In a 9-3 vote, the City Planning Commission moved forward with plans to close Rikers Island and replace it with smaller jails across the city.
There was a mixed reaction at the City Planning Commission meeting this week after the vote— with some in favor of closing Rikers while others believe that putting jails in neighborhoods isn’t a good idea. Rikers would be closed and replaced by four smaller facilities in Lower Manhattan, downtown Brooklyn, the Bronx and Kew Gardens in Queens.
The city hopes to close Rikers Island by 2026. The City Council held its only public hearing on the issue Thursday.