Resorts World Casino New York City (RWNYC), Cirrus Workforce Housing Advisors, LP, and a coalition of labor unions announced a landmark agreement to build up to 50,000 units of workforce housing citywide over the next two decades.
The announcement was made on Thursday, May 15, at RWNYC’s grand hall in South Ozone Park. More than 150 attendees—including labor leaders, union workers, local elected officials and community stakeholders gathered at the casino’s headquarters at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd. to hear the details of the agreement, which proponents describe as a major step toward addressing New York City’s housing affordability crisis.
Under the terms of the agreement, RWNYC has committed to investing more than $500 million into the initiative over a 20-year period. The project will focus on creating housing options specifically for middle-class workers across all five boroughs, with union partnerships playing a central role in the construction and labor process.
Labor leaders at the event framed the deal as a critical response to the city’s deepening housing shortage, which has made it increasingly difficult for working New Yorkers to remain in the communities they serve.
According to RWNYC leaders, this project is one of the largest investments since the Mitchell-Lama era. It will create a broad portfolio of new housing projects financed by, built by, and for laborers across the city. The new partnership will begin to invest in new housing developments in the immediate term. RWNYC is the largest single employer of Hotel and Gaming Trades Council members in New York State.
In March 2024, Cirrus Workforce Housing announced a memorandum of understanding with the City and the Building and Construction Trades Council to develop workforce housing on public lands using union labor. Resorts World is the single largest employer of hotel and labor trades council members in the state of New York.
Queens Borough President, Donovan Richards Jr., Council Member Selvena Books Powers, Council Member Yussef A. Salam, and representatives of other Queens elected officials attended in support of the announcement.
Richards spoke briefly about how the historic deal will help labor union workers out of the current housing crisis plaguing Queens and beyond. Additionally, Richards said this deal is unique in that there will not be a conflict between the labor union and developers; instead, he said, “We’re getting it right.”
Richards said that the new housing is one of many examples of investments across the borough targeted at creating union jobs and affordable workforce housing.
“We’re going to build this 100% union…look at what we’re doing at Willets Point, you look at the tens of thousands of jobs happening right at JFK as well, and look at the progress we’re making because this will not be the only project that we continue to build housing. Look at the Jamaica rezoning opportunity and look at what we’re going to do in Long Island City, he said. “We have an opportunity as a borough to build almost 100,000 units of real, affordable, and workforce housing through the combination of these projects.”
Following Richards’ remarks, Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, gave a fiery speech. LaBarbera touched on how the announcement ends a decades-long cycle of developers pushing out the middle class from affordable housing opportunities. “ Today, that ends, brothers and sisters, today we take our own future in our own hands. We’re going to show this city and the state how you build workforce housing under a union POA for union workers,” he said. “ We are gonna show you can build housing with the quality, the skill, and the safety for union workers,” he said.
“ Finally, for the first time in generations, carpenters are going to build housing they can afford to live in. We are grateful to Resorts World for believing in us and investing in us. Working people deserve high-quality housing in the five boroughs now, and for generations to come,” added David Carraballoso, assistant executive secretary-treasurer and president, New York City District Council of Carpenters.
Kevin Jones, chief legal and chief strategy officer, Genting Americas, closed out the ceremony, sharing why RWNYC felt it was important to back this initiative. Jones said RWNYC’s investment in this major plan is a culmination of the entity’s vision for the future of Queens and beyond. “We’re committing over $500 million to make sure that Cirus can produce over 50,000 units of workforce housing. If you’ve heard anything today, just know two things: one, this is a big deal, and two, this is about where you are going to be able to live,” he said.
