Portsmouth looks to buy shuttered Hampton Roads Regional Jail
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — What do you do with a jail that’s shut down and taking up a lot of space? The mayor of Portsmouth and other city officials have an idea.
On Monday, we told you about the shutdown of the Hampton Roads Regional Jail. Some of what went on behind bars was controversial, but the facility is now empty.
Portsmouth’s current jail is 55 years old and sits along the city’s waterfront. Across the river, you can see Norfolk’s Waterside District. From Waterside, you can see the Portsmouth jail. City leaders are looking to change that.
A plan is in the works to buy the shuttered HRRJ.
“I’m not at liberty to disclose all of the details as it relates to the purchase,” said Portsmouth mayor Shannon Glover.
While the city of Portsmouth is still in negotiations, Glover told 10 On Your Side the current jail at 701 Crawford Street and many municipal buildings are past their useful lifecycle.
The jail was condemned by a city building and code official in 2019 after they said they found problems with the fire suppression system and unsanitary conditions. Sheriff Michael Moore sued to keep it open.
Portsmouth ends legal battle over city jail
“Now we’re at this crossroads where there could potentially be an opportunity to finally move it to a place that is appropriate,” Glover said, “and that will meet the needs of what the sheriff and his team will do.”
The goal, Glover said, is to make the city’s waterfront a popular destination for locals and visitors.
“Bringing the waterfront, really, to life in terms of people, activities, business, opportunities for new housing, opportunities for mixed use, opportunity for office space and then opening up the mall perhaps, even extending the boardwalk,” Glover said.
A vote by city council to purchase the regional jail on Elmhurst Lane could take place as soon as this month.
“The vision for opening up this area if all of that should happen is something that the citizens of Portsmouth have talked about for at least 30 years or more,” Glover said.
If council approves the purchase, Glover told us the next step would be to revise the Crawford Gateway Revitalization Strategy.
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