Exclusive | Chinatown leaders fire warning shot at Mamdani to try to sink NYC hi-rise jail plan

Chinatown leaders are urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to reconsider building a hi-rise jail in the densely populated neighborhood — saying the move could cause the ground to sink and endanger other buildings.The proposed 16-story local “jailscraper” 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.“The jail site sits on the soft, waterlogged ground of the old Collect Pond,” according to an Aug.21 letter sent by 18 local leaders to the mayor, Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson, “Close Rikers’ Czar Dana Kaplan and City Council Speaker Julie Menin.“The construction plan calls for the deepest excavation ever attempted on its site, digging well below the water table.

The city’s 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,” the letter said.The planned demolition of the Manhattan Detention Complex at 124–125 White St.— and proposed towering jail reconstruction there — is also fiercely opposed by local residents, businesses and community organizations.The phase-out of Rikers for new jails was initiated by former Mayor Bill de Blasio nearly a decade ago and progressed slowly under his successor, ex-Mayor Eric Adams.

It’s now Mamdani’s turn.The Chinatown leaders’ 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.

Exposing submerged wood to air would accelerate its deterioration, the leaders claimed, citing an op-ed analysis from architect William Bialosky.“The 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,” the Chinatown reps said.But city officials last month said they are...