Big Bucks for Downtown's Big House?
Here’s an interesting solution for the House of Detention on Atlantic that doesn’t involve supersizing the facility: Comptroller Bill Thompson says the city should sell the property, according to an article in today’s Daily News. Thompson wrote a letter to Mayor Bloomberg that says selling the facility, which has been closed since ’03, will bring…
Here’s an interesting solution for the House of Detention on Atlantic that doesn’t involve supersizing the facility: Comptroller Bill Thompson says the city should sell the property, according to an article in today’s Daily News. Thompson wrote a letter to Mayor Bloomberg that says selling the facility, which has been closed since ’03, will bring cash to the city and prevent a reopened jail from damaging Downtown Brooklyn’s economy. “Because our City has already begun to experience economic weakness, communities such as Downtown Brooklyn remain at risk of reversing their economic gains,” wrote Thompson, saying that reopening the jail “would … directly impact the revitalization of the surrounding area.” Right now community members who oppose the Department of Corrections’ plan to double the House of Detention’s size are considering suing the city. We wonder how much a property like this might fetch, and what sort of developer would be interested in taking it on. Guesses?
Sell Shut Downtown Brooklyn Jail to Raise Cash, Bloomberg Urged [NY Daily News]
City Looks to Supersize the House of D [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by Funtime Ben.
I live in the neighborhood..and for obvious reasons would prefer that the Jail was not opened. However, as a responsible citizen, the rationale for the jail re-opening is overwhelming.
Anything but a jail or a fucking parking garage.
I think Thompson is looking beyond the simple economics of the cost to build a new jail vs the sales price they would get.
If this area of downtown Brooklyn does well in the future it will bring in a tremendous amount of additional tax revenue. If reopening the jail causes the progress to reverse it can lead to significant tax revenue declines rather than an increase.
So it may be more expensive to sell this and build a new one (or it may not, this is prime real estate) but the overall economic picture would be better if a jail is not located there.
TEAR it down and make it a much needed parking garage…DO IT
TEAR it down and make it a much needed parking garage…DO IT
Ridiculous. Under Thompson’s logic, we might as well sell the Tombs and convince the Feds to sell off the MDC — they are both on the edge of downtown/Chinatown and _obviously_ keeping them open will “directly impacts the revitalization of the surrounding area” namely Downtown Manhattan, inlcuding all the wealthy people now willing to live there.
Maybe all of the city government facilities should be sold off and re-opened somewhere where the “impact” on neighborhood vitality will not be significant — Ozone Park maybe? Brownsville?
As much as I like Thompson and hope he becomes next mayor, he is pandering to the local loudmouths.
Jail is a very small or non-existent issue.
Parking by city employees/court officers/etc is bigger nuisance.
Kept much as-is, it could be the coolest hotel anywhere. Ya could set aside a couple of floors as a dance club (“Jailhouse Rock”).
Holy political pandering Batman!!!!
Whats the ‘new’ solution here??? People (including me-here) have said b/4 that the city may be better off selling this well located facility and instead build a new facility on less valuable real estate –
the reason why this is pandering of the most obvious kind is that Thompson says nothing about the cost of a new facility or how the city could meet its jail needs in the future if the facility was sold.
You’d figure the guy who is the CONTROLLER would recongnize the need to fully examine both the revenue and COSTS of a proposal.
Next thing you know politicians are going to stoop so low as to recommend repeal of gas taxes…..