Chinatown leaders urge mayor to scrap high-rise jail over sinking-ground fears

Eighteen Chinatown representatives wrote to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson, former Rikers czar Dana Kaplan and City Council Speaker Julie Menin urging a halt to the 16-story “jailscraper” slated for 124-125 White Street. They argue the site sits on the soft, water-logged bed of the historic Collect Pond, and that excavating below the water table could drain the soil, causing the ground and adjacent century-old wooden-foundation structures to settle permanently.

The city’s Department of Design and Construction, together with contractor Tutor Perini and the Corrections Department, says a sealed-wall system of overlapping concrete piles will contain groundwater and protect nearby buildings and infrastructure. Nonetheless, locals have complained of persistent dust, idling trucks and elevated particulate matter during demolition. The project forms part of a $16 billion initiative to close Rikers Island and build four new borough-based jails by 2032, a plan begun under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and continued by ex-Mayor Eric Adams. Community leaders highlighted at-risk sites such as historic buildings on Baxter Street, Chung Pak senior housing and businesses along Columbus Park.