Council hearing spotlights Renewable Rikers master‑plan bill as DCAS and advocates press for clearer timeline and parcel control
Loading...
Summary
Council members, DCAS and environmental and justice advocates discussed Intro 1038, which would require DCAS to craft a master plan for Rikers Island’s redevelopment for sustainability and resiliency; advocates urged faster action and more interagency coordination, while DCAS said it supports the bill but noted jurisdictional and implementation fr
Council members, agency officials and outside advocates on Tuesday debated Intro 1038, a bill that would require the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to create a master plan for the redevelopment of Rikers Island for sustainability and resiliency uses once jails there are closed.
“Intro 1038 ... will require DCAS to create a master plan for the redevelopment of Rikers Island,” Council Member Sandy Nurse said in opening remarks, urging that “planning for a massive legislative” — meaning large, long‑term — project not stall as the city moves toward borough‑based jails.
Why it matters: Rikers Island has been identified by city studies as a site that could host large renewable energy, battery storage, wastewater or composting infrastructure that, if planned and coordinated, could both advance decarbonization and relieve ageing nearby wastewater plants. Advocates said months and years of studies require a formal master plan and clearer city leadership to move from feasibility into action.
What officials said
- DCAS Commissioner Luis Molina told the committee DCAS supports the intent of Intro 1038 and “agrees that a master plan will be a valuable tool for long term planning as we transition to the borough based jail system,” but emphasized that DCAS does not currently assume day‑to‑day management of transferred Rikers parcels while the Department of Corrections (DOC) maintains active operations.
- Molina said parts of the island — including roughly “42 and a half acres and the JTC facility” — were transferred to DCAS during the de Blasio administration, but DCAS lacks management authority over transferred properties while DOC continues to control access and on‑the‑ground operations.
Advocates’ testimony
Speakers from multiple advocacy and technical organizations urged passage of Intro 1038 and faster city action. Zachary Katznelson, executive director of the Independent Rikers Commission, called Renewable Rikers “a generational opportunity” and argued the island’s vacant land and transferred parcels could host solar, wastewater and battery‑storage projects that would reduce city costs and pollution.
David Ansell of Save the Sound emphasized water quality benefits and urged the city to plan now for wastewater treatment facilities on Rikers that could reduce combined‑sewer overflows and nitrogen pollution into the Western Narrows of Long Island Sound.
Eric Goldstein of the Natural Resources Defense Council — a member of the Rikers advisory committee — recommended the master plan include a large‑scale composting facility and criticized what he called “reluctant” administration engagement on advancing the Renewable Rikers agenda since feasibility studies were released in 2024.
Darren Mack of Freedom Agenda, representing people formerly incarcerated on Rikers, said survivors support Renewable Rikers but have found the advisory committee’s work hampered by limited transparency and restricted access to island parcels.
Timeline, process and outstanding questions
- DCAS told the committee the Renewable Rikers Advisory Committee (REACT) had met four times and that recommendations are being developed; when asked for recommendations and a timeline, DCAS said there was “no specific time at this point.” The last REACT meeting DCAS reported was 01/01/2025.
- Council members asked whether DCAS had considered interim uses for land already under its jurisdiction and whether the agency could be given more control to activate parcels. DCAS said it had not developed interim uses for the parcels in DCAS jurisdiction, citing ongoing operational complexity because parts of the island remain under DOC control.
- Advocates and council members urged release of a formal master plan and immediate transfer or interim activation of vacant parcels. DCAS said the master plan would address cost, timeline and phasing and that DCAS “looks forward to working with the council on ensuring the plan’s requirements are structured to provide maximum value and feasibility.”
Ending
Supporters urged the council to pass Intro 1038 to create an accountable, transparent planning process; DCAS said it supports the substance of the bill while further clarifying that some transferred parcels remain operationally controlled by DOC and that REACT recommendations are still in development. No vote or final action occurred at the hearing.
