Chelsea Women's Prison Conversion Plan Falls Through

CHELSEA, NY — A plan to convert a former women's prison in Chelsea into space for services and organizing for women and girls has fallen through, philanthropists behind its funding announced this week.

The NoVo Foundation was expected to fund the redevelopment of the former Bayview Correctional Facility into a space for organizations and services for women and girls after the prison closed when the building was evacuated and damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The foundation, led by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, the latter who's the youngest son of Warren Buffett, said Monday it can no longer fund the redevelopment, dubbed The Women's Building.

In an "agonizing" decision for the foundation, the funders announced project has fallen through. The foundation said it would have been too timely and too costly, according to a letter the foundation released Monday.

With heavy hearts, we write to share an important update about The Women’s Building. Please see our full letter here: https://t.co/a9MAAkUnmb pic.twitter.com/OmmEPn0nkA
— Women's Building NYC (@womensbldgnyc) October 11, 2019

The letter continued, "timelines and budgets for this project have far exceeded original estimates."

The plan would have taken five more years and hundreds of millions of dollars, resulting in less cash for grants for organizations doing work on the ground, NoVo's letter said.

"Put simply, every dollar that goes to the future of this project could instead go directly to immediate work on the ground," the letter reads. Instead, the foundation will fund $50 million to continue the work of The Women's Building, which was to be a "hub of activism" for social justice organizations.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo first sought proposals to convert the Bayview facility within two years after Sandy, according to THE CITY, which first reported on NoVo's announcement. NoVo was expected to get a 99-year lease for The Women's Building, but now, Empire State Development will head back to the drawing board.

The agency's spokesperson Jack Sterne told THE CITY it will work with Chelsea leaders to determine the future of the building, at West 20th Street and 11th Avenue.

"While we are disappointed with this outcome, we understand and respect NoVo's decision to refocus their resources on more immediate needs," Sterne told the news website.