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News for 2008 You will Need Acrobat Reader. December 14, 2008: Daily News They are neighboring buildings that share a common fate -- both are vacant and ready for the wrecking ball. But before they are reduced to rubble, the pair of shuttered office buildings on 161st St. in Jamaica will play a key role in a planned downtown renaissance. The Greater Jamaica Development Corp., which owns the buildings, has partnered with a nonprofit ... December 2, 2008: New York Real Estate Journal GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORP. BREAKS GROUND ON $12M SUTPHIN BLVD. PROJECT The revitalization of Downtown Jamaica continued with an improvement that will transform a series of garbage loading docks into inviting retail space got underway. Located on Sutphin Blvd. directly across from the AirTrain/Long Island Rail Road Jamaica Station entrance, redevelopment of the highly visible site is an economic and perceptual boost for the area ... November 26, 2008: The Courier Sun DOWNTOWN JAMAICA TRANSFORMATION SET TO BEGIN Elected officials broke ground on a revitalization project that will transform a series of loading docks in downtown Jamaica into 6,400-square-feet of gleaming retail space. The $12 million project, initiated on Wednesday, November 19, is the first of a three-part $98 million effort orchestrated by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) to convert ... November 20, 2008: Daily News The long-awaited plan for an "airport village" in downtown Jamaica is ready for takeoff. After a year of bureaucratic delays, officials yesterday signaled the start of a $12 million project to turn a "foreboding" stretch of sidewalk near the Jamaica train station into a commercial hub catering to commuters. The project, hatched in 2002, is the first phase of a $100 million ... November 4, 2008: Daily News DEVELOPERS OUT TO FILL BIG HOLE The economic downturn may be pushing the city close to recession, but Queens appears poised for a building boom in convention centers. Plans are in various stages of development to build convention centers or conference space in five neighborhoods of Queens -- and close a missing link in the borough's economy, business leaders said. "Right now, it's ... October, 2008: Queens Business Today PUBLIC SPACES AND INFRASTRUCTURE: LIFEBLOOD OF JAMAICA'S REVIVAL Infrastructure. It's a term that doesn't generate the kind of excitement as a new office building, retail mall, or housing development might. Public facilities such as roads, highways, mass transit systems, public plazas, and parks are often taken for granted -- at least until they need to be repaired or replaced. However, infrastructure is about more ... October 30, 2008: Queens Courier The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation hosted its 2008 Gala and 41st anniversary to celebrate Jamaica's promising and sustainable future. This year's honorees were John Loftus, P.E., President of Perini Civil Construction; Elliot G. Sander, Exec. Dir. and CEO, MTA; and State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm A. Smith ... October 23, 2008: Queens Chronicle The 7th Annual Harvest Festival took place last weekend outside Jamaica's Harvest Room, sponsored by the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. ... October 22, 2008: The Courier Sun The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) hosted its 7th Annual Harvest Festival, which was held outside the Jamaica Market ... October 22, 2008: The Courier Sun LEADERSHIP AWARDS & RECOGNITION RECEPTION The Jamaica YMCA hosted its third annual Leadership Awards & Recognition Reception on Thursday, October 16. This year's honorees were Justin Rodgers, Director of Economic Development, Greater Jamaica Development Corp.; Yesenia Graham, Graham Associates; and Kenneth Lewis, Entrepreneur. Proceeds from the event will support the Jamaica ... October 16, 2008: Jamaica Times The Jamaica Performing Arts Center has been putting on dazzling dance shows in front of its nearly completed new headquarters on Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street. As the series heads into its final performance Saturday, administrators at the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., which helped coordinate the three-week show, say it was not only ... October 7, 2008: Daily News DUHON DANCE DEBUT FIT FOR RUFUS KING A brand-new modern dance piece created by Theresa Duhon will make its debut with the Duhon Dance group. "It's an original piece dedicated to Rufus King called 'Jamaica: From the Days of King to Today's Queens,' "said Duhon. "This particular piece has five dancers, who live in various parts of New York," said Duhon who lives in Astoria ... October 2, 2008: TimesLedger HISTORIC JAMAICA CHAPEL REOPENS AFTER RESTORATION When Nicholas Ludlam built the Chapel of the Three Sisters in Jamaica in 1857, he wanted to create a lasting memorial to his three deceased daughters, his descendant Cate Ludlam said. Over the decades that followed, however, the Romanesque Revival structure and Prospect Cemetery, located in the rear, went through a long period of decay and were ... September 26, 2008: Press of Southeast Queens Faculty, students and the borough