Freedom Plaza river view looking east. Courtesy of Negativ
Freedom Plaza, the Soloviev Group’s plan to bring a mixed-use development with a gaming facility on a vacant lot next to the United Nations, was rejected by the community advisory committee (CAC) on Monday. Since casinos pitched for Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square also failed to advance last week, Manhattan won’t be getting a casino after all, with the five bids remaining for the three downstate licenses are in the outer boroughs and Westchester.
The $11.2 billion Freedom Plaza proposal called for a subterranean casino operated by Mohegan, a museum dedicated to democracy, a five-acre public park, two hotels, and two residential towers with over 1,000 apartments, all designed by renowned architect Bjarke Ingels. And in a last-ditch effort to get approval, Soloviev announced last week that all 1,080 units would be made permanently affordable.
In the end, it wasn’t enough. The six-member Freedom Plaza CAC voted 4-2 against the proposal, with the two affirmative votes from appointees of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.
Committee members appointed by local Midtown East elected officials, Borough President Mark Levine, Sen. Kritsen Gonzalez, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, and Council Member Keith Powers, voted no.
In a joint statement, Levine, Gonzalez, Epstein, and Powers said they supported the decision of the CAC.
“Our neighbors on the East Side of Manhattan have communicated to us, and to the CAC, through hours of public hearings, significant concerns regarding increased congestion, public safety, and the quality of life concerns this project would introduce into our community,” the group said in a joint statement.
“For this reason, we support the CAC’s decision today to not advance the casino proposal at Freedom Plaza. We look forward to continuing to work with the Soloviev Group to accomplish the goal of activating this site for permanent affordable housing, green space, good-paying jobs, and more.”
Soloviev Group CEO Michael Hershman said Freedom Plaza would have been a transformative project that revived Midtown East.
“We are proud of our partnership with Mohegan and the vision that informed this project, that would have revitalized Midtown East and delivered for workers, residents, and organizations across this city,” Hershman said in a statement.
“Manhattan is the undisputed capital of the world, and it deserved a fully integrated resort that would have attracted visitors while serving the needs of its community.”
Last week, Silverstein Properties’ $7 billion Avenir proposal for Manhattan’s far West Side and SL Green’s pitch with Caesars Palace and Jay-Z both failed to advance. Plans to develop a casino at Hudson Yards West were dropped prior to a vote, but Related Companies intends to move forward with a 4,000-unit development.
The five remaining bids include Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park next to Citi Field, The Coney in Coney Island, Resorts World NYC in Jamaica, Bally’s Bronx casino in Ferry Point Park, and MGM Empire City in Yonkers.
The final votes for MGM Empire City and Resorts World NYC will take place on Thursday, September 25, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
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