After days of pressure from elected officials, community groups and concerned residents, the New York State Gaming Commission has officially extended the public comment timeline for two controversial West Side casino proposals — The Avenir in Hell’s Kitchen and Caesars Palace Times Square.
In a statement to stakeholders, the Gaming Commission confirmed it will now add second virtual public scoping sessions for each project and extend the public comment deadlines by a week. The changes mark a significant shift after critics called out the lack of advance notice and outreach surrounding the environmental review process for both bids.
The Commission noted that these steps are part of the broader State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, which helps determine the scope of environmental review for large-scale development. Only those casino proposals that complete SEQR and gain support from two-thirds of their Community Advisory Committee (CAC) by September 30, 2025 — which will comprise Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Senator Hoylman-Sigal (in the case of the Times Square bid, it will be Senator Liz Krueger), Councilmember Erik Bottcher, Assemblymember Tony Simone and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine — will advance for formal evaluation.
The changes come after W42ST first reported that the original hearings were quietly scheduled without direct notice to Community Boards, elected officials or local press — despite the scale of the developments.
At the time, Assemblymember Simone called the lack of notification “a shameful start to what we all know will be a highly controversial process,” while Councilmember Bottcher described the lack of outreach as “absolutely unacceptable.”
This week’s update from the Gaming Commission appears to reflect growing recognition that more transparency is needed. Both SL Green, the developer behind Caesars Palace Times Square, and Silverstein Properties, behind The Avenir, had independently supported adding more time for community input.
Earlier this week, a third Manhattan casino bid — at Hudson Yards’ Western Rail Yards — was officially withdrawn, leaving The Avenir and Caesars Palace Times Square as the only remaining proposals on the West Side.
The new dates for the public virtual scoping sessions, which help determine what will be studied in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), are:
Caesars Palace Times Square
The Avenir (11th Ave + W41st St)
Community members can attend the virtual meetings and submit written feedback via email to Kristen.Buckley@gaming.ny.gov, or by mail to the Commission’s offices at 354 Broadway. PO Box 7500, Schenectady, New York 12301-7500.
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