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New York City wants someone to turn a notorious detention center into a dynamic live/work community

New York City wants someone to turn a notorious detention center into a dynamic live/work community

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is looking for developers eager to turn an abandoned juvenile detention center in the Bronx into the city’s “next creative live/work community.”

The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center has been closed since 2011, and as DNAinfo reported, it had a notorious reputation for “verbally and physically abusive staff members and poor living conditions, which included serving kids food that was infested with roaches and giving them clothes and underwear that had already been used, according to a 2004 report from the Correctional Association of New York.”

In a press release accompanying its Request for Expressions of Interest for the site, the NYCEDC said, “respondents are encouraged to consider a wide range of residential and non-residential uses for the site, including commercial, cultural, institutional and light manufacturing.” The city also wants developers to put an emphasis on bringing “high-quality, career-oriented jobs” to the Hunts Point community. The affordable housing included within the complex would count toward Mayor de Blasio‘s ambitious plan to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing in a decade.

“By encouraging the co-existence of commercial and light industrial activities with mixed-income residential use, we can better leverage our City’s assets to provide opportunities and strengthen communities throughout the five boroughs,” said NYCEDC Interim President Kim Vaccari in a statement.

Responses to the RFEI are due October 1st.

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