Could California Sell San Quentin?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Mar 20th 2009 at 12:01AM

Could one of California's most valuable assets be San Quentin Prison? ABC News has a compelling piece which highlights the fact that the San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California actually is located on a pretty prime piece of waterfront real estate. Some people think the state could sell this land and get up to $2 billion.

San Quentin's history began in 1851 and the 432-acre site is the home of the state's oldest prison. Way back then it was a remote location but now the prison is surrounded by prime Bay Area real estate. State Senator Jeff Denham says prisoners don't need ocean views and he is hoping the state can auction off the prison complex to private developers and use the money to build new prisons in other locations.

Denham's plan is a bit of a pipe dream. Finding a new location for a death-row prison would be complicated and there isn't any developer who is interested in the property for the $2 billion price. Nevertheless Denham continues to try to introduce legislation to sell the prison. His proposal has never made it to a vote on the Senate floor but a committee hearing on it this year is scheduled for March 31.

Gallery: Big Real Estate

Tags: real estate, RealEstate, san quentin, SanQuentin, state prison, StatePrison

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Haywood Mar 20th 2009 7:51PM

If California was serious about making money, they would turn Alcatraz into a casino.
That would make $2billion look like pocket change.

brian Mar 22nd 2009 2:57PM

That is a brilliant idea for Alcatraz to be a casino!

eric Mar 31st 2009 12:47PM

Nice! And legalize/tax prostitution there so the so called Moral Majority won't see it and be tempted to do what they really want to do. We'll just call it The Adult Petting Zoo.
But let's not tear down the whole prison. We can use it to house some of our corrupt politicians and government employees.
And we can even have them clean , cook, be grounds keepers, wait tables, deliver room service... all the work for 12 cents an hour like other California prisons.
Imagine Villagarosa as a busboy ...with ball and chain..no no.. not his wife
Nancy Pelosi as a hotel maid...in shackles!

Princess Mar 21st 2009 3:15PM

No joke. Haywood. Cali needs help but they got Arnold running the show. There all FU$#ED......

www.realvacationscheap.com

RedsQMee Mar 21st 2009 3:13PM

If the State could even sell San Quentin for $2 Billion, it would not begin to cover the costs of constructing additional prisons. San Quentin houses over 5,000 prisoners and few Californians want prisons or those inmates in their neighborhoods or towns. This sounds like greedy developers lobbying to get their hands on the land...and passing the buck to already over-taxed Californians to incur the additional costs.

Margo Mar 21st 2009 3:19PM

great idea.....sell it for the cash, put the prisoners up in tents like they do in Arizona.

Elaine Mar 22nd 2009 2:15PM

A perfect place to replace GITMO!

vr Mar 22nd 2009 2:54PM

Its never going to happen. There is a huge nimby backlash to building new prisons in the California valley. Also, the legal activists want the prisons to have access to free legal help and to legal resourses, and what better place to accomplish that than in a nut house like San Francisco.