Hudson Yards Drops Casino Bid in Face of Political Opposition

The developer of Hudson Yards has pulled out of the heated competition to bring a full-fledged casino to New York City.

The developer, Related Companies, said on Monday that a casino would no longer anchor its plans for Manhattan’s Far West Side and that it would instead just build thousands of units of new housing on the site near the Hudson River.

The new proposal calls for the construction of up to 4,000 residences on top of the second half of the sprawling development, a 28-acre neighborhood on top of an active rail yard that connects Penn Station with tunnels under the Hudson River. Most of the housing units would be apartments, and at least 400 of them would be rented below market rate. It would include a 6.6-acre park.

The announcement followed a statement released earlier in the day by Wynn Resorts, the casino operator partnering with Related, that it, too, was pulling out of the project. It cited the intractability of Manhattan politics.

Their decision came in the face of steadfast opposition to the casino by the local councilman, Erik Bottcher, and highlighted the structural difficulties in building in New York City, a challenge heightened by the unique politics of casino development.

“Something as significant as a casino in a community requires substantial community buy-in,” Mr. Bottcher said. “That didn’t exist here.”