Passaic County Breaks Ground on $150 Million Government Services Building at Former Jail Site

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 13 for a new government services center — which will include a new Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division HUB — in Passaic County, N.J. | Photo Credit: Passaic County Sheriff’s Office

• Passaic County broke ground Oct. 13 on a six-story services building at its former jail site in downtown Paterson, N.J. 
• Plans include a Sheriff’s Office Corrections HUB and a probation office, alongside social services and election offices. 
• Dobco Inc. will serve as the contractor, with Coppa Montalbano Architects providing design services. 
• The redevelopment follows a 2022 correctional services agreement with Bergen County and jail demolition that began in October 2024. 

PATERSON, N.J. — A six-story county services building planned for Passaic County, N.J., will combine a corrections division, probation and other public-facing services, following an Oct. 13 groundbreaking by the county’s Board of County Commissioners. 

The $150 million project at the county’s former jail site in downtown Paterson includes a new Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division HUB and probation office, as well as an expanded Board of Social Services, the county clerk and the superintendent of elections, according to the county’s Oct. 14 news release. 

The redevelopment follows Passaic County’s 2022 shared services agreement with Bergen County, which now provides Passaic’s correctional services. Demolition of the former jail, which occupied the site for nearly seven decades, began in October 2024. 

“Today we are turning a hard decision into a lasting investment in Paterson,” Passaic County Commissioner Director Sandi Lazzara said, according to a press release provided by Passaic County. 

The county credited the earlier changes with taxpayer savings and greater flexibility for the sheriff’s office to assign public safety personnel to communities. Sheriff Thomas Adamo said the new Corrections Division HUB would support law enforcement in Paterson and neighboring communities. 

“Having a renewed law enforcement presence at 11 Marshall Street allows the office to deploy resources in a more timely and strategic manner,” Adamo said in the county’s release. 

The county said combining voter registration, election administration and related functions would give residents a single location for those services. County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof said residents would be able to ask questions in person and navigate election services more easily. 

A larger social services space is intended to improve access for residents seeking assistance. The county expects consolidation to improve coordination, lower overhead costs and improve service delivery, particularly for residents who depend on social services. Officials also described the downtown site as part of an effort to locate government offices in walkable areas accessible by public transit. 

Dobco Inc. will serve as the contractor, and Coppa Montalbano Architects is the project designer. To finance the redevelopment, commissioners approved a lease agreement with the Passaic County Improvement Authority. Work will proceed under a project labor agreement that the county said will involve union labor and local tradespeople. 

This article is based on a press release published by Passaic County on Oct. 14, 2026.