Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility

onion
In late June, the County approved plans to construct a 45-acre Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility in the heart of the Santee Town Center, within the urban core of this thriving community of 57,000. The “urban design” the County has selected for this $308 million facility in downtown Santee will be an outdoor jail compound, consisting of low-rise barracks facilities and guard towers, encircled with barbed-wire security fencing. It will encompass 458,000 square feet of jail space, spread out over a 45-acre outdoor jail compound, with interior areas divided by more barbed-wire security fencing, resembling a series of kennels. In sharp contrast to the urban high-rise modern detention facilities located in Vista, Chula Vista, and San Diego, this will be an outdoor jail compound with barracks, comparable to the jail camps in rural East County. Dubbed “Stalag Santee” by many Santee residents, this 45-acre mega-jail camp will be the single largest jail site in the County, encompassing the same acreage as the Santee Trolley Square Shopping Center, located just a block away. It will also be the second largest regional jail facility with 1,216 beds planned. The guard towers and barracks will look out over the new RiverView Corporate Office Park, with two office phases already completed, and future phases in development. If there ever was a project design that would despoil a City’s vision for their urban downtown area, it is this ill-conceived jail project.
Project Information
Project Address: 
900 Cottonwood Avenue
Project Owner/ Developer: 
County of San Diego
Owner Contact Name/ Email: 
Alfred Guerin, II, Assistant Sheriff / alfred.guerin@sdsheriff.org
Project Architect/ Designer: 
TBA
Image
LCDF-from Mission Gorge.jpg
LCDF-fencing & Riverview ofcs.jpg
LCDF-from Riverview.jpg
LCDF-Ofc Park & Guard Tower.jpg
Tags:

Comments:

Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 07:15.
Onion. The design is poor, sub-grade, and looks incomplete. Although a women’s detention center there are two design dilemmas that can be discussed here. One is the design issue, this facility should have been designed with a unified, camouflaged sensibility for the outside public. This isn’t a site the public wants to be reminded of, yet knows it exist. Second, just how much should be financially invested in the design of a women’s detention center. This is a facility of functionality rather than design. Does this design function in the context it’s situated in?, yes, “keep away.”

Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 22:53.
I was suprised that the new project had passed. Santee is a nice and clean working middle class community filled with families, parks, lakes, good schools and some of the lowest crime rate in the county. It's also very quiet and laid back in comparison to most outlying SD County suburban cities. Santee is very limited with land since it is geographically a small area in general. The city has worked extremely hard within the last 10 years upgrading with new homes and shopping centers to contribute to the growth. Why take some of the only vacant land left and turn it into a mega compound hotel for criminals within residential areas where families live and children go to school? They need to open a women's jail in a rural area of San Diego County like all others are, away from the civilian population. I wouldn't want to buy a home with a front yard view of jail watch towers. If any of these inmates ever escaped from this jail they would be close and have easy access to residential neighborhoods and could easily hide or harmfully assault somebody, than if they were in a rural area having to travel through rough terrain and could be found easier and quickly with search teams. I don't live in Santee as of the moment, but I did in the past. I also have thought of purchasing a home eventually there with my family about a year ago. But now that is out of the question. I'm not going to invest my hard earnings and livelyhood to reside in an area, with it's biggest building that is a jail for criminals and is within 5 minutes of driving from 90% of most neighborhoods in this small community. I'm suprised and discouraged the city of Santee has allowed this and had not opposed it. I will be one less person that will never live there and will not contribute to the future population growth.

I am appalled that the

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 10/10/2009 - 04:15.
I am appalled that the county approved this proposal. I do not believe that the location of this facility is suitable in anyway. Even if I thought that the mega-jail should be built in the heart of such a community I would not agree with the design and choice of materials. Instead of barbed wire fencing they should consider materials that would enhance and blend with the surrounding cityscape. This facility would do nothing for the publics interest, it would actually encourage peoples and families to stay in their homes where they feel protected which is exactly the opposite of what a makes a community thrive.