Posted Sep 16, 2025, 11:58 PM
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New Yorker for life
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
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https://www.amny.com/new-york/manhat...ring-09152025/
East Side residents fear losing hand as developer employees ‘stack the deck’ at final Freedom Plaza casino bid hearing
By Adam Daly
September 16, 2025
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Frustrated local residents accused developers of stacking the deck at Monday’s final public hearing on the proposed $11 billion Freedom Plaza casino project in Midtown East, saying employees of Mohegan Sun and the Soloviev Group had “drowned out” neighborhood voices.
More than 170 people testified before the Community Advisory Committee at Scandinavia House on Sept. 15, with supporters outnumbering opponents by more than two to one. Developer employees made up half of the 70% of speakers backing the plan, with some East Side residents, unions, and nonprofit leaders joining in support, citing the promised affordable housing, green space, and thousands of jobs as reasons to back the project.
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About 45 of the 120 supporters identified themselves as Mohegan Sun employees who traveled from the company’s flagship casino in Uncasville, CT, while nearly 20 said they were employees of the Soloviev Group. Many touted the benefits of their employers and described Mohegan as a responsible operator. One woman confirmed to the panel that several arrived on a party bus.
“Yes, another person from Mohegan Sun, come visit us, we’re super fun. We took the party bus here,” a worker who did not provide her name said to groans of the few opposing locals who had made it into the packed auditorium by that point.
Dozens of union members also testified, including representatives of IBEW Local 3, SEIU 32BJ, and the Carpenters Union, who argued that the casino and entertainment complex would create stable, good-paying jobs.
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Dennis Serrette, executive vice president of the National Urban League, said the developers “really had to convince us” but ultimately demonstrated a commitment to community benefits. “I’m a born and bred New Yorker, with five daughters. This, to me, is personal. If we do this, we have to do it right,” he said.
Some residents agreed. Amanda, who lives nearby, said the development could transform the East Side. “This isn’t just another project,” she said. “It’s the opportunity to turn First Avenue into a destination.”
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But opposition from Tudor City and Murray Hill residents, making up about 30% of the given testimony, was more impassioned.
Many said their testimony was overshadowed by speakers with no ties to the neighborhood, accusing the developers of filling the roster with out-of-town employees and union allies.
“I thought I was at the wrong meeting,” one resident who did not identify herself said. “I thought I walked into the Mohegan Sun reunion.”
Mark Harris, who has lived in Tudor City for 50 years, warned the project would overwhelm a quiet residential enclave. “Our neighborhood is being threatened by the casino development,” he said.
His neighbor, Cynita Harris, added, “No member of our community that we have ever spoken with is in favor of a casino put right in front of our face. We don’t want it.”
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