New York rejects Mohegan’s idea for a 300,000-square-foot casino in Manhattan.

The Mohegan Tribe’s plans to construct a 300,000-square-foot casino and 1,250-room hotel on Manhattan’s East Side were put on hold Monday, at least temporarily, when a six-member neighbourhood advisory committee voted 4-2 against the proposal.

Mohegan, the tribe’s casino and entertainment division, submitted the proposal as part of Soloviev Group’s massive $11 billion development on three city blocks close to the UN. Among four dazzling bids made this year as part of New York State’s awarding of up to three licenses for a full-fledged gaming business in and around the city, it was the last hope for a casino.

Soloviev increased the number of apartments it considered cheap under New York City regulations from 600 to 1,080 at the last minute to bolster support. This would have accounted for all of the apartments on the property. Before voting down the entire idea in a nine-minute meeting without any members offering feedback, the committee rejected that amendment.

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The enormous Freedom Plaza concept would have included a 4.8-acre public terraced park, a museum of democracy, a conference centre, a food hall, a smaller, five-star hotel, a casino, a luxury hotel, and flats, among many other facilities. Its declared objective was to create a modern, self-contained residential and commercial district that demonstrated public benefits on the brownfield site of a former Consolidated Edison power station close to the United Nations.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s appointments were among the six committee members who voted in favour. The members of the state assembly, the city council, the local state senator, and Mayor Eric Adams’s appointees all cast no votes.

Following a roll call, Sandra McKee, who was selected by a state senator, announced, “Two positive votes, meaning the application has been disapproved.”

Mohegan and Soloviev did not immediately comment. It’s unclear if the developers could file an appeal or if they would actually do so in response to the decision. The vote was one of several steps that the New York legislature and gaming commission established beginning in 2013, when the state consented to license up to three “downstate” casinos in or close to the city.

A few blocks away, the United Nations began the General Assembly with ambassadors and heads of state from all around the world, and the voting took place in a community board hall as the organization kicked off the annual U.N. Week.

With the only footing on the island, this initiative would have propelled Mohegan, a significant participant in the casino sector already, to the top of the field. It marked the end of an extremely competitive process that started in 2013 when New York, which is much more gambling-averse than the majority of Northeastern states, consented to grant three “downstate” casino licenses.

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