$22.5M pledge puts storied theater district apartment complex at heart of Manhattan casino battle
Two billion-dollar casino bids on the West Side. Six Community Advisory Committee members. One multi-million dollar promise — and one very closely watched vote. With Caesars Palace Times Square unveiling a surprise $22.5 million commitment to Manhattan Plaza this week, the race for New York’s final gaming licenses is heating up. And with CACs now meeting and public hearings on the horizon, Hell’s Kitchen is right at the heart of it.
The Avenir from Silverstein Properties and Caesars Palace Times Square from SL Green each held their first Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings this month. These committees are tasked with evaluating each casino bid, and will ultimately decide whether they move forward to state consideration.
But the message from both meetings was clear — and surprisingly simple: “Four people need to say yes.”
Councilmember, State Senator and Assemblymember for the district where the bid is located. To advance, a proposal must secure a two-thirds majority. In other words: at least four votes.
Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, and Borough President Mark Levine are all expected to support casino development. But State Senators Brad Hoylman-Sigal (Avenir) and Liz Krueger (Caesars) — along with Assemblymember Tony Simone — have voiced clear opposition to casinos in Manhattan. That leaves Councilmember Erik Bottcher as a likely swing vote on both proposals.
While Bottcher hasn’t taken a public position on the current bids, his past opposition to the Hudson Yards casino proposal by Wynn and Related helped sink that plan. It has since been reworked into a housing-focused alternative.
Asked what message Wynn’s decision might send to those remaining bidders, Bottcher was clear: any successful casino application needs genuine community support. “We’re never going to have full unity — that’s not how cities work — but there’s a high bar for a gaming license,” he said. “In this case, they didn’t meet it.”
Now, Bottcher’s decision could make or break both bids.
Each CAC elected a chair at their respective meetings: Matt Tighe, representing Assemblymember Simone, will lead The Avenir committee; Carl Wilson, representing Councilmember Bottcher, will chair Caesars Palace Times Square. Both chairs pledged to prioritize transparency and community outreach. Tighe is currently traveling in Vietnam, but attended both meetings virtually.
Each CAC must hold at least two public hearings before voting by September 30, 2025. The Gaming Facility Location Board will then decide which bids will be granted licenses by year’s end.
While The Avenir touted its 2,000-unit housing plan with 25% of the units to be affordable (delivered through an office conversion model), Caesars Palace Times Square leaned into cultural capital — including a surprise appearance by JAY-Z, whose Roc Nation is a major partner in the project.
JAY-Z, whose Roc Nation is a lead partner in the Caesars Times Square bid, made was part of the presentation team at the CAC meeting and spoke about his personal connection to the project. “This is what New York really looks like,” he said, highlighting Roc Nation’s 21-year scholarship program and longstanding job fair and reform work. “We’re not coming to compete with Broadway. We’re coming to add.”
Stressing that the project wasn’t just about gaming, JAY-Z called it a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to reshape Times Square into something New Yorkers can be proud of. “We’ve heard the complaints — too commercialized, too touristy — and it’s our chance to change the narrative.” After the meeting, he mingled and shook hands with CAC members.
Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, revealed a new commitment during Wednesday’s meeting: $22.5 million over 15 years dedicated to the Manhattan Plaza community. She described the longtime affordable housing complex as a key stakeholder in the Times Square casino proposal, noting that the developers had held extensive conversations with residents to understand their concerns. “I’ve spent a lot of time there,” she added, emphasizing the bid team’s ongoing engagement with those who feel they would be most directly affected.
She added that SL Green, Caesars and Roc Nation had also jointly pledged 0.5% of their profit distributions in perpetuity to Manhattan Plaza, with funds to be managed by a resident-led trust. “The money will be invested at the direction of the trust controlled by the residents, to ensure that the community benefits alongside the casino,” Perez said.
SL Green’s plan also includes a $5 million grant to Callen-Lorde, the West Side LGBTQ+ health clinic.
The Avenir, meanwhile, pointed out that their 6,000 gaming positions would rarely run at full tilt — estimating just 55% occupancy on a busy Friday night. The team said that unlike a stadium or concert hall, casinos generate a steady trickle of foot traffic, not peak surges. They also said they would direct millions of dollars in new funding to West Side nonprofits like Covenant House, WIN (Women in Need) and Rethink Food, which will open a second kitchen at Silver Towers to transform surplus meals into up to one million dishes a year.
In recent weeks, the developers have been courting neighborhood goodwill more directly — hosting a local barbecue attended by Larry Silverstein as part of their push to connect with residents.
Both bids addressed ongoing community concerns about traffic congestion and emergency response times. The Avenir team pointed to site-specific advantages, including direct access to the Lincoln Tunnel, and stressed they were not hosting stadium-scale events.
The Caesars team offered a novel solution: a 24/7 Ambucycle™ emergency response service, based on a successful model in Tel Aviv. The program, in partnership with United Hatzalah, would bring micro-mobility EMTs — including e-bikes and scooters — to respond to medical emergencies in Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen, with targeted response times under three minutes.
“During a town hall with Manhattan Plaza, we heard about the need for better emergency access — and that never left our minds,” said SL Green EVP Brett Herschenfeld. “This could save lives.”
Each CAC must now hold two public hearings, expected in August and September, before voting. If a proposal fails to secure four yes votes (or no decision is reached by the deadline), it will be rejected outright and removed from consideration by the state.
With billions in investment, thousands of jobs and the future character of Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square on the line, the decisions of the six CAC members will shape what happens next — or whether either casino moves forward at all.
You can watch recordings of both initial CAC meetings — The Avenir and Caesars Times Square, and follow updates on the NY Gaming sites for The Avenir and Caesars Palace Times Square.
And while every vote counts, many are watching one especially closely: Councilmember Erik Bottcher.
https://w42st.com/post/casino-bids-west-side-avenir-caesars-tsq-cac/
https://cdcgaming.com/brief/22-5m-pledge-puts-storied-theater-district-apartment-complex-at-heart-of-manhattan-casino-battle/