Old Passaic County Jail site on track for transformation
By: David M. Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Passaic County is moving ahead with plans for a six-story government office building and parking garage at the site of tis former jail in Paterson, a project that could be financed with up to $150 million in county-back debt.
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The Board of County Commissioners introduced an ordinance on June 9 [2026] that would allow the Passaic County Improvement Authority ti issue lease revenue notes or bonds for the project, with the county making the lease payments to cover the debt.
..... County officials said the six-story building planned for 11 Marshall Street would house several county operations now spr4ead across multiple locations, including social services, elections, sheriff's functions and probation services.
..... "This project is about meeting people where they are and delivering county services in a way that is more efficient, more accessible and more cost-effective," Passaic County Commissioner Director Sandi Lazzara said.
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As of early 2026, the Board of Social Services is at 80 Hamilton Street in Paterson, election functions are split between the county administration building at 401 Grand Street and the superintendent of elections office at 501 river Street. The Sheriff's Office is headquarter in Wayne, while probation services are listed by the state judiciary at 55 Dale Avenue in Paterson.
..... The $150 million borrowing cap would make the project one of the larger undertaking handled through the county's Improvement Authority. Earlier authority-backed work include nearly $88 million in bonds for the Preakness Healthcare Center expansion in Wayne and $47.5 million in taxable revenue notes tied to the Hinchliffe Stadium redevelopment effort in Paterson.
..... The new building on Marshall Street is expected to house both old and new government offices, officials said. among them would be a new Sheriff's Office Correction Division hub to process inmates and coordinate with local police departments, officials said.
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The new Correction Division Hub is a significant investment in helping to improve public safety for Pate son and adjacent communities," Sheriff Thomas Adamo said. "Having a renewed law enforcement presence at 11 Marshall Street allows the agency and local police departments to deploy resources in a more timely and strategic manner."
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The proposed building would also include space for probation services, allowing the county to leave an existing lease space , and consolidate voter registration, election administration and related services ion one location, officials said.
..... County Clerk Dannielle Ireland-Imhof said the proposed setup would help "residents navigate the [voting] process more easily, ask questions in person and continue to participate confidently in our democratic process."
Closed Passaic county Jail
..... The project follows the county's 2021 decision to close the aging Passaic County Jail, which once held about 700 inmates and had long been criticized for its conditions inside.
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Passaic County began sending inmates to the Bergen County jail in Hackensack under a 10-eyar shared services agreement that started in 2022.
..... It later added an overflow agreement with Hudson County, bring the combined inmate housing cost to about $25 million a year, county records show.
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Commissioners approved a $7 million capitol ordinance last year [2025] to demolish the jail and prepare the site, which fronts on Marshall, Grand and Main streets, for future county use.
..... The ordinance used $6 million from the county's asset sales reserve fund and $1 million expected through a state Department of Community affairs appropriation from the property tax relief fund, state records showed.
..... County officials haw said the jail closure allowed the Sheriff's Office to reason sign corrections officers and avoid the far higher cost of replacing the jail.
..... Officials previously estimated that building a new jail would have cost roughly $650 million.
..... Construction on the Marshall Street property is expected to begin later this year, [2026] officials said.
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The ordnance still requires final adoption before the county can enter into the lease agreement with the Improvement Authority.