president gather to rededicate and formally reopen the Romanesque Revival Chapel of the Three Sisters September 23 on the campus of CUNY's York College in Jamaica as the Illinois Jacquet Performance Space ... September 25, 2008: Queens Chronicle NEW JAMAICA ART SPACE A RESULT OF DIVINE INSPIRATION Peering into the quiet and empty First Reformed Church on Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street, Arturo Rivas turns his baseball cap around to press his face closer to a rectangular window in the front door. "So this is still a church, right?" Rivas says. Inside, only a sliver of pink and gold light can be seen, perhaps from light coming in through a meticulously ... September 9, 2008: Daily News ROOMS ABOVE, SUPERMARKET HISTORY BELOW Apartment for rent: two bedrooms, one bath, on bustling Queens commercial strip, offers chance to live where world's first supermarket once stood. That's the pitch for a walk-up at 171-06 Jamaica Ave., where Michael Cullen set up shop on Aug. 4, 1930, letting customers buy groceries, meat and produce under one roof, and without needing a clerk to fetch ... September 8, 2008: Crain's New York Business FORECLOSURE FALLOUT HITS BUSINESSES Unable to tap home equity, Jamaica owners turn to forgotten program. The high rate of foreclosures in Jamaica and its surrounding neighborhoods in southeast Queens is taking its toll on small business owners, many of whom use home equity loans for funding. With property values in the area slipping and banks dialing back on home equity lines of credit ... September 2008: Northeast Real Estate Business The "Jamaica Plan" is underway in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, as more retailers and businesses join the economic revitalization. Most recently, two new national bank branches opened in downtown Jamaica -- Bank of America and Washington Mutual. In addition, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, in conjunction with ... September 2008: Queens Business Today A NEW PERFORMING ARTS CENTER NEARS COMPLETION IN DOWNTOWN JAMAICA An old church building in Jamaica will soon be born again as the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, one of several exciting developments that are significantly reshaping Downtown Jamaica as a major destination place for visitors and business in New York City. After a decade of careful and meticulous renovations, the landmarked former First Reformed ... August 21, 2008: Queens Chronicle ANNUAL CORN ROAST HELD IN JAMAICA The Jamaica Farmers Market held a free corn roast for visitors on Saturday ... August 20, 2008: Courier Sun NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - STAR OF QUEENS Shanqua Harrison, Controller, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation ... August 20, 2008: Courier Sun The lunchtime crowds in Downtown Jamaica will be serenaded by the sweet sounds of Jazz, Latin, Soul, and World musing -- through August 29 -- at the 2008 Summer Lunchtime Concert Series. Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, through the Jamaica Alliance initiative, embraces Jamaica's rich musical history as they gathered an eclectic group ... August 14, 2008: Queens Courier JAMAICA SHOPS DO WELL DESPITE THE ECONOMY Sneakers for $6, T-shirts for $2 and Tank tops for $.99. No, this is not a special 99-cent store -- these are prices at nearly every store along Jamaica Avenue, between Sutphin Boulevard and 169th Street. Each one of these shops is filled with colorful clothes, shoes and other items that often spill out onto the sidewalk. Despite the economic downturn, ... August 14, 2008: Queens Courier TUSCAN FARMS IN THE HEART OF JAMAICA How many people can say they remember growing up on a farm -- in Queens? Henry and Michael Beyer did just that. Their parents had a milk farm in Maspeth, where they grew up. Decades later, with the farm gone but the relationships intact, Tuscan Farms is now the largest distributor of milk products in the region. Keeping the family tradition alive he and ... July 31, 2008: Queens Chronicle LOCAL EMPLOYMENT GROUP HELPS SE QUEENS YOUTH Southeast Queens youth enjoyed a bit of a leg up last Wednesday at the kick-off of the fourth year of a summer business program designed to impart some workplace wisdom and valuable experience, on students who have worked hard to get where they are today. The program, known as the Youth Business Initiative, was started in 2005 out of state Sen. ... July 25, 2008: Press of Southeast Queens RUFUS KING PARK IS DUSTBOWL NO MORE The humidity clinging to the air didn't stop children and politicians from christening the new multipurpose field at Rufus King Park in Jamaica. The synthetic turf is part of a $1.7 million facelift the park received with donated funds provided by Borough President Helen Marshall and Councilmen Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) and James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) ... July 28, 2008: Daily News Sonia Kahuratieery boarded a bus in suburban Washington around 5 a.m. so she could devote her Saturday to shopping -- in Jamaica, Queens. It might sound crazy, but the 500-mile round trip journey isn't uncommon for fans of the retail corridor stretching along Jamaica Ave. from Sutphin Blvd. to 