A proposal to build a casino in Times Square has been denied by the Community Advisory Committee whose approval was needed for the bid to proceed through the state’s licensing process.
In a 4-2 vote, the bid submitted by SL Green Realty Corporation, Caesars Entertainment and the Jay-Z-founded Roc Nation and Live Nation was rejected by the committee, a vote that would seem to put an end to the proposal. The casino would have been built at 1515 Broadway where it would have shared the space with The Minskoff Theatre (home of Broadway’s The Lion King) and Viacom.
The proposal has divided many with stakes in the Broadway industry for months. Just this week, in the days leading up to today’s vote, signs and marquees on Broadway offered opposing stances.
Leading the campaign against the casino was The Broadway League, the trade association for theater owners and producers, the Shubert Organization, IATSE and others who have argued that the casino would have a harmful impact on the Broadway theater industry and the neighborhood itself.
In addition to The League and the Shubert Organization, The No Times Square Casino Coalition includes more 35 organizations, including IATSE—the largest union on Broadway representing 7 locals and 168,000 workers across North America—the United Federation of Teachers, social service providers like the Ali Forney Center and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, as well as resident groups like the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association and Westside Neighborhood Alliance.
In a statement today, Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League and member of the No Times Square Casino Coalition, said, “This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it. A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here. We are so filled with gratitude for the committee members and the local elected officials—State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Tony Simone, Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Erik Bottcher—who looked at the facts, listened to the residents, and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community.”
If the proposal had been approved today, it would have been submitted to the state’s Gaming Facilities Location Board for consideration in the granting of three possible casino licenses expected to be awarded this year.
Deadline has reached out to a representative for the casino project for comment on today’s vote. Actors’ Equity as well as musicians union Local 802 have been proponents of the project, which they say would have created jobs and increased safety in the neighborhood.