Manhattan has just about everything a resident could want. Everything but a casino. The final plan for a casino in Manhattan, still considering a coveted gaming license, was rejected on Monday (22), ensuring that no games will be opened in the heart of New York City.
The groups behind the proposed site, called Freedom Plaza, offered several incentives to win opponents and skeptical, including a last -minute offer to build more than 1,000 accessible housing units on the ground, but the plan had the same fate as two other failed proposals in Manhattan.
Monday’s decision, made by a community advisory committee that considered local support to the project, leaves five games facilities in the dispute for up to three licenses, which will be granted by the end of the year. Four are in other districts of New York City, out of Manhattan, and another in Yonkers.
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Casino Freedom Plaza, which was allegedly operated by the Mohegan Game company, would have been built on the largest uncovered land in Manhattan, more than 6 acres, located south of the United Nations headquarters. The owner of the property, Stefan Soloviev, is the son of the developer Sheldon Solow developer.
“Manhattan is the unquestionable capital of the world, and deserved a fully integrated resort that attracted visitors while meeting the needs of his community,” said Michael Hershman, CEO of Soloviev Group, the project development company, in a statement after voting.
Three elected representatives, whose six -member committee delegates voted against the plan, said in a statement that residents near the site eastern Manhattan had legitimate concerns about the project, including increasing traffic congestion, especially during a week, when the UN General Assembly is in session for its annual debate.
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Billions in investments
The proposal, which was rejected by 4 votes against 2, was supported only by members of the committee appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams. These delegates were also the only supporters of the other two failed proposals in Manhattan, one for Times Square and one at Far West Side.
A mayor’s spokesman criticized the rejection of Manhattan proposals, calling the “unfortunate result” votes for projects that could have generated billions in new investments. “Using their representatives in three community advisory committees, the elected representatives unfairly took Manhattan out of the game even before he began,” said spokesman William Fowler.
If the Freedom Plaza proposal had been approved, it would have advanced to the next phase of consideration in December by the State Game Location Council, which will forward the final candidates for approval by the Game Commission.
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“To ensure state officers have the most strong negotiation position as possible to deliver successful projects, the government expects to see as many proposals as possible to the next revision phase,” said Sean Butler, the governor’s spokesman after Monday’s vote.
But one of the remaining proposals, the Condy Casino in Coney Island, also seemed on Monday to be on the way to defeat. Although the committee has not yet voted on the proposal, three representatives elected with delegates on the panel have positioned themselves against it – two thirds of the committee must approve a proposal to advance.
“There are things we need in Coney Island, but a casino is not one of them,” wrote one of the representatives, Justin Brannan, who represents the neighborhood on the municipal council at Brooklyn Paper.
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Expansion since 2013
The expansion of game houses in the state of New York began in 2013, after voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed the creation of seven casinos, with the possibility of some in the city of New York. In 2022, Hochul boosted the advance in the granting of casino licenses in the metropolitan region.
The casino industry has long been dreaming of operating in New York City, especially in Manhattan, the center of American Tourism and World Capital of Business. After Monday’s decision, the industry may have to be content with places far from Manhattan.
The companies behind Manhattan proposals, which included large casinos operators such as Caesars Entertainment, promised huge economic benefits, including the creation of thousands of jobs and increased tax revenue for the city and the state. They promised to be good neighbors and offered appointments beyond the game, such as a giant wheel and a museum dedicated to democracy at the site of Freedom Plaza.
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However, the groups faced different levels of residents and business groups, who expressed concerns about safety and traffic, as well as the potential of casinos projects to divert customers from local restaurants.
A particular project, the proposed Caesars Palace at Times Square, failed to overcome the opposition of the influential Broadway League, a commercial group that includes owners and theater operators and helped mobilize the opposition to the proposal.
“The standard for approving a casino in Manhattan would always be extremely high,” said Mark Levine, president of the Manhattan district, who had representatives in the three committees that analyzed Manhattan’s proposals; their representatives voted against them. “This does not diminish all jobs and other economic benefits that such proposals offer,” he added. “However, in the end, the opposition of residents and companies in Manhattan proved to be too big.”
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The remaining five proposals will be analyzed by their advisory committees before the end of the month.
In addition to Coney Island’s proposal, the other proposals are still considering: Bally’s Bronx, near the Whittestone Bridge; MGM Empire City in Yonkers; Metropolitan Park near Citi Field in Queens; and Resorts World New York City at the Aqueduct Hippodrome in Queens.
The two candidates who already operate casinos -like places, MGM Empire City and Resorts World New York City, are considered favorite to receive licenses.
This article was originally published in The New York Times
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