"The six-member panel voted 42 against advancing the project, with only the representatives appointed by Mayor Eric Adams (Jennifer Sta. Ines) and Gov. Kathy Hochul (Nichols Silbersack) in support. The vote outcome mirrors the fate of other now-defunct Manhattan casino proposals in Hell's Kitchen and Times Square. Those voting no on Freedom Plaza included Sandra McKee, the chair and representative of Senator Kristen Gonzalez; Reshma Patel, representing Assembly Member Harvey Epstein; Celeste Royo, appointed by Borough President Mark Levine; and Jasmine Narula, representing Council Member Keith Powers."
"The decision followed nearly two years of heated debate, public hearings, and intense community pushback over the plan to redevelop a stretch of Midtown East into a sprawling mixed-use complex. The project called for 1,080 residential units 600 of them permanently affordable alongside a hotel, a five-acre public park, a museum, retail, and an underground casino. The rejection marks a major setback for developers Soloviev Group and Mohegan Sun, who had touted Freedom Plaza as a transformative project."
The six-member Community Advisory Committee voted 4-2 against advancing the $11 billion Freedom Plaza proposal, with only mayoral and gubernatorial appointees in support. The vote follows nearly two years of public hearings, heated debate, and substantial community opposition that opponents said outweighed supporters. The proposed Midtown East complex included 1,080 residential units, 600 permanently affordable units, a hotel, a five-acre public park, a museum, retail, and an underground casino. The rejection represents a major setback for developers Soloviev Group and Mohegan Sun and follows earlier failed Manhattan casino proposals in Hell's Kitchen and Times Square. A supplementary report explaining the vote will be published later.
Read at www.amny.com
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