6
QUEENS WEEKLY, DECEMBER 8, 2019
City begins public review process to make Rikers
Island a public space after prison complex closes
BY BILL PARRY
Several members of the
Queens delegation to the
City Council applauded the
start of the land use process
to officially prohibit the incarceration
of individuals
on Rikers Island after Dec.
31, 2026, when the boroughbased
jail system is expected
to be in operation.
The land use application
filed Monday is the first step
in the Uniform Land Use
Review Process (ULURP) to
change Rikers’ designation
on the official city map to a
public place.
“Rikers Island has been
a stain on New York City
for nearly a century, with
thousands of people subjected
to physical and mental
anguish under a broken
system,” Councilman Costa
Constantinides said. “As
the representative for Rikers
Island, I am proud to see
the ULURP commence and
ensure that these 413 acres
are never again used for
this kind of torture. The future
of Rikers Island should
get restorative justice for
the over-policed and overpolluted
communities marginalized
for too long. I look
forward to the continued
engagement of key stakeholders,
especially those
impacted by Rikers Island,
to make that happen.”
The leader of the Queens
delegation, Councilwoman
Karen Koslowitz, who faced
intense blowback from her
constituents for her support
of a prison facility in Kew
Gardens at the location of
the old Queens Detention
Complex, was also pleased
the city began the process.
“I am gratified that the
administration is moving
swiftly to lay the groundwork
for making Rikers
Island an asset for all New
Yorkers,” she said.
The proposed action
does not lead to any new development
or construction
on its own; the application
is solely focused on changing
the mapping of Rikers
to end its use for jails. Any
future plans will require a
new planning and public
review process, including
a separate approval for and
environmental review process
if necessary.
“Closing Rikers requires
a roadmap to get there and
this plan demonstrates our
commitment to doing just
that. Once it is put in place,
the hellhole known as Rikers
will never again be used
to incarcerate New Yorkers,”
Councilman Daniel
Dromm, the first elected official
to call for the closure
of the jail complex, said.
“The people of NYC will
decide what is to become
of the island. This plan ensures
the community will
participate in determining
its future use.”
The filing of the ULURP
is the latest step made possible
by the city’s efforts
to substantially reduce
its levels of incarceration.
The number of people in
the city’s jails currently is
fewer than 7,000, the lowest
rate since the late 1970s,
and it remains on course for
a prison population of fewer
that 3,300 by 2026.
“The proposed change
to the city map to establish
Rikers Island as a public
space solidifies the administration’s
commitment to
end incarceration in this
space,” Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams said.
“The people of New
York City deserve to have
a meaningful say in the
future of the island and
I applaud the public participatory
planning effort.
This is an exciting step
forward so that New York
City can move forward toward
ending an inhumane
and environmentally
unsound system of mass
incarceration.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
The city begins the land use process to make Rikers Island a public space after the prison complex is closed. QNS/File
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