Public Hearing for East Side Casino Draws Spirited Debate

A lengthy and impassioned public comment session was held regarding the $11.1 billion “Freedom Plaza” casino proposal—which is being spearheaded by Soloviev Group and Mohegan Sun—on September 15. It would transform a stretch of the East River, on First Ave. near the United Nations, if it ends up snagging one of three state gambling licenses being offered to downstate New York.

By September 17, two much-hyped West Side casino proposals—Silverstein’s “Avenir” & Caesar’s Palace Times Square—were given the kibosh by key local committees, meaning that Soloviev and Mohegan’s bid is the only Manhattan proposal left standing. The “Community Advisory Committee” for Freedom Plaza will vote on September 22.

Soloviev CEO Michael Hershman addressed these “no” votes in a statement provided to Straus News: “Despite the defeat today [Sept. 17] of two formidable applicants, we remain confident that one license should be awarded in Manhattan. Attracting more tourists than any other borough, the city should have a fully integrated resort that is fitting of its position as the global capital of the world.”

”It is the hope of all who support this worthy project—labor unions, faith and nonprofit leaders, parks and civic advocates, residents, and everyday New Yorkers—that our elected and appointed leaders will approve this collaborative plan,” Hershman added.

At the beginning of the hearing, Mohegan rep. Nelson Parker claimed that internal polling showed slightly increased community support for the casino proposal over time, before launching into what it would offer outside of gambling.

One notable offering is a $250 million “community reinvestment fund” that would be administered by the National Urban League, which developers say will go towards everything from beautification to local workforce development. The casino would also reportedly come with the construction of 1,080 apartments, more than 600 of which would be deemed affordable.

The developers also played a video of solicited testimony in favor of the project, from near and far. Hanz Mendoza, the owner of Sparrow Dry Cleaning, said the casino would provide the “chance to see our neighborhood booming again, especially post-COVID.”

Bob Garguilo, Executive Director of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving New England, said that Mohegan Sun espouses “responsibility to their visitors, team members, and neighbors...they truly [want] to be partners to create a safer community.”

When it came time for public comment, some notable people made it known that were in favor of the casino. Suzan Johnson Cook, a former Ambassador-At-Large for International Economic Freedom under President Barack Obama, said she appreciated the proposal’s “commitment to 40 percent women-owned and minority businesses, and to affordable housing.”

Anita Sims Rainford, a former Newark Public Schools administrator, similarly praised the proposal; she described how it passed her personal test of “skepticism, sense, and soul.” Despite her natural skepticism towards development, Rainford said, she called the proposal “sensible” due to its promotion of development and job creation.

Moreover, she said that she personally believed Mohegan Sun was a “family friendly” casino chain, free of “shady characters lingering in the shadows.”

Half of the people who spoke in favor of the casino on September 15, which the developers later estimated to be around 70 percent of the featured speakers, had an obvious employment connection to the developers themselves. One example was Jason, who noted that he has been “associated” with Mohegan Sun for 4 years, and that he had “never been associated with a company that cares about its employees and the community the way this company does.”

A total of 170 people testified. Aside from 45 people affiliated with Mohegan Sun, the pro-casino crowd also included supporters from unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Service Employees Union, which are hoping that a massive construction project will generate jobs for workers.

Yet not everybody was pleased with the prospect of a casino coming to their neighborhood. Mark Harris, who identified himself as a resident of Tudor City, compared “Freedom Plaza” to 20th-century development proposals that would have affected the Robert Moses Playground and nearby parks. “At this time, our neighborhood is being threatened again...and those very parks and that playground are being threatened by an overwhelming casino development,” he said.

His wife, Cynthia Harris, was more blunt: “No member of our community that we have ever spoken to are in favor of a casino being put right in front of our face! We don’t want it!”

The proposal will now have to earn two-thirds of the vote from a “Citizen Advisory Committee,” composed of members appointed by various political officials. Representatives for Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul voted “yes” on two West Side proposals, making it more likely that they’ll vote “yes” on September 22. However, reps. for various local politicians—and Borough President Mark Levine—voted “no” on the West Side.

A petition being circulated on Change.org, entitled “Please Save Our Beloved & Historic Murray Hill Neighborhood,” had garnered 7,641 signatures by September 18.

Representatives for City Council Member Keith Powers, as well as State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, will also provide key votes for the “Freedom Plaza” proposal. It will remain seen if they ally with the likely “yes” votes from Hochul and Adams’s reps., bringing a casino to their districts for the first time.