The Rikers Island jail complex in New York City is on track to shutter in 2026, but some Queens residents who live near the island worry what will take its place and how the closing will affect their property values.
The residents raised their concerns at a community meeting Wednesday night over the process of decommissioning the city’s largest jail. Some asked whether the 400-acre island would become an extension of nearby LaGuardia Airport. One resident even wondered if the Rikers closure would lead to higher rents in his neighborhood.
City officials at the meeting didn’t have an answer.
