Chinatown leaders are urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to reconsider building a hi-rise jail in the densely populated neighborhood \u2014 saying the move could cause the ground to sink and endanger other buildings.<\/p>\n
The proposed 16-story local \u201cjailscraper\u201d is part of a $16 billion plan to replace the Rikers Island Jail Complex with four borough-based facilities close to courthouses, a project that could be completed by 2032.<\/p>\n
A rendering shows the Borough Based Jails Program\u2019s Manhattan Jail at 125 White Street in Chinatown. Department of Design and Construction<\/p>\n
\u201cThe jail site sits on the soft, waterlogged ground of the old Collect Pond,\u201d according to an Aug. 21 letter sent by 18 local leaders to the mayor, Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson, \u201cClose Rikers\u2019 Czar Dana Kaplan and City Council Speaker Julie Menin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe construction plan calls for the deepest excavation ever attempted on its site, digging well below the water table. The city\u2019s report warns that pumping out that water during construction can cause the surrounding ground to sink, and once it sinks, it does not come back,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n
The planned demolition of the Manhattan Detention Complex at 124\u2013125 White St. \u2014 and proposed towering jail reconstruction there \u2014 is also fiercely opposed by <\/a>local residents, businesses and community organizations.<\/p>\n Opponents claim construction of the new city jail could sink surrounding buildings. Department of Design and Construction<\/p>\n The phase-out of Rikers for new jails was initiated by former Mayor Bill de Blasio nearly<\/a> a decade ago and progressed slowly under his successor, ex-Mayor Eric Adams<\/a>. It\u2019s now Mamdani\u2019s turn. <\/p>\n The Chinatown leaders\u2019 letter stated that many older buildings surrounding the construction site also rest on century-old wooden foundations, which are sturdy only because they stay underwater. <\/p>\n Exposing submerged wood to air would accelerate its deterioration, the leaders claimed, citing an op-ed analysis from architect William Bialosky.<\/p>\n \u201cThe buildings in the danger zone are our homes, our small businesses, the historic buildings along Baxter Street, and Chung Pak senior housing, where some of our most vulnerable neighbors live,\u201d the Chinatown reps said.<\/p>\n But city officials last month said they are taking all necessary precautions for \u201cbuilding safely below the [water] table.\u201d<\/p>\n Neighbors United Below Canal (NUBC) holds a mass protest against constructing a new Manhattan Detention Complex adjacent to Columbus Park in Chinatown, Manhattan. Derek French\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n