New York City Labor Unions greet Freedom Plaza’s Initial Community Advisory Committee meeting with positivity
Freedom Plaza, the transformative $11.1bn civic and cultural proposal for Midtown Manhattan’s East Side from Soloviev Group and Mohegan, held a presentation at a meeting of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to foster meaningful dialogue.
The meeting featured a comprehensive presentation by the development and design team, further reinforcing the project’s continued commitment to transparency and collaboration.
“We appreciate the opportunity to meet with the Community Advisory Committee and share our vision for Freedom Plaza,” said Michael Hershman, CEO of Soloviev Group. “Our team has spent several years engaging with the community to develop this proposal, and we’re proud to present a project that reflects aligned priorities of good union jobs, affordable housing, open green space, and long-term community investment. We look forward to continued conversations as the CAC process moves forward.”
Michael Hershman, CEO of Soloviev Group; Ray Pineault, CEO of Mohegan; Nelson Parker, Chief Strategy Officer of Mohegan; Martin Voelke, Partner at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group; Allison Harvey, Principal at OJB Landscape Architecture; Alison Matthews, Senior Staff Engineer for Traffic at Langan Engineering and Environmental Sciences; Adnan Pasha, Director of Traffic Engineering at Langan; Jamie A. Smarr, President and CEO of Housing Partnership Development Corporation; and Dan Biederman, President of Bryant Park Corporation and 34th Street Partnership offered detailed briefings and insights into the project’s vision, scope, and community impact.
“Today’s meeting reflects the spirit of partnership and transparency that defines Freedom Plaza,” said Ray Pineault, CEO of Mohegan. “We’re honored to present our plans and continue this important dialogue with community representatives.”
Independent of today’s session, and in addition to their memorandums of understanding with the project, labor leaders representing New York City’s working families offered strong statements of support for the project’s creation of 17,000 high-quality union jobs during construction and operations, as well as support of nearly 40,000 jobs across the economy.
“SEIU 32BJ welcomes the start of the Community Advisory Committee process for Freedom Plaza, which brings us closer to the meaningful creation of high-quality jobs. Our union has long advocated for developments that raise labor standards and expand opportunities for working New Yorkers, and this is an encouraging step forward,” expressed John Santos, Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU 32BJ.
“The start of the CAC process marks an exciting milestone for Freedom Plaza and its potential to bring long-term, stable hospitality jobs to our city. HTC sees real pathways to career development through this project, and we’re optimistic about the opportunity it presents for New York’s workforce,” noted Rich Maroko, President, The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
“The Building and Construction Trades Council is pleased to see the process moving forward as it is a major step for New York’s working men and women. Every casino that may come to fruition in New York will be built with union labor, ensuring that as the new projects rise, so too will the opportunity to travel the pathway to the middle class for hard working tradesmen and tradeswomen. For that, we are thankful and look forward to these projects continuing to advance,” wrote Gary LaBarbera, President, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
Freedom Plaza sets a new benchmark for inclusive and equitable development, delivering more affordable housing than any other Manhattan proposal and standing as the only project in the borough to offer open green space. Built entirely with union labor, the development will feature 1,049 new residential units, including 513 units that working families can afford, alongside a food market, daycare, a museum dedicated to democracy, a community center, locally focused retail, and two world-class hotels from Mohegan and the owners of Banyan Tree hotels and resorts, complete with entertainment and modern gaming options for guests 21 and over.
To keep financial benefits rooted in New York, ownership in the proposed gaming facility will be opened to New York City residents, giving individuals the opportunity to share in the project’s long-term economic success. In addition, eligible New York state and city employee-related pension funds will receive preferential access to investment opportunities, enabling broader public participation in the economic upside of the development.
The developers will also establish a Community Reinvestment Fund—an independent, community-informed 501(c)(3) governed by a local board. The fund will receive 2% of net profits derived from gaming operations and is projected to generate at least $250 million over the next twenty years.
