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A community board has rejected plans to build a Mohegan Sun casino resort in Manhattan.

Titled the Freedom Plaza development, the proposal was denied by a state-commissioned community advisory committee on a 4-2 vote. It included hotels, retail, dining, entertainment and housing.

Committee members were appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and other local politicians.

In a last ditch effort to gain local support, developers revealed last weekend they would commit to making more than 1,000 residential units proposed for the project permanently afforadable.

Other community investments were also pledged, such as a museum, a community centre, a daycare and acres of public open space.

The Soloviev Group led the development and its CEO, Michael Hershman, said its vision would have “revitalised” Manhattan:

“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.”

The project spanned more than six acres from 38th Street to 41st Street east of First Avenue and was the last remaining proposal under consideration for Manhattan.

When approached for a response by the Independent, spokespersons for Mohegan Sun, the tribe-owned casino company in Connecticut, did not respond.

One of the planet’s most famous rappers Jay-Z backed plans to build a Caesars Palace casino in Times Square which was voted down by a community board last week alongside another gambling resort on Manhattan’s West Side in the Hudson Yards area.

There are three state gambling licences up for grabs in the New York City are and five proposals are now remaining in the race – including a Bally’s casino on a Bronx public golf course, a gambling hall on Coney Island’s boardwalk in Brooklyn and a Hard Rock casino next to Citi Field in Queens, the home of…

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For weeks, discussions of sports in Connecticut have largely revolved around one question: Will the Connecticut Sun, the state’s foremost major league team, stay in the state?

The news last month that the WNBA team, which has been owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, might be sold to Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca for $325 million sparked a flood of concern and an equally intense flurry of activity.

That concern turned into outrage as the proposed Boston sale and a separate counteroffer, which would keep the team in state but move it to Hartford, were both ignored by the WNBA as it considers sending the team elsewhere. U.S. Senator, and former state attorney general, Richard Blumenthal went so far as to raise antitrust concerns.

State officials swiftly launched a campaign calling for the Sun to stay in Connecticut and urging residents to sign a petition to help make the case to the league.

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Connecticut officials are also considering a plan that would see the state use pension funds to purchase a minority stake in the Sun in order to keep the team. While the proposal has received support from Gov. Ned Lamont, the possible use of pension funds has drawn criticism from both legislative Republicans and unions; Both argue there are better uses for the money.

“There needs to be structure and fiscal responsibility and a level of respect for taxpayer money and for public employees’ money,” Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said at a press conference last week.

So far everything is still in the air. The WNBA has not made a decision, and much of the public debate is based on potential situations rather than any agreed upon plan. There is no clear timetable for when a decision on the Sun’s fate will…

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The rejections keep coming for developers who spent years cobbling together proposals for multibillion-dollar casino projects in New York City.

Courtesy of Soloviev Group/Negativ

A rendering of Soloviev Group’s Freedom Plaza casino proposal, with a partially underground casino, public space and two residential towers

A community board voted 4-2 Monday morning to reject the $11.2B Freedom Plaza proposal from developer Soloviev Group and its gaming partner, Mohegan. The binding rejection was the third in the past week for a Manhattan casino bid, following votes last week that took pitches from SL Green in Times Square and Silverstein Properties near Hell’s Kitchen off the table.

Freedom Plaza was proposed on Soloviev’s 6.3-acre undeveloped site to the south of the United Nations Plaza along the East River. The developer planned a 295K SF casino, more than 1,200 hotel rooms, an art gallery, a multistory food hall, a spa, a public park and more than 1,400 parking spaces on the site.

It also said it would build more than 1,000 apartments, initially promising that half would be permanently affordable but last week pledging to designate all the units as affordable housing.

“We are proud of our partnership with Mohegan and the vision that informed this project that would have revitalized Midtown East,” Soloviev Group CEO Michael 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.”

The Soloviev Group bid was the last remaining proposal in Manhattan. The sole proposal from Brooklyn, from developer Thor Equities, also appears doomed. 

Three appointees to the community advisory committee to consider Thor’s bid on Coney Island have signaled they plan to reject the proposal at a vote scheduled for…

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