This week on The Propertea: A new jail in your neighborhood, house spotting, and an alarm clock alternative
Welcome to the second addition of The Propertea! Let’s dive in…
There was a buzzing of excitement in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood as they dismantled the former Brooklyn Detention Center at 275 Atlantic Avenue. Piece by piece, the building came down like lego blocks, leaving speculation as to what it will become: a new luxury condo building? (probably), a public park? (unlikely). The lot, as it would turn out, is part of a 10-year plan to close Rikers Island and build four modern, more humane jail sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.
Closing Rikers:
Back in the spring of 2017, the City committed to closing the jails on Rikers Island, citing crumbling infrastructure and inhumane conditions for inmates. On top of that, Rikers is a PR nightmare for the city. Before the decision to close Rikers was made, the 413-acre prison island had a record year for inmate deaths in 2016, according to the New York Times. That number was then surpassed in 2021, when 15 inmates died, primarily from Covid-19, suicides, or overdoses.
On top of that, Rikers has faced a number of sexual assault cases. A report by Gothamist found that over 700 women filed lawsuits against New York City under the Adult Survivors Act alleging they were sexually abused while detained at Rikers. In total, they are seeking more than $14.7 billion in damages. These abuses were found to be carried out primarily by jail guards and medical professionals.
New Jails:
So what happens after Rikers is closed? By 2027, the city plans to build four new jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, “built upon a foundation of dignity and respect,” that will house no more than 3,300 inmates total. While the reduced capacity of the jails is an attempt to limit the “impulse to jail our way to public safety,” there are concerns that the capacity of the new facilities will not fit the number of inmates who have historically entered the jails.
Where will these new jails be located and how does this project impact the community?
All of the new jails will be located on the site of a former detention facility, with the exception of the Bronx, where the new jail will sit on the site of the former Lincoln Hospital and NYPD compound.
Manhattan: 124-125 White Street
According to an article from the New York Times, the new Manhattan facility has faced backlash from locals as the demolition, which began last spring, has negatively impacted surrounding infrastructure. There are claims that the project created cracks in a neighboring senior center building. Community groups also raised concerns surrounding the environmental and health impacts of the dust and debris caused by the demolition. While the city claims that the new jail will successfully integrate with the surrounding community, Chinatown locals feel that the city prioritizes municipal projects in their neighborhood over community improvement projects, like improved shelter for their unhoused neighbors.
Brooklyn: 275 Atlantic Avenue
While the Boerum Hill Association and the Brooklyn Heights Association fully support closing Rikers Island, the primary concern of both associations is the sheer scale of the facility. Both associations claim that the city moved forward with the plan without input from the local community and suggested that Brooklyn have 2 smaller jails, versus 1 mega-jail.
Another concern of this project is the potential impact to housing prices. Boerum Hill, the neighborhood in which this jail will reside, had a median asking price of $2.4M in March 2024, up from $2.3M in March of last year, and $1.3M more than Brooklyn’s March 2024 average, according to Streeteasy’s Data Dashboard.
Queens: 126-02 82nd Avenue
According to an article by the Post, Kew Gardens residents also aren’t too happy about the new jail, citing safety concerns and fears that the new jail will impact their property value. Some neighbors worry that the same issues that plagued Rikers will spill into their community.
The Bronx: 745 E 141st Street
Residents surrounding the construction in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx are claiming that the city did not monitor the surrounding homes for signs of structural damage prior to building the new facility, and now homes are “collapsing around them.” A spokesperson for the city has refuted these claims.
What do you think of the new jails?
Taylor Swift really spoke to me in her song “I Look In People’s Windows” because that’s shamelessly my favorite activity when walking through Brooklyn neighborhoods. One of my favorite places to go house-spotting is on Washington Ave in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The plan:
Get off the subway at Clinton-Washington Aves (A,C, or G)
Head down to Prima Brooklyn on Greene Ave for a glass of wine and small bites - it’s in a brownstone so you might miss it! Sit outside if it’s nice on either their front patio or back patio. Prima doesn’t have a wine menu so just tell them what you like and ask to taste a couple of wines before deciding (unless, unlike me, you’re decisive). They are also open for coffee and pastries in the morning and have wifi for working.
House-spot on Washington Ave. Oooh and Ahhh at all the single-family homes with a front yard and a driveway.
Grab dinner at Lula Mae on Myrtle, a Cambodian restaurant. They have happy hour from 5-7PM at the bar and a great cocktail menu.
Stick with me here…I really wanted a Hatch alarm clock for those dark winter mornings but couldn’t foot the $200 price tag. Then I remembered that my mom had gifted me the GE Sync Smart Light Bulb, which connects to an app on your phone, allowing you to adjust the bulbs brightness, turn the light on and off, and schedule the light.
Just screw the lightbulb into your lamp of choice (in my case, the bedroom lamp) and download the app to start setting the schedule and adjusting the brightness. I don’t have the color model, but if you do, the app also allows you to change the color of the bulb.
I have my app programmed to slowly turn the light on in the morning using the fade in function, and have the time scheduled differently for the weekdays and the weekends.
Let me know if you try it! *I am not sponsored by this lightbulb.