PORTSMOUTH, Va. — When the Hampton Roads Regional Jail officially closed on Monday, it opened the door for some new opportunities in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth's city jail sits on Crawford Street. That's next to the water and downtown. Now, Portsmouth wants to move the jail into the Hampton Roads Regional Jail facility on Elmhurst Lane.
Some Portsmouth residents like the thought of freeing up the space along the water.
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"I moved here 20 years ago, and I could not understand why you would put a prison at such a location where you could eventually put other things," Dr. Kennedy Abbott of Portsmouth told News 3.
Portsmouth's been looking for a way out of the current city jail for some time.
"It's been there longer than me," said Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke. She represents Portsmouth on the Hampton Roads Regional Jail Board. "It's aging and there are some infrastructure needs that need to be done."
Lucas-Burke told News 3 a move could give the city a place to designate to both adult inmates and juvenile offenders. As News 3reported in February, the city does not presently have a designated space for juvenile offenders.
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The city also wants to reclaim the Crawford street location.
"We see this as an opportunity to occupy the new space and clear off our prime waterfront property to develop a revenue-generating business that would attract more visitors and citizens to the waterfront," said Lucas-Burke.
Lucas-Burke said they'd hope to tear the old facility down.
Staff at the regional jail moved the last inmates out of the Elmhurst Lane space on March 20. The facility officially closed April 1. The jail's board thanked workers for being professional until the very end and reported that 90% of the regional jail employees had already found other jobs.
"Closing the regional jail to inmate operations was the first step and finding a good owner for the facility itself is the next big thing," explained Chesapeake Deputy City Manager Robert Geis. Geis is a board chair for the Hampton Roads Regional Jail.
Watch previous coverage: City considers jail basement as temporary fix for Portsmouth's juvenile detention 'crisis'
Geis said Portsmouth buying the regional facility could be a win-win.
"It looks like there's going to be a great opportunity for the city of Portsmouth," said Geis.
The board has not accepted any offers yet.
A cost for the regional facility is under negotiation, but early estimates put it in the $30 million range.
If Portsmouth's council approves an offer to buy the regional facility, they'd bring the offer before the Regional Jail Authority, potentially as early as its next meeting on April 17. After a unanimous vote, the respective city councils would also have to weigh in.
