The city is scrapping plans for a new 40-story lower Manhattan jail

The city is no longer planning to build a 40-story jail in Lower Manhattan due to the issue of relocating tenants.

Officials said the plan for a jail at 80 Centre Street, which would have been on top of an existing building, has been scrapped, the New York Daily News reported. The city will instead go back to a previous plan to expand the Manhattan Detention Complex.

The complex on 125 White Street, which is also known as the Tombs, was thought to be too small. The city is now considering demolishing it and building a larger facility, the report said.

“We found that the challenges associated with relocating various offices at 80 Centre Street would make siting a jail there far more complicated and more costly than we originally anticipated,” said mayoral spokesperson Natalie Grybauskas. “As we met with the community, it became clear that the original site we considered better addressed their needs without the costly challenges created by using 80 Centre.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio had supported the plan as part of his effort to close Rikers Island — but it faced community opposition for being close to Columbus Park. City Councilmember Margaret Chin, who represents the area, said she was pleased the plan for 80 Centre Street was off the table. [NYDN] — Meenal Vamburkar