New York City Department of City Planning Completes 368-Block Rezoning of Downtown Jamaica
The recent rezoning of Jamaica unlocks the development potential of the Downtown, allowing building bulks of up to 12.0 Floor Area Ratio. The rezoning concentrates the higher densities along Jamaica’s considerable transit infrastructure: from the AirTrain/LIRR Jamaica Station int the west to 168th Street and Jamaica Avenue to the east. For a map of the new zoning map click here, or for the Department of City Planning overview click here.
After participating in the development of more than a dozen major properties, the 40-year-old Greater Jamaica Development Corporation is now focusing on the next major development opportunity in Downtown Jamaica: an Airport Village at the LIRR/AirTrain Station. The Downtown Jamaica location provides access in eight minutes to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, while Midtown Manhattan is just 20 minutes away by Long Island Railroad, or 35 minutes by subway.
This will be New York’s only mass transit-accessible “Airport Village,” and will include a hotel, offices, retail, a wholesale merchandise mart, and housing. The recent completion of the $3 billion direct-to-terminal AirTrain system makes it possible to bring air travelers directly to a modern $350 million terminal in the heart of Downtown Jamaica, adjacent to the main Long Island Railroad station and numerous subway and bus connections.
The opportunities will be enhanced by significant infrastructure improvements to improve “intermodal transfers” and to transform the entire feel of the transit hub area. The city has also introduced significant business-friendly zoning upgrades for the Downtown Jamaica area, which can be viewed by clicking here.