WSJ: Groundbreaking set for mixed-use development in Jamaica, Queens
New York City and New York State officials joined the leaders of BRP Companies and project partners at a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on The Crossing at Jamaica Station, a 669 unit affordable housing development across two buildings in Downtown Jamaica, Queens.
The Wall Street Journal’s Keiko Morris covered the story:
A large mixed-use residential development will break ground in Jamaica, Queens, on Tuesday, local officials said, a milestone for a revitalization plan years in the making.
The Crossing at Jamaica Station, a $407 million project with two towers at Sutphin Boulevard near Archer Avenue, is set to rise near Jamaica’s transit hub. It is one of several projects that are part of the downtown redevelopment expected from a 2007 rezoning. That hoped for redevelopment was put on hold during the recession, said Hope Knight, chief executive of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., a nonprofit that has played a big role in downtown’s revitalization.
“It’s important because of its strategic location right across the street from the Long Island Rail Road station,” Ms. Knight said. “All of the commuters who travel through Jamaica will see the building rising and it will create a sign, [a] symbol of revitalization.
The project’s developer, BRP Cos., bought the site from the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., which had spent about a decade assembling the parcels so a large project could take place, Ms. Knight said. The nonprofit development organization issued a request for proposals, aiming to increase residential density and more retail businesses in the area.
The Crossing is part of an estimated $1 billion in private- and public-sector investments made in Jamaica over the past decade, the development corporation said. Those investments have resulted in plans for projects, including more than 3,000 mixed-income and market-rate apartments, at least 2,200 hotel rooms and a 150,000 square-foot retail complex in various stages of development.
Meredith Marshall, BRP Cos.’ co-founder and managing partner, said the Crossing represents the firm’s core strategy of developing mixed-income, affordable housing in neighborhoods with access to public transportation and retail.
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