By Sadef Ali Kully
The former Mary Immaculate Hospital location at 150-13 89th Ave. in downtown Jamaica will be developed into a residential complex by the Manhattan firm of Goldstein, Hill & West Architects, according to the city Buildings Department.
A new building permit application was filed in September by the firm. The two main structures of the former hospital will be completely redone into a 16-story luxury rental with 339 apartments. The project includes enlarging one of the buildings to 16 stories, and replacing its façade with a contemporary metal and glass skin. The adjacent building, which was the original hospital, will have its limestone and brick façade restored.
A third structure, the Townhouses, is a four-story historic building which will be converted separately into 15 apartments. The project is the first phase of a master plan for the block that will include four other buildings, according to the Goldstein, Hill & West website.
Despite the mixed-use zoning in downtown Jamaica, the blocks surrounding Rufus King Park are zoned exclusively for residential use, according to the Buildings Department.
GoldStein, Hill & West would not comment on the development.
In 2009, Mary Immaculate Hospital was shut down and was sold for $4.8 million to the Chetrit Group, which planned to redevelop the property near Rufus King Park into a residential housing project.
Development of new residential units are on the rise around the city.
According to YIMBY New York, a real estate trade publication, in 2014 permit applications were submitted to construct 44,825 units across the five boroughs, which was a dramatic increase from 2013’s 22,915 housing units.
Queens’ total also more than doubled from 4,316 to 9,367.
Average height saw a particularly notable rise in Manhattan, but percentage-wise, the greatest increase was in Queens, where in 2013 the average height was 3.5 compared to last year’s mid-rise average floor count of 6.2.
Goldstein, Hill & West was one of the 10 architectural firms with the most unit filings last year.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
