City files land use application to actually close Rikers jails

Close Rikers activists demonstrated at the entrance to Rikers Island in June. The city filed a land use application to actually do that Monday. Eagle photo by Phineas Rueckert.

By David Brand

The city took a formal step toward closing Rikers Island jails on Monday, officially filing a land use application to change the city map to ban detention centers on the island.

The City Council’s October vote to construct four new detention towers, including one in Kew Gardens, was the crucial component of a stated effort to close Rikers jails. But the land use application that passed the council failed to include specific language about actually closing Rikers. 

As the October vote approached, the Land Use Committee hastily voted to approve the introduction of a zoning measure to permanently ban jails on Rikers. The city filed its application, kicking off the land use process, on Monday.

“By guaranteeing that Rikers will never again be used for incarceration, we’re charting a new course forward for the Island and the people of New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. “We’re making good on our promise to close Rikers once and for all. Though mass incarceration may not have started here, we’ll do all we can to make sure it ends here.” 

The map change would officially close Rikers jails by Dec. 31, 2026.

As the Eagle reported in October, Queens will have a particular impact on the plan to actually close Rikers. Though the island is technically part of the Bronx, it is located in Queens Community District 1. 

That means Queens Community Board 1 and the Queens Borough President will make recommendations on the map change plan as part of the Universal Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, a monthslong process that enables affected communities to review and address zoning changes.