The Adams administration unloaded on a Brooklyn lawmaker who championed the closure ofRikers Island then complained about the construction of a new borough-based jail in his own district.
City Councilman Lincoln Restler called construction of a 15-story jail complex in Boerum Hill “a serious problem,” particularly during overnight hours — prompting City Hall to take a shot at him as a “hypocrite.”
Restler outlined his concerns in his newsletter to consitutents over the new complex at 275 Atlantic Ave., which is set to replace the old Brooklyn Detention Center.
The Adams administration called City Councilman Lincoln Restler a hypocrite for complaining about a proposed jail in his district — despite previously supporting plans to close Rikers Island. REUTERS“While I have long supported the plan to close Rikers Island (where four detainees have tragically died in custody so far this year), I have strongly opposed the City’s mishandling of the construction of the new jail in our community,” Restler wrote. “The demolition of the old jail was badly mismanaged and I was hopeful that the new construction firm would work more collaboratively to mitigate impacts.”
Restler complained that Adams and his team have approved “extreme after-hour-variances and overridden all of our objections to reduce late night work thus far.”
He told constituents that he’s working with the city Department of Design and Construction, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Transportation on finding solutions to “mitigate noise impacts.”
“This project will be going for four more years and we need to significantly improve coordination and noise mitigation for neighbors in our community,” he said
But an Adams spokesperson fired back at the councilman.
Restler said a 15-story jail complex in Boerum Hill would be a “serious problem.” Marie Pohl/NY Post“Publicly, Lincoln Restler never misses a chance to call for the closure of Rikers Island and the expedited construction of borough-based jails, but privately, he is trying to stall the construction of the borough-based jail in his own neighborhood,” a City Hall rep said.
“The dictionary defines ‘hypocrite’ as ‘someone who pretends to have beliefs or qualities that they do not actually have.’ Seems like the perfect label for the councilmember,” the spokesperson sadded.
The Adams admin is addressing residents’ concerns about overnight noise, “while still moving full steam ahead with the construction of Brooklyn’s borough-based jail to keep our communities safe,” the rep added.
Restler said he still supports closing Rikers, but wants the city to work with the neighborhoods were borough-based jails would be located. Leonardo MunozCritical construction projects may be authorized to work outside of regular hours and the jail project has received variances from the Buildings Department to do so, according to the city.
The nighttime work on the jail remains in place to meet a goal 2029 completion date for the building, city officials said.
But the jack-hammering tied to utility connections on Atlantic Avenue was paused last week after fierce public backlash.
Restler called the City Hall comments a “disingenuous cheap shot” and said his criticisms were focused on the blasting noise at all hours of the day.
Restler accused City Hall of taking a “disingenuous cheap shot” against him. Robert Miller“I unequivocally support the expedited closure of Rikers Island but we need to work with the neighborhoods where the borough-based jails are being constructed,” Restler said. “There’s nothing hypocritical about it.
“I’m not against the project,” he added. “I just want the administration to do its job and be a half-decent neighbor to our community.”
He said his downtown-brownstone district has the most new construction and development of anywhere in the city, and residents are reasonable — until there’s a breaking point.
Restler also complained there’s no dedicated parking for police and other emergency vehicles for the arraignment court across the street because of the construction. Instead, they’re parking on sidewalks and crosswalks, he said.
“It speaks to the incompetence of the Adams administration,” Restler said.
The City Council and former Mayor Bill de Blasio approved a law in 2019 ordering the closure of Rikers Island’s 10 jail facilities by August 2027, with the goal of replacing them with four borough-based jails, excluding Staten Island.
But Adams has questioned the merits of the plan and called the timetable to build the new jails and close Rikersimpractical.






