The city yesterday began the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) to officially prohibit the incarceration of individuals at Rikers Island after December 31, 2026, when the borough-based jail system is expected to be in operation.
The land use application seeks to change Rikers designation on the official city map to a public place.
“By guaranteeing that Rikers will never again be used for incarceration, we’re charting a new course forward for the Island and the people of New York City,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We’re making good on our promise to close Rikers once and for all. Though mass incarceration may not have started here, we’ll do all we can to make sure it ends here.”
The application is solely focused on changing the mapping of Rikers to end its use as a jail. The proposed mapping action does not lead to any new development or construction on its own. Any future plans will require a new planning and public review process, including a separate approval for and environmental review process as necessary.
The filing comes as the number of people in the city’s jails today is fewer than 7,000, the lowest rate since the late 1970s. The city remains on-course for a population of no more than 3,300 by 2026, according to city officials.
The City has continued to take concrete steps towards to closing Rikers Island since the Council’s vote in October. Last month, the City announced the planned closure of two more jails— Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC) on Rikers Island and Brooklyn Detention Complex (BKDC)—in March and January respectively. These will be the second and third jails shuttered by the Administration, joining the George Motchan Detention Center, which was closed in 2018.
In addition to the new announced closures, the City recently announced its initial timeline for finding and securing firms to execute the design-build demolition and construction process for the borough-based jails. Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for early work items were published last month with the remaining RFQs to be issued in the first quarter of 2020.
“I am proud to see the land use action to permanently close Rikers Island moving forward. As a Council Member representing one of the proposed borough facilities, I was steadfast in the importance of having a binding guarantee of the Island’s closure. The land use process is our city government’s tool to do so and I applaud the administration and Council Speaker [COrey Johnson] for today’s certification; establishing the land as a public place after 2026 and never again allowing the isolated detention of our neighbors.” said City Council Member Stephen Levin, who represents the area where the Brooklyn jail is slated for renovation on Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street.
