$12B Plan Revealed for Casino Resort Manhattan’s Hudson Yards

Related Cos., Oxford Properties Group and Wynn Resorts have unveiled the $12 billion next phase of the Hudson Yards mixed-use mega-project on Manhattan’s West Side. This new phase will include 1,500 units of new housing, including 324 affordable apartments.

Dubbed “Hudson Yards West”, the latest addition to the Hudson Yards neighborhood will be built atop undeveloped western rail yards between West 30th and West 33rd streets and 11th and 12th avenues. If approved by city and state officials, the mixed-use development would provide significant quality-of-life improvements for the neighborhood and have an enormous economic impact on the city. One of the main components of Hudson Yards West would be Wynn New York City, a resort and casino that is expected to create 5,000 permanent jobs. Wynn and Related plan to submit an application for one of three casino licenses being considered for downstate New York by the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board. However, they face competition from several other proposals in other locations including Times Square, Citi Field in Queens, N.Y., and the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, N.Y.

The resort would have about 1,500 hotel rooms and suites and 238 residences as well as dining options, bars, spas and lounges, many of which would face Hudson Green. The 5.6-acre public park will be comparable in size to Manhattan’s Bryant Park and is considered to be the centerpiece of the Hudson Yards West project.

Designed by Hollander Design and Sasaki, as part of a master plan designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the public park with have views of the Hudson River and a variety of features including open lawns, gardens and playscapes. It will have a dog run, more than 300 trees, 500 shrubs, flower beds and various native plantings throughout the landscape.

Changes to original proposal

This next phase for Hudson Yards will maintain or enhance commitments made by the developers in the 2009 plan approved by city officials. For example, the new housing planned for Hudson Yards West will be rentals rather than luxury condominiums envisioned in the original proposal. The new plan also slightly increases the size of the public park from 5.45 acres to 5.63 acres but designs it to provide contiguous green space open to all rather than six sections that would have been surrounded by luxury condo towers. It also reduces the number of new buildings from six to three.

Components that remain the same from the 2009 plan are a 750-seat K-8 public school, 10,000 square feet of daycare and 16,000 square feet of community facilities.

Developers note the new vision for Hudson Yards West adheres to the approved uses in the 2009 zoning but has evolved to reflect the city’s current landscape and economic infrastructure needs. They state it will fit into the context of the overall neighborhood, including Hudson Yards and the Javits Center. The new park will connect to both the High Line and Hudson River Park. Related officials said they made several amendments to the proposal to ensure seamless public access points and to create better sightlines and interfaces.

Also new to the proposal is a plan, developed by Related, Oxford and Wynn following two years of meetings with local stakeholders, is the addition of the Wynn Neighborhood Improvement Fund. The fund will provide resources for key areas identified by the local community including public safety and security, sanitation to keep sidewalks and streets clean, beautification efforts and support for local artists.