For the foreseeable future, Silverstein Properties’ site on 41st Street and 11th Avenue will remain a “giant hole in the ground.”
The six-member Community Advisory Committee on Wednesday rejected the proposal, in a 4 to 2 vote.
The no vote followed the rejection of SL Green’s pitch for a casino, which elicited an emotional response from CEO Marc Holliday, who admonished the CAC and called the vote “despicable.”
Silverstein, along with Rush Street Gaming and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, pitched the Avenir, a $7 billion casino complex planned for a long-vacant Midtown site. The project would have featured a 1,000-key Hyatt Hotel, as well as restaurants, bars and a 150-seat entertainment venue.
The developer also promised to fund the conversion of offices into 2,000 units of housing, in and around Community Board 4. The firm hasn’t named specific properties, but noted at its first public hearing last month that it had identified 92 feasible sites and was planning to evaluate another 146. Of course, the firm would need to acquire properties before moving forward with conversion plans.
Like SL Green’s CAC, members of Silverstein’s committee included appointees by elected officials who publicly rejected adding a casino in Manhattan, including Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
Silverstein’s team asked the CAC to delay the vote on Wednesday morning, citing that the committee sent “a very significant request” late Tuesday night. The team indicated that because they were not given adequate time to consider the request, the vote should be postponed. A spokesperson for the team said the late request “taints the CAC process.” Angel Vasquez, who was appointed to the CAC by Gov. Kathy Hochul, agreed during the meeting that the vote should have been pushed.
The CAC, however, declined the request.
