Yesterday (September 17), a community advisory committee voted against moving forward with a casino bid from SL Green Realty Corporation, Caesars Entertainment, Jay-Z, Roc Nation, and Live Nation. “This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods," Broadway League president Jason Laks said of the vote. "And for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it."
"A casino can go anywhere," he added. "But Broadway only lives here. We are so filled with gratitude for the committee members and the local elected officials—State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Tony Simone, Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Erik Bottcher—who looked at the facts, listened to the residents and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community."
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez has since addressed the decision. “Thank you to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams for standing up for NYC," she said, per Loren LoRosa. "Unfortunately, not every politician has the courage and foresight to do what’s right for their constituents.”
Jay-Z Casino Bid
Not everyone was so collected in their response to the news, however. SL Green CEO Marc Holliday, for example, confronted CAC members on the spot to make his feelings known. “What you did here today was despicable," he told them.
Just days before the casino bid was shot down, Perez defended it during an interview with Billboard. At the time, she called it an "incredible financial opportunity."
"But then it’s also an opportunity for us when we do any business we always try to touch and impact community as much as we can," she continued. "So it felt like the right opportunity for us as New Yorkers to go ahead, turn around and say, Ok, well these are the different projects. I mean, imagine if we have access to this kind of capital and this kind of opportunity what we could do for the community."
