Bill puts Phila. on the trail toward a new prison

A bill has been introduced to Philadelphia City Council that could pave the way for an eventual acquisition of about 50 acres fronting the Delaware River that will be considered a site for a new prison.

The property at 7777 State Road had in 2007 been owned by Churchill Development, a Bridgewater, N.J., developer who had big plans to construct a $460 million residential community on it called Independence Point.

Churchill bought 100 acres of the State Road land from Northern Associates, an entity affiliated with Northern Shipping Co., and sold about a third to Waste Management. The developer intended to construct the residential community on the remaining land but never did. The property is now owned by BNP Paribas of New York and valued at $7.3 million, according to Philadelphia property records.

The bill, introduced by Councilman Bobby Henon, would give the city’s commissioner of public property the authority to purchase the land if the city ultimately decides to put a new prison on it, said Eric Horvath, spokesman for Henon. It is the first official step that would allow it to be purchased if that is ultimately the site selected, Horvath said. The process to fund and build a new prison is something that the next mayor will need to tackle.

Mayor Michael Nutter has earmarked $7.8 million for the Philadelphia Prison System to fund a land acquisition for a new prison that would replace the House of Correction that has been operational since 1927.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal