The office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. held a public land use hearing on the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan on Thursday, June 5.
The hybrid hearing, which is part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), was held at the Helen Marshal Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall and invited virtual and in-person participants to give testimony.
At the end of June, the borough president is expected to present a recommendation to approve or disapprove the application, including any suggested conditions.
The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan is the Department of City Planning’s (DCP) multipronged long-term rezoning plan for Jamaica. The plan, a vision for the next 15 years, aims to create more housing in the neighborhood, support job growth across various industries, improve public spaces and invest in local infrastructure.
The plan is currently in its third phase, which includes an extensive public review process to develop recommendations that will be applied to the finalized plan.
The proposal covers approximately 300 blocks, located primarily within Queens’ community district 12 and parts of community district 8. It would create 12,000 new homes, including 4,000 permanently affordable income-restricted units. Additionally, it would create over 2 million square feet of commercial space and bring more than 7,000 jobs to the area.
Beginning in 2023, the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan committee partnered with 52 community groups, cultural institutions and elected officials to form a steering committee that meets monthly. Over the past two years, 38 public meetings have been held, and residents have left nearly 3,000 comments.
Hearing overview
During the hearing, Jasmin Tepale, the project lead for the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, gave a presentation of the plan overview and the proposed land use actions.
- Zoning map amendment– Zoning Districts tailored to block and street types. The zoning would be updated across approximately 230 blocks of Jamaica, which includes the downtown corridor, which is the area near Jamaica Center, and the downtown shopping area of Jamaica Avenue. This also includes the area north of Jamaica Avenue, which includes parts of Hillside Avenue, areas south of the Jamaica LIRR- parts of Liberty Avenue, Merrick Boulevard, and Jamaica’s Industrial Business Zone (IBZ).
- Zoning text amendment– The mapping of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing(MIH) and special regulations to promote jobs, active ground floors, streetscape improvements, and mixed-use spaces.
- Urban Area Action Development Project– The HPD is proposing the redevelopment and improvement of scattered, underdeveloped city-owned land with 100% income-restricted housing.
- City Map Amendment (Demapping)– The DOT and DDC intend to facilitate the construction of two pedestrian plazas as part of the Station Plaza Project. The plazas would be located at the northeast corner of the Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard intersection, and the northwest corner of Archer Avenue and 146th Street.
Following the presentation, Richards gave feedback, which was followed by public testimony. This testimony varied in criticism and support of the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan as well as recommendations for plan amendments.
Reverend Carlene Thorbs, chairperson of Community Board 12 (CB12), declared that the plan should be brought “back to the drawing board.” Thorbs, a lifelong Jamaica resident, cited concerns that the plan does not protect homeowners, as the additional proposed upzoning will bring more multi-story apartment buildings that will negatively impact the quality of life of homeowners. “ Downtown Jamaica has apartment buildings that aren’t even filled. Why are we building more? Yes, we do need a facelift on Sutphin Boulevard,” she said. “ When you are looking at putting up 11-story and 18-story buildings up against the backdrop of homeowners, that is a problem. I believe we need to go back to the original map and look at it again.”
Dr. Eric Blake, superintendent of Queens School District 28, testified that the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan should support the creation of two new middle schools in the north and south sides of District 28 to offset the influx of enrollment of nearly 700 students attending district schools.
Salma Haque, a community advocate with BHALO, a Hillside Avenue-based nonprofit, gave two recommendations during her testimony: the inclusion of a plaza near Homelawn Street and 169th Street on Hillside Avenue to decrease sidewalk congestion and the creation of a youth or senior community center on Hillside Avenue.
Eric Deutsch, co-founder of DL Development Partners, spoke in support of the plan. Deutsch said he favors the plan as it will stir public and private investment, bring new jobs, and bring much-needed housing to the area. “Jamaica’s unique downtown has a great history and has contributed to the growth and vitality of this great city. It has been my privilege to work in Jamaica for the past several years… it is clear that the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan is a thoughtful land use plan that will encourage development and investment to achieve the plan’s goals,” he said.
