Former Bronx Juvenile Detention Center To Be Site of $300M Mixed-Use Development
Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx’s Hunts Point will be the site of a three-phase, five-building mixed-use project.
The winning proposal, called Peninsula LLC, was devised by Gilbane Development Co, the Hudson Cos and Mutual Housing Association of New York, and includes 740 affordable housing units, 52k SF of open and recreation space, 49k SF of industrial, 48k SF of community facilities, and 21k SF of retail, including a bank, a bakery and a supermarket. The Point Community Development Corp--led by Maria Torres-Springer—is also in discussions to manage about 15k SF for artists, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Built in 1957, the center was modeled on 19th century centralized detention centers that intended to “[punish] people even before they went to court,” John Jay College of Criminal Justice research and evaluation center director Jeffrey Butts told the WSJ.
Although the center closed in 2011 after its population decreased and concerns of mistreatment arose, it’s loomed over the area for decades, creating a negative stigma that warded off development.
Slated to complete in 2024, the project has a hefty $300M price tag. It’s currently working its way through the public process. [WSJ]
