Sosua is not midtown Manhattan, but I remember midtown NYc in the early 80s before Disney invested... 42nd Street at the time was more popular for prostitutes and porn (and crime and drugs) and not a safe tourist destination. Disney was only going to invest if the city did something to limit the porn shops and porn theaters, so the legislators passed new ordinances... and they needed the police to stop turning a blind eye to all the prostitution (no new law needed, because prostitution was already illegal, just needed enforcement) - back in the early 80s, people used to go see a Broadway show and upon exit, there would be hookers looking for customers... It took about 10-15 years, but Midtown is much different now.
My guess, Sosua is trying to do a smaller scale transformation.... I have no idea if it will work, because Sosua is not the same kind of real estate as midtown Manhattan...
And, if any interest in Disney's influence on midtown, here is an article:
Looking back on why The Walt Disney Company decided to restore the New Amsterdam Theater in NYC
Eisner's book also discusses it in some of the chapters.