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Queens Community District 12
90-28 161st Street
Jamaica, NY 11432
Phone: 718.658.3308
Fax: 718.739.6997
Email: pb11bo@cb12.org
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South Jamaica Empire Zone Study
New York State Brownfields Agreement
Department of City Planning Jamaica Plan (pdf)
Final Environmental Impact Statement from DCP
Jamaica, Queens Development and Rezoning
The vision for downtown Jamaica is expansive. Soon the area will be a thriving airport village, with a healthy mix of homegrown and national stores. Old Navy and RadioShack are already open and a recent $75 million deal has cleared the way for Home Depot. Plans call for extending the retail district beyond Jamaica Avenue to link it more directly with the AirTrain transit hub two blocks to the south. Led by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, $23 million has already been raised to continue development plans for the area. LIRR’s rail yard will be the next location for retail or other people-friendly transformations. The GJDC plans to build two more 500-space parking lots, in addition to their five existing garages, in order to accommodate increasing retail traffic.
In addition to the plans for retail and streetscape improvements, the area has undergone a major rezoning. In September 2007, the City Council approved what was, at the time, the largest rezoning in the City’s history – 368 blocks. Proponents say the former zoning along the JFK AirTrain did not anticipate future development and would not attract new investment opportunities. They claim that the rezoning will allow for major retail and residential development in surrounding Jamaica as well as more transit oriented development. Critics of the zoning change argue that the rezoning will drastically change the character of the area, increase congestion and create a shortage of parking. Critics also question whether the existing infrastructure will be able to handle the strains of the new development.
Recent headlines
Two Churches in Jamaica Resist Landmarking
June 3, 2008
New York Daily News
Effort to Preserve Historic Jamaica Buildings
May 28, 2008
Queens Courier
Some Local Businesses, Non-Profits Suffering from Rezoning in Jamaica
May 13, 2008
New York Daily News
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JetBlue JFK Terminal
JetBlue Airlines and the Port Authority are building a new terminal at JFK International Airport that will allow cost almost $1 billion and allow JetBlue to more than double its flights. The new terminal will be built be linked to TWA's Eero Saarinen building at Terminal 5 and will have access to JFK’s AirTrain. The terminal is expected to be operational by 2008.
Recent headlines
Jet Blue Terminal Designed with Security Top Priority
March 11, 2008
New York Times
Record Year For Queens AirTrain Rail Link To Kennedy Airport
November 29, 2006
New York Daily News
New Use For TWA Terminal?
November 16, 2006
New York Times
Springfield Gardens Rezoning
On April 12, 2005, the City Council adopted the zoning changes that will rezone all or parts of 68 blocks in the southeastern Queens neighborhood of Springfield Gardens. This proposal is designed to protect the low-scale, residential character of the Springfield Gardens streetscape by allowing only the type of new development that reinforces the neighborhood's existing physical character. The vast majority of homes in the rezoning area are one- and two-family detached and semi-detached homes built in the mid-1900's, even though the existing zoning, R3-2, allows for a broad range of housing types, including multifamily apartment buildings and attached row houses.
Recent headlines
Rezoning in Springfield Gardens Helps Maintain the Neighborhood
September 16, 2007
New York Times
In a fast-growing city, some neighborhoods say slow down
October 10, 2005
New York Times
City Council approves Springfield Gardens rezoning
April 14, 2005
Queens Chronicle