A sweeping rezoning of Jamaica, Queens will fundamentally transform a 230-block area and pave the way for thousands of new homes, jobs and upgrades to local infrastructure, city lawmakers said.
The rezoning, which the City Council approved Wednesday by a 47-0 vote, is the largest in the city in at least two decades, according to Mayor Eric Adams' office.
It's expected to create 12,000 new homes, of which 4,000 would be deemed affordable. City planning officials said the zoning changes would also create 2 million square feet of new space for commercial use and community groups, which the city contends would help generate more than 7,000 jobs.
The rezoning would also result in new parks and playgrounds and improvements to sewers and other local infrastructure.
“ We are building a Jamaica that is walkable, vibrant and thriving. A hub where people can live, work, and play, not just pass through,” said Councilmember Nantasha Williams, who represents Jamaica and oversaw the plan. “ The Jamaica neighborhood plan is more than a rezoning. It's a reinvestment in our people, in our neighborhoods.”
The Council approval came despite local opposition. Members of Queens' Community Board 8 and Community Board 12 both rejected the neighborhood plan earlier this year in what are advisory votes, with one CB 8 member saying that the opposition largely stemmed from concerns that an influx of new residents would overwhelm local transit.
Other residents expressed fears that the changes would mean higher rents, forcing out longtime residents and small businesses. City planning officials said the zoning changes would result in higher density, including mixed-use developments in the downtown area.
Adams lauded the Council's action.
“From bustling storefronts to busy train lines, Jamaica is exactly where our city should be building new housing and creating new jobs,” Adams in a statement. “For too long, the neighborhood’s outdated zoning code has made it harder to do both; but today, we changed that.”
Dan Garodnick, the director of the Department of City Planning, said in an interview that the rezoning would help make the most of the neighborhood’s close proximity to JFK Airport and improve access to other parts of the city.
“ Jamaica has long been one of the most bustling commercial and transit hubs in the city, but unfortunately, what we've seen is that outdated zoning and a lack of housing and investment have really held this neighborhood,” Garodnick said. "Today we start the process of changing all of that.”
