Manhattan Jail Plan Slammed By Locals At Heated Town Hall Meeting

CHINATOWN, NY — Chinatown residents railed against a proposal for a new jail at 80 Centre St. as part of a plan to shutter Rikers Island at a contentious city-hosted town hall Wednesday.

Officials from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice were met with a chorus of boos and chants against the project, forcing city officials to cut their presentation short. Residents raised a myriad of concerns and some shouted down officials with fears of traffic congestion, poor air quality from construction and what many have seen as a lack of community input on the 80 Centre St. plan that was only recently announced.

"Our community is being blindsided with this and we still don't have all the facts," said Suzy Hu, 48, a long-time Chinatown resident and community activist. "We need detailed traffic studies, we need air quality reports. Where are the facilities in that building even going? How can we give them input when we have a sliver of the picture."

Protestors repeatedly erupted into chants of, "no jail" and "don't destroy our neighborhood," waving neon-colored signs printed with, "Don't let Chinatown become Prisontown," "Chinatown is over jailed" and "What's the rush? Backroom deals."

The city's proposal would convert 80 Centre St., which houses the city's Marriage Bureau and offices with the Manhattan district attorney, into a high-rise detention center to accommodate up to 1,510 inmates. The 640,000-square-foot building would expand to 1.56 million square feet and rise to more than 400 feet. Additional parking space would be constructed along with a 20,000 square-foot space, which could include affordable housing, a community center or retail space.

"We are being mindful of how to best integrate these facilities into the neighborhood," said Dana Kaplan, with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, at the town hall. "I understand that community engagement and community feedback is very important to this, obviously this is one opportunity. There will be a number of engagement efforts before, during and following the [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure or ULURP] process.”

The city is considering undergoing the extensive land use review process of all four borough-based facilities at once instead of a separate review for each site. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer noted that she would prefer a separate ULURP for each facility, emphasizing that she is "upset" that may not be the case.

Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose district includes the proposed detention center, was adamant that she has yet to take a stance on the city's 80 Centre St. proposal.

“I want to let you know right now that this proposal is not a done deal," Chin announced at the town hall. "The process is just beginning, and I also want to be clear that I have not taken a position on this project because it’s only the beginning.”

City officials estimate the entire borough-based jail plan will come in at a cost of $10.6 billion, but a hard figure will be determined by the year's end when more concrete plans take shape. Public scoping sessions for each facility are slated for Sept. 20 for Brooklyn, Sept. 26 for Queens, Sept. 27 for Manhattan and Oct. 3 for the Bronx.

Only last month officials announced that the city is considering the 80 Centre St. site as an option for Manhattan's borough-based jail, stunning residents and local leaders who for months believed that the city intended to expand the existing Manhattan Detention Center.

Community advocates launched a volley of criticism at the de Blasio administration for the sudden announcement to introduce a new option with little community input. And for several, Wednesday's town hall raised more questions than answers.

"Why are you building a new jail? Why is it 40 stories high and out of line with all the buildings in the community?" said Nicolas Stabile, a board member of the Chatham Green apartment complex a block from the proposed site.

"We’re going to build the new jail now and renovate White Street later, why does the Mayor get what he wants now and the community gets something that they want later? Frankly, it’s not fair."

The public scoping meeting on the proposal is set for Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Manhattan Borough President's office, 1 Centre Street on the 19th floor.

Photo and video courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch