CB9, Mayor's Office To Hold Public Hearing On Kew Gardens Jail

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — The public will get a chance to engage with representatives from the mayor's office and the corrections department at a Wednesday hearing on the proposed Kew Gardens jail.

Queens Community Board 9 is hosting a public hearing on April 24 at 7 p.m. about the city's hotly-contested plan to turn the Queens Detention Complex into a new jail, part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's initiative to close detention facilities on Rikers Island.

The hearing at Queens Borough Hall is a rare chance for members of the public to speak openly with the individuals overseeing the jail plan. Discussions so far have largely happened behind closed doors, among a select group of stakeholders known as the neighborhood advisory committee, or in private meetings.

De Blasio met privately with Kew Gardens and Briarwood residents last month to assuage their concerns about the jail, promising he would compensate the community for the jail's incursion, according to a recording obtained by Patch.

A spokesman for the mayor's office has told Patch that they will host open meetings once the city begins its land use review. That process, known as ULURP, began at the end of March.

The Queens CB9 Hearing is on April 24 at 7 p.m. in Queens Borough Hall, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens.