By Patrick Donachie
Three business improvement districts in downtown Jamaica are considering unification, as one of the three BIDs in the area reported strong growth and heavy development in the district at its annual meeting.
The Jamaica Center BID, which is the largest BID in Queens and includes 27 retailers and several cultural institutions, presented the report to board members and elected officials at the Harvest Room in downtown Jamaica June 28.
Exploring the possibility of a unification between the Jamaica Center BID and the Sutphin Boulevard and 165th Street BIDs is one of the 26 proposed actions in the Jamaica NOW Action Plan, spearheaded by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz to spur commercial and economic growth in the area.
“We remember that we want to make sure the jobs, the homes and the schools that come into this area are representing this community,” state Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens) said during the meeting. “For those who grew up here, like I did, to see this area flourish is a joy to me.”
The meeting covered the successes during the past year, including the launch of the Jamaica Start Fund, which plans to partner local innovators with resources to develop their ideas; the opening of the Jameco Exchange art exhibition, which is run by New York arts nonprofit No Longer Empty; and the fifth annual Jamaica Just My Style Fashion Event.
Meredith Marshall, the managing partner and co-founder of BRP Development, offered the keynote address. BRP is the developer of The Crossing at Jamaica Station, a new 740,000-square foot-project located near the Sutphin Long Island Rail Road station. The building will include 300 underground parking spaces and 580 units of mixed-income affordable housing. He said the opportunity to develop property in Jamaica expanded with neighborhood rezoning in 2007, but progress has been stymied by the economic downturn one year later.
“It’s a tremendous area to build, but no one’s built before,” he said. “We’re going to bring what other neighborhoods have to Jamaica.”
The BID also presented awards to David Codrington, the showroom manager at Raymour and Flanigan; Applebee’s General Manager Oneco Forbes; and Cultural Collaborative Jamaica Executive Director Tyra Emerson for their work in the community.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
