Manhattan Borough Prez Will Hold Hearing On Jail Plans Tuesday

CHINATOWN, NY — The Manhattan Borough President will hold a hearing on the city's borough-based jail plans Tuesday.

The public hearing is a part of city's uniform land use review procedure, or ULURP, in which the plan goes through a series of review from the community board, borough president, and eventually City Council.

Borough President Gale Brewer will issue her own take on the borough-based jail plan early next month.

Brewer's hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11 at 6 p.m. at the Pace University Student Center, at One Pace Plaza.

Under a larger plan to close Rikers Island's jail facilities and reduce the jail population from 7,600 to 4,000 by 2026, the city is proposing to build jails in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan.

In Lower Manhattan, the de Blasio administration plans to replace the existing Manhattan Detention Complex at 125 White St. and replace it with a taller structure up to 450 feet, though the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice has previously said that number is likely to decrease.

The city has touted that its new facilities would be closer to the courts systems and easier to access by transit for inmates' loved ones compared to Rikers — though the community pushback against the plan has been fierce, with months of outrage over a lack of community input and a plan that neighbors say remains in flux.

Last week, Community Board 1 voted against the plan with a series of conditions. CB 1 and the beep's opinions are advisory under the ULURP process.

Councilwoman Margaret Chin holds a pivotal vote in City Council for the 125 White St. lock-up. Chin supports closing Rikers, but has raised concerns regarding construction impacts at a neighboring senior building and what other community givebacks will be offered.

For Brewer's public hearing, the public can testify for two minutes and/or submit written testimony to info@manhattanbp.nyc.gov with "Borough-Based Jails Testimony" in the subject line, per Brewer's office.

The public can RSVP on Facebook here.