Queens jail construction rankles courthouse staff

The municipal parking lot was fenced off as the city prepares the site for the Queens borough-based jail. Eagle file photo by Noah Powelson

By Noah Powelson

On any given morning, the area around the Queens Criminal Courthouse on Queens Boulevard is abuzz with commuters.

There are a number of bus stops, a large train station and several major roads all leading to the civic hub that also houses Queens Borough Hall. Sometimes, it gets hectic.

But those who drive to work at the courthouse say they are expecting their commute to become even more of a headache after the city shut down a large parking lot previously reserved for court employees.

Last month, the city’s Department of Design and Construction fully eliminated parking in the municipal parking lot between 126th Street and 132nd Street, installing fences around the perimeter, limiting sidewalk access and setting up barriers blocking street access on 82nd Avenue.

And the lot is closed for good.

The parking area will soon serve as the site Queens’ borough-based jail is built on top of. The new jail, which isn’t scheduled to open until 2031, is part of the city’s plan to close Rikers and replace it with four new jails throughout the five boroughs.

Queens’ jail, which is projected to cost $4 billion, also includes plans to build a community space and a garage, which was recently completed.

And while construction of the jail is years behind schedule, the closure of the site marks a major step forward. Nonetheless, it’s left court staff scrapping for parking in an already high-demand, low-supply area.

A source who works inside the courthouse told the Eagle that court employees, officers and judges are frustrated with the disruption the construction has caused and unsatisfied with the lack of alternative options given to them by the city. The municipal parking lot was primarily used by court officers and clerks of the courthouse, and was by far the most convenient and affordable option in an area where parking comes at a premium.

Closures on streets around the project site have further limited areas where attorneys and judges previously parked, as well.

Now, over 140 parking spaces have been either temporarily eliminated and few, if any, have been replaced. Two weeks after the change, court staff said they are feeling frustrated.

“I’ve talked to several court officers who told me they’d rather change counties than pay for parking,” a source who works in the courts and who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal told the Eagle.

Court officers who spoke to the Eagle said they knew about the construction about a month before the parking lot was fenced up, but haven’t heard any discussions about alternate parking options. Some staff rely on carpooling or public transportation to save costs, but navigating the daily commute alongside the hundreds who visit the courthouse everyday remains an ongoing issue.

Over 100 spaces were lost when the municipal parking lot between 126th Street and 132nd Street was shut down in December of 2024. Image from NYC Department of Design and Construction

​​Now courthouse staff who drive to work are left with two options. Either make it to court in the early morning, hours before the courthouse opens, to compete for street parking with hundreds of others; or spend upwards of $20 a day at nearby parking garages that are further away from the courthouse than some may like.

The Office of Court Administration did not respond when asked if any plans for alternative parking options for staff would be made available during or after construction.

A spokesperson for the Department of Design and Construction, the agency in charge of the borough-based jails’ construction, said in a statement that the agency met with court officials before the parking was eliminated for good.

“Prior to the closure of the surface parking lot, where the new Queens Borough Based Jail is being built, the City met with the judges and court employees to update them on the project and hear their concerns,” the spokesperson said. “Parking for judges continues to be fully maintained and available. The City continues to review parking impacts as construction progresses and the future condition once the new jail is operational.”

The spokesperson added that the agency was “actively coordinating signage changes and one-way streets to make traveling around the civic campus easier.”

The parking problem has drawn criticism from the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association.

“All of our members assigned to the adjacent courthouse are affected by these changes,” Patrick Cullen, president of NYS SCOA, told the Eagle. “We have been seeking additional alternatives to the current setup put in place by the construction. We are less than satisfied to this point with the new design as dozens of our members have had to make new parking plans causing an already stressful situation to worsen.”

“Working in conjunction with court administrators has proven a futile task and we have been engaging elected officials within New York City government to assist in providing more space,” Cullen added.

The closest parking option for staff would be the Queens Borough Hall Municipal Parking Lot, located right next door to the construction site. However, the Borough Hall lot is open to all public drivers and charges an hourly rate.

Courthouse sources told the Eagle the Borough Hall lot commonly has a few hundred empty spaces, but many staff don’t see the convenience as worth the cost. On late Tuesday morning, the Borough Hall lot had over 400 parking spots available.

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages both the courthouse and Borough Hall, did not respond when asked if construction planning included any arrangement for court staff to use the Borough Hall municipal parking lot.

Regardless of what plan is developed to address parking needs, construction of the jail will be a years-long endeavor that will likely only further congest the area, court staff said.

“Hopefully they’ll do something about it soon,” a court officer who was granted anonymity told the Eagle. “It’s only going to get worse.”

Update: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. with comment from the Department of Design and Construction.