The gloves are off and local helmets and High Line enthusiasts are fighting over a controversial proposal to build a $12 billion luxury casino complex at Hudson Yards.
The Building and Construction Industry Council will hold a “We Build” rally Thursday in support of Wynn Resorts' job-creation plan to build a casino, office and apartment complex on its Manhattan property.
Ahead of the rally, construction unions criticized the nonprofit Friends of the High Line, which works with the city to manage the nearby stunning elevated park, saying the project's massive skyscrapers would negatively impact the famous plaza. He insisted on giving.
“In fact, the elites who sit on the High Line Commission don't want development because they believe their sunshine and perspective are more important than career opportunities,” said Gary from the union.・Chairman LaBarbera was furious in a memo to union members.
“On October 24, 2024, at 3:30 p.m., at 555 West 18th Street, we will join our members in raising our voices, demanding the truth, and demanding from our elected officials that we will no longer be silent. , send the message that career opportunities are available. Your path to the middle class is simply more important than a few minutes of shade!!”
Appalled by the attack, Friends of the High Line released a poll on Monday showing strong opposition among West Side voters to the currently planned mega-casino development.
The project would include an 80-story tower overlooking the Hudson River that would house a casino and hotel. Office buildings, high-rise apartment buildings, and a spacious 5.6-acre park surround the glittering casino skyscraper.
State and city approvals are still needed to move forward with the casino plan and the required zoning changes.
LaBarbera told Alan Van Capel, executive director of Friends of the High Line, in an Oct. 11 letter.
“But we cannot prevent our city from moving forward due to the fact that new buildings may create new shadows. We live in a vertical city. We must continue to build. We must continue to create opportunities for people, including those in this community, to earn a middle-class lifestyle. We must speak up and be heard. There is.
“Too often the will of a powerful few trumps the interests of the many, and we cannot stand back and allow this situation to continue,” he said.
But according to a Friends of the High Line poll, 56% of West Side voters oppose a proposed zoning change that would allow a proposed casino above the Western Railroad Yard, with just 24% supporting it. It was %.
Additionally, 70% of voters said that placing a 6 million square foot new development with a casino and three new skyscrapers directly adjacent to the north side of the High Line would have a negative impact on the nearby West Side community. There is.
“New Yorkers want responsible development that respects existing communities.
I promise you that,” Van Capel said.
“This poll confirms what we have heard from countless residents: The current rezoning proposal not only delivers on the High Line's unique experience, but also on the community promise made in 2009. It also threatens profits.”
Van Capel also told the Post that Friends of the High Line is not anti-development, but wants responsible construction.
“We want to develop the Western Rail Yard,” he said. “The Building Trades Council wants to develop the Western Railway Yard, and if Related and Wynn had not secretly changed the original plans without community input, that could be happening right now. Sho.
“The building industry should call out the companies involved for making changes and slowing development that will permanently harm the High Line and the community,” he said.
The survey was conducted for Friends of the High Line by Public Policy Polling on the state's Westside District among 1,298 voters, including U.S. Sen. Brad Hoylman, City Councilman Eric Bottcher, and Rep. Tony Simone. There is a plus or minus error. 2.7 percentage points.
In a warning to local politicians, 53% of voters would be less likely to support their local elected official if casino development went ahead, while 11% would be more likely to support it and 25% said it would I said it would make no difference.
The companies involved, informed of the negative findings, accused Friends of the High Line of running an anti-development fear campaign.
“High Line friends want to destroy jobs, affordable housing, and even a lush new public park in order to preserve the 'landscape' of an ugly rail yard,” the newspaper said. said.[forRelatedsaid[forRelatedsaid
“While they spend their time waging disinformation campaigns and misleading communities, we are going door to door to share the benefits of our plans for Western Yard. We have met directly with hundreds of residents and local organizations.”
LaBarbera of the Building and Construction Trades Council also rejected the poll.
“This isn't about casinos, it's about building vertical cities, and manipulated polls have also shown us that for this city to grow and for workers to be able to afford to live here, we have to build upwards. “The need remains the same,” he said. .
