[NYguy]

https://w42st.com/post/controversial...ssion-hearing/

City Grills Developers Over Hudson Yards Casino Plan at Western Rail Yards

by Dashiell Allen
2/20/25

Garodnick questioned why a 200-foot podium, used to house the gaming facility in the proposed project, is also featured in the alternative plan which includes an office tower, a residential tower, and a 700-room hotel.

When asked if Related had considered other designs, Rosen admitted, “Frankly, we don’t have as much specificity with that plan as you do with the proposed projects, because we’ve been working hard on … pursuing the gaming license, and that’s been our focus.”

Garodnick also asked why Related had not pursued a special permit that would allow it to build a hotel — which, he noted, could be done even if the developer had not secured an operator for the alternative plan.

“It does feel like we’re missing a little bit of the design element and the layout element in the alternative,” he said, adding that he hoped the developers would work with the planning commission in the next several weeks before it takes a final vote.

When asked by another commissioner, David Gold, about why the 2009 plan is unfeasible, Rosen repeated that it would cost $2 billion alone to construct a platform over the rail yards.

He also shared that the weight distribution of a podium, compared to the buildings in the original 2009 plan, would allow for columns with a smaller width above the train tracks below, something he said was not known when the original plan was agreed upon.

The City Planning Commission is expected to vote on Related’s proposed zoning changes at an upcoming meeting, the date of which has not been determined, a spokesperson for the Department of City Planning told W42ST. After the Planning Commission, it will be voted on by City Council, which typically defers to local members, in this case Councilman Erik Bottcher.

How do you not know by now that those 4,000 units are not for affordable housing?

Hell’s Kitchen resident and member of the W47/48th Street block association Catherine Lafferty said she doesn’t “want the city to cannibalize its existing cultural resources like the High Line.”

Instead of a casino, she suggested, “in addition to the much needed 4,000 or more affordable housing units, New York City is a cultural center on so many levels — why not offer a museum on our Hudson?”

In contrast, Kim Hoover, treasurer of the West Chelsea Block Association said her group is in favor of the proposal. “[It] will not only transform the site into a bustling, lively complex featuring a world class casino, affordable housing and additional restaurants and retail, but will also bring in additional security presence to our neighborhoods,” she said.