After days of pressure from elected officials, community groups and W42ST, 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…