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Yonkers officials have issued a request for proposal for the City Jail, hoping to solicit developers to readapt and reuse the Alexander Street building. The vision, officials said, is to keep the current brick structure, revamping it into a retail establishment such as a café or restaurant.
The 87-year-old jailhouse, built in 1926, holds up to 32 inmates, most of whom stay for just one night. While the aging facility has served its purpose, Mayor Mike Spano said it’s time to capitalize on its prime location.
“Every time I go by the City Jail near the waterfront on Alexander Street I think, ‘That is exactly the wrong place for a jail,’” he said in his State of the City address. “The waterfront should be the jewel in the city’s crown, the best place to shop, live or walk in a riverfront park. Our best real estate is not the place for a jail.”
Developers will be able to submit RFP’s to the city until April 5.
In the meantime, the jail will be relocated later this summer to the Cacace Justice Center, across from City Hall on South Broadway. The building is currently home to police headquarters, the City Court and about 20 vacant jail cells.
Built about 20 years ago, the jail cells have since served as a storage space for furniture and paper instead of prisoners. In addition to clearing up waterfront space, the decision to move the jail was one of efficiency, Spano’s spokeswoman Christina Gilmartin said Thursday.
“Basically the city was sitting on its state-of-the-art jail facility for 20 years unnecessarily,” she said during a media tour of the old City Jail.
Aside from that, the transition will also give correction officers and police access to an updated and more modern facility, complete with high-tech equipment, said police Lt. Edward Leahy, executive officer at the jail.
“It’s time for a new building,” he said. “It’s a nicer look, a brighter look.”
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