By Alex Davidson
The mayor, speaking at a news conference March 3, announced that Federal Jeans Inc. will spend $10 million to build a 150,000-square-foot facility between Beach 7th and Beach 84th streets. He said the company will take over what is now a 270,000-square-foot vacant lot and convert it into a usable industrial park.
“Our administration's economic development policies are working, and this project is in keeping with our commitment to diversify our economy and foster growth in all five boroughs to strengthen the city's vital industrial and manufacturing business sector,” Bloomberg said.
The new Far Rockaway site will eventually employ 130 people, Bloomberg said. The new construction, along with a planned 118,000-square-foot facility to be built in the Bronx, will create at least 150 new jobs in both Queens and the Bronx.
“Much of our company's great success is a result of the cooperation and support we've gotten over the years from the city of New York,” Federal Jeans President Yoram Moussaieff said. “It is good to know that we will be able to continue to grow and provide many new jobs for fellow New Yorkers.”
The construction deal, aided by the city's Economic Development Corporation, will ultimately allow Federal Jeans to triple the number of people the company employs in New York City, Bloomberg said. The jeans maker already owns a 100,000-square-foot facility in East New York, which it bought in 1999 and used to expand its number of employees from 46 to 90.
“This (new construction) is in addition to the company's Brooklyn headquarters and its showroom in Manhattan, and will make Federal Jeans a presence in four of our five boroughs,” Bloomberg said.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
