Ex-NYC Council Speaker Quinn Backs Wynn Casino Plan

Posted on: September 1, 2024, 07:49h. 

Last updated on: September 1, 2024, 07:49h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Christine Quinn, formerly speaker of the New York City Council, threw her support behind a plan by Related Cos. and Wynn Resorts to bring a casino hotel to the West Side of Manhattan.

wynn new york
Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. She’s supporting a casino plan by Related Cos. and Wynn Resorts. (Image: ABC News)

Quinn, now the chief executive officer of Women in Need (WIN), a non-profit group, endorsed the gaming venue because she believes it can be a jobs creator will driving revenue that could be used to ameliorate New York’s homeless problem. The former politician said Wynn New York City could generate tax receipts needed to address homelessness among families and women.

I am supporting Related and Wynn New York City’s bid for the Hudson Yards because it is the one that most recognizes that the biggest problem facing this city is that of homeless families with children,” said Quinn in a video posted on the Wynn New York City website. “I am ready for thousands of jobs for homeless moms working with Wynn New York City.”

Last week, Related and Wynn released updated renderings of the proposed $12 billion project on the West Side of Manhattan, noting it would likely create 35,000 construction jobs and 5,000 permanent union roles.

Wynn New York Casino Faces Plenty of Opposition

As is the case with nearly all of the other New York City-area casino bids, the Related/Wynn proposal faces opposition. Quinn, who started her career in Big Apple politics in 1999, didn’t comment on objections to the West Side gaming venue, but it is there.

Some of her former colleagues, including Assemblyman Tony Simone (D-District 75) and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-District 66), have said they believe their constituents don’t want a gaming property in the Hudson Yards area. Earlier this year, Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) questioned the casino plan.

More recently, the High Line, a non-profit group named after the historic park, said it objects to the Related/Wynn pitch because it could threaten the views in the Western Rail Yards area and also because the promised number of housing units is far less than hoped for. In 2009, Related reached an agreement with the city under which it would build between 3,454 and 5,700 housing units as part of its ongoing development of Hudson Yards. The plans released last week call for 1,500 units, including 324 affordable apartments.

The project also calls for a new K-8 public school, which has elicited concern about its proximity to casino. As for park space, Related and Wynn are looking to allay those fears, promising a 5.6 acre park that the two companies compare to the historic Bryant Park.

Quinn Sees Wynn Casino as Help for Homelessness

For her part, Quinn believes Wynn New York City could go a long way towards improving the city’s homeless problem. By some estimates, New York’s current rate of homelessness is as high as it’s been at any time since the Great Depression.

Whether or not a new gaming venue on the West Side will put a positive dent in that problem remains to be seen, but data confirm Quinn is right to call attention to homeless issue among families and women.

“In June 2024, 71 percent of those in shelters were members of homeless families, including 45,745 children,” according to the Coalition for the Homeless. “119,320 NYC schoolchildren experienced homelessness at some point during the 2022–2023 school year, representing more than 11% of all NYC public school kids.”