Avenir Casino Bid in Manhattan Rejected After Swift Vote

Silverstein Properties and its partners had spent years adjusting their $7 billion Avenir casino plan in Manhattan—adding new hotel collaborators, reshaping designs, and even expanding affordable housing commitments. Yet, despite those efforts, the project hit a wall this week when its community advisory committee shut the door on the bid in a matter of minutes.

Good to Know

• The Avenir committee voted 4-2 against advancing the project after a brief 15-minute session.
• Caesars Times Square also lost its bid earlier the same day, leaving Freedom Plaza as Manhattan’s last casino contender.
• Concerns over rushed voting and incomplete housing discussions shaped some committee members’ objections.

The meeting to review Avenir barely lasted a quarter of an hour. The committee needed four “yes” votes to move forward but delivered four “no” votes instead, halting Silverstein’s hopes instantly. The rejection mirrored an earlier blow dealt to Caesars Times Square just an hour before, with both sessions held in the same hearing room.

Manhattan’s Casino Landscape Narrows

With two proposals now out, only Soloviev Group and Mohegan Gaming’s Freedom Plaza remains in play. Its timeline for review has not been set, but it now carries the weight of being the only Manhattan casino proposal left in New York’s highly competitive licensing race.

Last-minute amendments to Avenir’s housing and community benefits were submitted but didn’t appear on the New York State Gaming Commission website until after the hearing closed. They carried dates of September 15 and 16, raising concerns about transparency and timing.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s appointee, Angel Vasquez, voiced frustration: the committee had been “in conversations about the housing proposal up until last night” and he described those talks as “incomplete.”

Mayor Eric Adams’ appointee, Nabeela Malik, echoed the frustration, reading a prepared statement criticizing the early vote. “By moving today’s vote forward, we have effectively lost two weeks of deliberation,” she said.

Both Avenir and Caesars faced near-identical issues: late amendments, brief discussions, and quick dismissals. Adams’ other representative, Laura Smith, repeated Malik’s statement almost word-for-word at the Caesars session. Meanwhile, veteran policymaker Richard Gottfried—who opposed both bids—nonetheless praised the overall process as being “as open and involved and fair” as he had seen in decades of government.

Silverstein has yet to issue an official comment on the defeat. With Freedom Plaza now standing as Manhattan’s lone surviving proposal, attention shifts to whether the Soloviev and Mohegan plan can clear its advisory hurdles.

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