169th St. The area is a big hit with out-of-town churches, ... July 24, 2008: Queens Courier The Queens community got a huge boost recently when the Empire State Development Corporation accepted the proposal of downstate grants totaling $17.6 million. Among the grants received, $15 million out of the $17.6 will go to help modernize the Roosevelt Island tram. The tram will contribute to the economic impact of Roosevelt Island by ensuring ... July 24, 2008: TimesLedger OFFICIALS CUT RIBBON ON $1.7M TURF FIELD AT RUFUS KING PARK Rufus King Park has been transformed from a dust bowl to a lush greenland for residents of all ages. After more than a year of renovations and improvements, the city Parks Department reopened the 11.5-acre space Tuesday with a special ceremony that honored the site's history and showcased its future. The park, named after the famous lawmaker... July 1, 2008: Daily News SUTPHIN BLVD. NOW IN BLOOM: 'FLOWER MAN' USES GARDENING EXPERTISE TO BEAUTIFY JAMAICA He's been on the job for only two months, but already he's known in Jamaica as "The Flower Man." Pelham Justiniano, 47, of South Ozone Park, was hired by the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. in late April to head a program to bring more green to downtown Jamaica. "I got a big reaction from the very beginning," said Justiniano, as he recently ... July 2008: Queens Business Today GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: CREATING AND SUSTAINING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Dr. Chudi Chime knows something about meeting needs. For more than 20 years, Dr. Chime has been dedicated to providing quality health care for the residents of Southeast Queens and created his own medical facility, Hillside Polymedic Diagnostic and Treatment Center on 187-30 Hillside Avenue in Jamaica. In 2007, he saw an opportunity to meet a ... July 2008: Queens Business Today GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: BUILDING A NEW JAMAICA GJDC DIRECTORS: 2008 June 19, 2008: Queens Ledger USHER IN SUMMER WITH FREE MUSIC More than just the hills -- as in Forest Hills, Richmond Hill and Queensboro Hill -- will be alive with the sound of music on June 21, places like Long Island City, Flushing and Jamaica will be, too. To celebrate the official first day of summer, there will be 118 musical performances staged outdoors in Queens as part of "Make Music New York", one of the ... June 14, 2008: New York Times A FATHER'S TRIBUTE TO THREE DEAD DAUGHTERS IS RESTORED There were once -- but far too briefly -- three sisters from Jamaica, Queens. Cornelia Maria Ludlum was born in 1824 to Sarah Ann and Nicholas Ludlum. She died less than a month after she turned 13. Mary Cecelia Ludlum was born in 1827. She died not long after her first birthday. Mary Ludlum Cass died in 1855, at age 20. It is not necessary to imagine ... May 29, 2008: Queens Courier BIG CHANGE IN STORE FOR JAMAICA Several initiatives were announced at this year's meeting of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC). The biggest of these includes a focus on developing a town/gown relationship between York College and corporations that may be attracted to doing business on the campus. "This is a year of importance, we took several steps ... May 28, 2008: Courier Sun Centro Hispano Cuzcatlan, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC), Boy Scout Troop 333 of Queens Village and local residents joined forces with the NYC Parks Department in celebrating "It's My Park Day" in King Park on Saturday, May 17. Over 150 people attended the event, which included the planting of over 100 new plants along ... April 10, 2008: Queens Chronicle 'AIRPORT VILLAGE' ANCHORED BY THREE INCOMING HOTELS The Greater Jamaica Development Corp. revealed last week the name of the company which will run the first hotels in the rezoned area of Jamaica. Construction is set to begin soon on two Marriott hotels in the area, a deal which GJDC President Carlisle Towery said has been negotiated for nearly a year. "We've had this concept of an airport village for a while now" ... April 8, 2008: Daily News JAMAICA WILL WELCOME A HOTEL BOOM Major Hotel development -- including a 16-story Marriott Courtyard with 172 rooms, a 150-room Residence Inn and a third 150-room hotel -- is planned for a proposed "airport village" in downtown Jamaica. The sudden boom is the direct result of the rezoning of some 368 blocks in downtown Jamaica last year, said Carlisle Towery, president of the ... April 7, 2008: New York Post An MTA printing facility beneath Long Island Rail Road tracks in Queens will soon be transformed into a brand-new shopping area. The Greater Jamaica Development Corp. has entered into a long-term lease with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to take over 12,000 square feet on Sutphin Boulevard under the LIRR's Jamaica station ... April 1, 2008: Crain's Insider MAYOR'S MUSCLE HELPS MOVE CONGESTION PRICING The role that Mayor Bloomberg could play in future elections was a factor in yesterday's vote on congestion pricing. The mayor suggested last week that he might back City Councilman Hiram Monserrate's challenge to state Sen. John Sabini, D-Queens, effectively pressuring both of them to support congestion