Arline Jacobs-Parks, CEO and Vice Chair of the Diego Beekman Mutual Housing Association said “Here at this historic site, steps away from three schools, homeowners, and our 38 building Diego Beekman Housing complex, we are gathered here to tell Mayor de Blasio and the members of the New York City Council that we need real transformational investment.” She added "We need the Diego Beekman Neighborhood Development Plan. That’s why we are standing together to tell Mayor de Blasio – yes to housing, jobs, fresh food and economic opportunity. No to the jail at this site!”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said “Make no mistake: Rikers Island is a stain on the soul of this city. We all agree that it must close. But if a new jail is to be built in The Bronx, our borough’s interests should not be steamrolled in the land use process,” He added “Any new site for a jail in this borough must be thoroughly vetted, and the people of The Bronx and their elected leadership must have a meaningful say in its selection.”
Congressman Jose. E. Serrano said, “I haven’t given up our side of the fight,” adding “Mr. Mayor, I join our borough president in saying to you: rethink this. We don’t want it here. We want Diego Beekman to keep growing, and we want our community to keep growing.”
The site at the corner of East 141st Street and Concord Avenue was the original site of Lincoln Hospital, and then when the new Lincoln Hospital was built the city turned the empty lot into the Bronx Tow Pound. Now the city wants to move the tow pound to an undisclosed location and turn this into a new Bronx Jail when the Rikers Island Prison is closed by the city.
The above renderings are what Diego Beekman would like to develop on the site. Affordable housing and shopping such as a supermarket for the community. Diego Beekman manages 100,000 Apartments nationwide. 6,000 are in NYC with 2,300 in the Bronx.
