Silverstein Properties Releases Design For Avenir NYC Casino

Silverstein Properties released images for the design of The Avenir, the centerpiece of its expected Manhattan-based casino bid with Rush Street Gaming and Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment.

The 785-foot-tall, mixed-use skyscraper will include a 1,000-room hotel, first-class casino, more than a dozen restaurants and bars, a spa and fitness center, outdoor pool, and community gallery located on 11th Avenue. The project will also have what it calls “more than 100 apartments that are 100 percent and permanently affordable off-site” available to New Yorkers via the city’s housing lottery system.

“Over the last 40 years, we have invested heavily in this neighborhood, and care deeply about the fabric of this community,” said Lisa Silverstein, CEO of Silverstein Properties, in a joint statement. “We worked hard to create a design that brings a vibrant and dynamic ethos and contextually that fits within this special part of the city.

“We hope to bring many components to this project and balance the right amount of activity to serve the community in a thoughtful way that will elevate the neighborhood.”

The Avenir is expected to be one of three Manhattan-based bids to be submitted to the New York State Gaming Commission among a projected eight vying for three downstate casino licenses. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Caesars are expected to submit a joint bid for a gaming venue located in Times Square, while the Soloviev Group is proposing to build a casino as part of its Freedom Plaza project along the East River.

Wynn Resorts, which had planned a casino in Hudson Yards, opted to withdraw from the bidding process earlier this month.

Design details

Silverstein Properties detailed a notable portion of The Avenir’s design features. The base of the skyscraper would be nine stories before the second section rises to a “45-story tower that sits on an open, biophilic green rooftop.” The building design calls for bringing natural light inside to create what it calls “a luminous, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood asset.”

The first casino floor would be located on the second floor of The Avenir and house its signature feature, a four-level window bar with panoramic views of Manhattan. The gaming floor would also feature a sportsbook, poker room, and lounge as well as VIP and VVIP gaming areas. It is estimated gaming space would equal less than 12% of The Avenir’s total square footage.

“We are delighted that the design of The Avenir blends seamlessly and harmoniously into the Far West Side neighborhood,” said Rush Street Gaming CEO Tim Drehkoff. “Our goal with all of our facilities is to fit in, support, and benefit the communities in which we operate.”

Aesthetic accoutrements

The hotel tower would include luxury suites featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows that provide “sweeping views” of the New York City skyline. There would be multiple entrances on 41st Street and 11th Avenue designed to lessen pedestrian congestion as well as movement for vehicular pick-ups and drop-offs. People would be able to access the non-gaming amenities without having to enter the casino.

The ground floor along 11th Avenue would be the home for the community gallery that showcases local artwork and supports local artists. The glass-enclosed space with 45-foot ceilings would span the entire city block and offer an entry point at 40th Street and 11th Avenue.

The sixth through ninth floors would house a food hall, conference meeting space, and spa and fitness center. The ninth floor would have an outdoor pool with south-facing views and additional dining options.

“The Avenir site is located at the crossroads of diverse neighborhoods and activity districts that currently are not connected,” said Nancy Ruddy, founding principal, CetraRuddy, the architecture firm involved in the project. “The development of the site will knit together the fabric of this part of the Far West Side by creating an exciting cultural hub that reinforces New York’s character as a pedestrian-friendly and walkable city.”

Silverstein Properties boasts The Avenir as a “shovel-ready” project that will generate up to 4,000 construction jobs and 5,000 permanent ones. Since it is fully owned by Silverstein Properties, the land adjacent to the Javits Center does not require land-use approvals.

In other New York casino news …

There are no more legislative hurdles for the $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino bid fronted by Hard Rock International and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen after the New York Senate overwhelmingly approved a land re-zoning bill for the 50 acres adjacent to Citi Field in Queens on Tuesday.

The bill, S7121A sponsored by Sen. John Liu, passed 54-5 and will now head to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for her signature. The companion bill in the Assembly sponsored by Assemblymember Larinda Hooks, A6781B, also passed with ease last week.

Liu, whose constituency includes members within property lines of the proposed project, became an integral part of moving the Metropolitan Park bid forward. New York City mayoral candidate and Sen. Jessica Ramos, who has a larger constituency than Liu where the casino would be built, voiced her opposition on the Senate Floor on Tuesday.

“After decades of public neglect, it feels like the first serious proposal on the table is a casino,” she said. “That is not the kind of development that my community deserves. Casinos may bring lights, but they also bring shadows. They extract wealth from working-class communities, they prey on addiction and often displace the very people they claim to uplift.”

Ramos also took a jab at Cohen’s business past, calling him a “figure with a long and well-documented history of regulatory violations” with relation to his hedge fund business. She cited the record $1.8 billion fine paid by SAC Capital for insider trading charges brought by the U.S. government in 2013. Cohen reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016 without facing criminal charges and without a denial or admission of guilt.

Sands continues search for Nassau suitors

Sands, the Las Vegas-based gaming company that announced plans to not submit a bid in Nassau County last month, told residents at a Town of Hempstead zoning board hearing Tuesday it is still looking to find a gaming company that would build the casino in Long Island.

“These discussions are still ongoing and the company is hopeful that a deal can still be reached,” Daniel Baker, an attorney representing Sands, said Tuesday at the hearing, according to Newsday. “However, the company also recognizes that there is little time left before applications are due to the state on June 27 and it may not be possible.”

Despite taking itself out of the mix to operate the casino, Sands is still seeking a re-zoning of the 72-acre site in Uniondale. That would allow construction of the $7.6 billion Mitchel Field Integrated Resort District to include a casino, 28-story luxury hotel, spa, restaurants, and shopping area that Sands proposed to county officials in 2023.