pricing. Sabini narrowly defeated Monserrate ... April 2008: Pandora's Box WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO HIGHLIGHT JAMAICA'S CULTURAL SCENE In an effort to promote cultural tourism in Jamaica, York College and the Downtown Jamaica Cultural District (DJCD) held an official launch party to promote jamaicafunk.org, a new website that presents a virtual, one-stop information kiosk about what's going on in Jamaica, Queens. In addition to its role as a cultural hut, the site was created to support artists ... March 31, 2008: Crain's New York Business AIRPORT VILLAGE TAKING OFF IN QUEENS A little over a week into spring, the long-awaited blossoming of an "airport village" in downtown Jamaica, Queens, looks like it will actually happen. In the past month, developers have entered into separate agreements to build at least two major hotels near Jamaica's two-year-old AirTrain terminal. Both hotels will be under the Marriott flag ... March 27, 2008: TimesLedger CITY UNVEILS PLAN TO SPRUCE UP JAMAICA The city updated southeast Queens residents on its redevelopment plans for downtown Jamaica and also took comments on how the agency could make their neighborhood better during Community Board 12's monthly meeting last week. Jessica Baker, of the city's Economic Development Corporation, presented the board with the first report from the ... March 24, 2008: Crain's New York Business SANDWICH MAKER GETS IN THE ZONE Miracles don't come easily. Bimmy's found that out the hard way two years ago. The company, which makes prepackaged sandwiches and salads, discovered that it might qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits under the state's Empire Zone program -- even though it isn't actually located in such a zone ... March 19, 2008: The Courier Sun Jamaica just got a little greener. Two beautification projects have been completed, creating new green spaces and enhancing the pedestrian experience. Through a joint effort of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC), the underutilized lot on ... February 28, 2008: TimesLedger ARCHER AVENUE STRIPS GET GREEN While developers are plotting new ways to transform the commercial district in Jamaica into the city's top shopping spot, Borough President Helen Marshall announced openings of two areas that will keep the area green. The city completed two beautification projects two weeks ago as part of its Greenstreets initiative on lots located on Archer Avenue near ... February 27, 2008: The Courier Sun JAMAICA GETS FUNKY NEW WEB SITE The Downtown Jamaica Cultural District (DJCD), a collaboration of art and educational institutions, Business Improvement Districts and economic development organizations, launched a new interactive web site earlier this month. Jamaicafunk.org will complement the DJCD's mission of honoring and supporting Jamaica's diverse cultural history and ... February 21, 2008: TimesLedger Tell the doubters that the results are in and the AirTrain is an unqualified success. The AirTrain that once looked futuristic takes riders to and from John F. Kennedy International Ariport. According to a report released recently by the Port Authority, nearly 4.4 million passengers have climbed aboard since the train began operation four years ago ... January 30, 2008: The Courier Sun REALIZING A DREAM WITH THE THREE MO' TENORS York College recently held its First Annual Scholarship Benefit Concert: "One Dream, Many Realities" starring the off-Broadway sensation, Three Mo' Tenors. The dazzling performers played to a packed house in the college's 1,500-seat Performing Arts Center in a concert that raised funds for merit scholarships for academically high achieving students ... January 23, 2008: The New York Times A NEIGHBOR JOINS THE REVIVAL OF JAMAICA AVENUE The Dermot Company, a real estate developer in Manhattan, often invests in historic buildings and emerging neighborhoods. Three years ago, it took on both challenges when its development proposal to remake the old Queens Family Court building in downtown Jamaica was accepted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation ... January 23, 2008: The New York Sun 'THREE MO' TENORS' HELP FUND YORK COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS Arlington Aguebor's polite manner and bright smile served him well at York College's first annual scholarship benefit concert, which featured a performance of "Three Mo' Tenors" at the college's Performing Arts Center. But the job was for one night only. "I want to be an airport manager," Mr. Aguebor, a sophomore studying in the year-old City University of ... January 18, 2008: Press of Southeast Queens In her second to last year in office, Borough President Helen Marshall laid out the plans for the borough's future in her State of the Borough Address. "From Astoria to Douglaston and from College Point to Rockaway and all the neighborhoods in between, our borough has flourished," Marshal said. "As your borough president, I have had the privilege of leading ... January 2, 2008: Courier Sun NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - STAR OF QUEENS Justin K. Rodgers, Director of Economic Development, Greater Jamaica Development ...
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