For many commuters who travel between Long Island and Manhattan, Jamaica is just a stop along the journey. But for Dan Greene, it’s much more than a transit hub.
Greene has developed a passion for Jamaica’s economic development. He has so much interest in the area that in May he became chairman of the board of directors of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC).
Previously, he was vice chairman and has been a board member since 2007.
Greene, 54, who lives in Greenlawn, Long Island and works in the banking industry, has had many business associates in the Jamaica community. He thought that volunteering on the board was an opportunity for him to “get to know the community better.”
Greene hopes to continue to build on the decades of work the nonprofit organization has been doing since it was founded in 1967, and to improve the quality of life of southeast Queens through economic development. As chairman, it’s important for Greene and others on the board to represent the people who live and work in the community, he said.
The GJDC was one of several organizations that pushed heavily for the AirTrain terminal, which connects Jamaica Station to JFK Airport. The terminal, which opened in 2003, helped with Jamaica’s economic development. In the last several decades Jamaica has really been transformed into a pedestrian area, said Greene.
He plans on working hard to make the community more welcoming to businesses, including helping small shops become more successful and attracting big box stores and chains, such as Home Depot, Marshalls and Applebee’s, that might be a good fit for the area.
Recently, GJDC helped create retail space underneath the LIRR underpass on Sutphin Boulevard. Before, he said, it was an uninviting space. More businesses mean more jobs and more shopping options for the community, noted Greene.
The GJDC is also looking to improve the area’s residential and hospitality offerings. The former Queens Family Court on 89th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard was recently renovated and turned into 346 low, middle and market rate rental units, and there are plans for a hotel at Suphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue, near the Jamaica LIRR station.
Greene is proud of the all the work the GJDC has done, and enjoys helping Jamaica become more welcoming.
“The best thing about the job is to see the results,” he said.
