Former NYC City Council speaker backs Wynn casino project

Over the weekend Christine Quinn, the former New York City City Council speaker, said she supports the Wynn Resorts and Related Company’s bid for a New York City casino. Her support is big enough that the company posted a video of her comments on its website.

Quinn, now the head of the non-profit Women in Need, did a 45-second video that is on the Wynn-New York website alongside endorsements from Marc Morial and Dr Hazel N Dukes.

In it, she says: “I am supporting Related and Wynn New York City’s bid for the Hudson Yards because it is the one that most recognises that the biggest problem facing this city is that of homeless families with children.”

She also said that in her role at Women in Need, she seeks out buildings and companies in New York that can offer jobs, housing and other services. Related was among the companies she reached out to.

“I am ready for thousands of jobs for homeless moms working with Wynn New York City,” she said in the video.

Morial is a former New Orleans mayor who is now the president of the National Urban League. Dukes is the president of the NAACP New York Conference.

Project would include 324 affordable housing units
Quinn has a long public-service history in New York City. She was elected to the city council in 1999 and served for 14 years. In 2013, she ran for mayor, but media reports about her temper hurt her campaign.

Her support comes about a month after two New York state lawmakers opposed the project, saying it doesn’t belong next to the High Line pedestrian park.

The Wynn casino project proposal is for an integrated resort in the Hudson Yards neighbourhood. It would be adjacent to the High Line. Wynn last week released a video of what the project would look like if completed.

It would include 1,500 housing units, including 324 affordable housing spaces. In addition, it would create 5,000 permanent union positions and 35,000 temporary union construction jobs. The proposed project also includes a park, a K-8 school, as well as entertainment and dining options.

There are 11 proposed bids for three downstate casino licences. The state gaming commission’s facilities review board set a June 2025 licence application deadline. The regulator promises to award licences by the end of 2025.

The Wynn casino project proposal is one of three in the same general area. Caesars Entertainment is partnered with SL Green and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for a casino development in the heart of Times Square. Silverstein properties and Greenwood Gaming/Parx Casino are partnering on a bid for a location west of Times Square.