A new 283-room hotel in downtown Jamaica will add to the growing number of hotel properties opening in the area.
According to published reports, Queens developer Pride Hospitality Group applied to build an 18-story hotel at 149-03 Archer Ave. The 110,000-square-foot property was purchased for $5.3 million and the company is also planning to build a 48-room hotel on 95th Avenue, a block away from the Jamaica LIRR/AirTrain station.
Queens has become more attractive to hotel developers in recent years with 16 hotels opening in the borough since 2012. The recent real estate boom has led to concerns from residents who are afraid that not enough affordable housing is being created and that longtime Jamaica residents will be forced to move if rents increase.
In 2007, 368 blocks in downtown Jamaica were rezoned and a recently announced Jamaica Now plan aims to create more than 3,000 units of housing, 500,000 square feet of commercial space and 800 new hotel rooms in the area in the next five years.
