher said he decided not to support either bid “following countless conversations with constituents in coffee shops, living rooms, and on street corners, extensive public engagement, and careful deliberation.”
“This is not a decision I took lightly. All economic development opportunities deserve strong consideration. I believe casinos must clear a particularly high bar, requiring a uniquely strong degree of community buy-in before being sited in a neighborhood,” said Botcher. “Despite extensive outreach by the applicants, that level of support has not materialized.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.