City Planning Approves Borough Based Jail Application

Borough based jail proposal moves to City Council. On September 3, 2019, the City Planning Commission approved the Department of Corrections, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ application for a special permit to create a borough-based jail system with modifications. The application passed by a 9-3 vote with Commissioners Alfred C. Cerullo III, Orlando Marin and Raj Ramphershad voting against the proposal.


Closing Rikers Island: A Catalyst for Criminal Justice Reform

Former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, speaking at a CityLaw Breakfast on January 23, 2019, powerfully argued that the time has come to close Rikers Island, New York City’s notorious jail located on an island in the East River. Judge Lippman’s remarks echoed the 2017 recommendations of the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform which Judge Lippman chaired. Judge Lippman spoke at the breakfast in a question and <Read More>


Landmarks Takes No Action to Designate Historic Church

Church removed from Landmarks calendar after complex history divides community members. On December 11, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a discussion about the 1st Spanish United Methodist Church located at 163 East 111th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem. The Church was constructed in 1880 for the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church but was rebuilt in the mid-1960s after a fire destroyed most of the first floor. The Church was calendared in … <Read More>