Community-Focused Development: Avenues Away from the "Las Vegas Ambiance" at Freedom Plaza
The Freedom Plaza project, valued at $11.1 billion, is making waves in the competition for one of the three downstate casino licenses in New York. Unlike other bids, which propose grandiose, Las Vegas-style resorts, Freedom Plaza is taking a community-focused approach.
Michael Hershman, CEO of the Soloviev Group, which is partnering with Mohegan on the project, stressed that they are sensitive to the community needs and live in the district where the Freedom Plaza project is located. The addition of housing options and green space to the Freedom Plaza proposal came about as a response to these community needs.
The casino floor of Freedom Plaza is planned below ground to avoid visibility from the street, reflecting a quieter design that respects the surrounding neighborhood. This approach aims to avoid a "circus atmosphere" and intentionally contrasts with the flashy, high-glitz casino models of competing bids.
Other bids, such as MGM’s $2.3 billion plan to expand Empire City Casino with live dealers and table games, and Caesars’ Times Square partnership backed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, aim for spectacle and massive visitor draws. However, Freedom Plaza prioritizes integration with the community by advancing affordable housing and green spaces near the United Nations building on Manhattan’s East Side.
The Freedom Plaza proposal includes a museum, green space, and two residential towers with more than 1,000 housing units in total, with over 500 earmarked as affordable. This makes it the bid with the most affordable housing units.
Moreover, up to 12% of the initial public offering for Freedom Plaza is proposed to be allocated to NYC residents, an idea inspired by the Green Bay Packers' ownership model. This move is designed to give local residents a stake in the project.
On July 18, the plan for Freedom Plaza was presented to the Community Advisory Committee. While the Ferris wheel idea for Freedom Plaza was dropped due to neighbor objections, the project itself, unlike the Ferris wheel, has not been dropped.
Freedom Plaza's “community-first” ethos and restrained casino presence seek to blend more harmoniously with the urban fabric and local residents’ interests, setting it apart from more commercially driven, entertainment-heavy proposals. Other bids in the competition include proposals from Hard Rock and Bally's, among other big names.
In summary, the Freedom Plaza project stands out in the race for Manhattan's casino license with its unique community-focused approach, prioritizing affordability, green space, and local ownership.
In contrast to the casino-and-gambling proposals emphasizing grandiose, Las Vegas-style resorts, Freedom Plaza's casino culture is inspired by a quieter design and a stronger community focus, with a casino floor planned below ground to minimize visibility. Furthermore, Freedom Plaza actively promotes integration with its surrounding neighborhood, prioritizing affordable housing, green spaces, and local ownership, setting it apart from other bids such as MGM's and Caesars' spectacle-driven proposals.
