FEATURE ARTICLE, JULY 2005

JAMAICA’S NEWEST VILLAGE… IN NEW YORK CITY
The new JFK Corporate Square — Airport Village in Jamaica, Queens, seeks to build a mixed-use transit community just 8 minutes JFK International Airport.
Kevin Jeselnik

Throughout the Northeast, a new movement quickly gaining momentum is the transit-oriented development trend. The idea is to build-up the area immediately surrounding a city’s major public or mass transportation hub with residential, retail and office components, most typically in mixed-use buildings. Most of these transit villages are cropping up in communities with rail systems that feed into major urban markets such as Philadelphia and New York City. However, one borough in New York City is creating an expansive transit-oriented project serving a vast array of communities.

The proposed first phase of the JFK Corporate Square development in Jamaica, Queens, in New York City would encompass a 10-story, 250-room hotel constructed on top of the existing Air Train station (center); a 500,000-square-foot, Class A office tower; and an 800,000-square-foot mixed-use building.

The approximately 18-month old AirTrain station in Jamaica has been a resounding success. Soon after its launch, daily ridership nearly doubled from 4,747 to 8,347 between January and August 2004. The total number of riders in 2004 was approximately 1.35 million. Through April of this year, 592,461 riders had taken the short $5 trip from JFK International Airport to Jamaica in 2005 alone. AirTrain’s initial popularity helped bolster support for Greater Jamaica Development’s revitalization efforts.

Through the many options offered at the Jamaica hub, commuters and travelers can take the AirTrain to or from the airport in just 8 minutes, board the various trains and buses to anywhere in Queens, hop onto one of ten Long Island Rail Road lines to head out to Long Island, or take either the E, J or Z subway line into the city.

Upon the introduction of the AirTrain system and the wealth of existing transportation options, Greater Jamaica Development, a private, non-profit organization, set into a motion a plan to create a modern mixed-use complex to complement Jamaica’s AirTrain station and encourage economic growth in the neighborhood. JFK Corporate Square — Airport Village, as the project is known, could eventually encompass more than 4 million square feet of development on ten blocks surrounding the AirTrain station, says Markunas. Right now, the focus is on getting the first phase of the project underway.

Phase one of JFK Corporate Square will be developed on three blocks directly adjacent to or across the street from the AirTrain station, which is located at Archer and Sutphin boulevards. It will include an approximately 500,000-square-foot, Class A office building; a 250-room, full-service hotel; and, tentatively, an 800,000-square-foot mixed-use complex. The total build-out of phase one is expected to take 2 to 5 years.

Public support for the development is widespread throughout the local community, the city and the state. Major partners include the Port Authority; the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which runs the Long Island Rail Road; the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC); and the Empire State Development Corporation. On the private side, Greater Jamaica Development is working with three developers for the three separate projects planned for the first phase.

Planning for the office building is well underway. “We are in the final negotiations with Forest City Ratner to develop the office component,” says Markunas. The 500,000-square-foot Tower One office building will be located directly across the street from the AirTrain terminal lobby. Tower One will feature approximately 25,000 square feet of daily and destination retail. The offices are being marketed to a wide variety of local, regional and global businesses, with a focus on those in the aviation industry. The building will not be built speculatively and the team is working to sign two or three lead anchor tenants before getting underway. Markunas expects the $90 million development to kick off in the next 12 to 18 months.

The hotel component may take slightly longer to get started. Originally, the plan was to build a 10-story hotel on the air rights above the AirTrain station. However, security concerns for transportation hubs increased after September 11, 2001, and delayed the development plans. Greater Jamaica Development has since conducted extensive feasibility and public-opinion studies regarding the potential hotel. “We did a study with HVS International, a hospitality consulting firm, about a year and a half ago to understand what the demand would be and to find the best site,” Markunas explains. “They found that there was demand for a 250-room, full-service hotel with approximately 10,000 square feet of meeting space. And the preferred site was the air rights above the AirTrain station.” The hotel will also include a residential component and some retail space. Greater Jamaica Development is now working diligently with the Port Authority, the MTA/Long Island Rail Road, the Empire State Development Corporation and the developer to facilitate construction of the hotel on that site. While the team waits to get this project underway, hopes are high that a commitment will soon be given for the third component of phase one.

Recently, the EDC sent out an RFP (request for proposals) for a potential development that will consist of an 800,000-square-foot mixed-use complex. Specifics on the exact use of the building could not be released. Greater Jamaica Development and the developer chosen for this project are one of three teams in the running for this project. The EDC is expected to make its decision and award the project to one of the three finalists in the next few weeks.

Along with the three proposed developments of phase one, Greater Jamaica Development has $21 million in federal funds to allocate towards infrastructure improvement. The money will go to the widening of streets around the project, the creation of open spaces and parks, and to constructing a cut-through from the Van Wyck Expressway that will alleviate some of the traffic in and around the area. And the New York Department of City Planning is rezoning much of downtown Jamaica into an urban renewal zone to encourage mixed-use development. Low-density users and older facilities currently occupy much of the downtown area. Wherever the JFK Corporate Square redevelopment reaches, it will infuse modern uses and facilities into an area in need of an economic boost. Along with the office and hotel components, the master plan calls for the development of multiple residential buildings with market-rate housing.

The JFK Corporate Square began as a plan to bring employment and revenue to Jamaica, Queens, by capitalizing on the new AirTrain project and has evolved into an expansive protect that may redefine the transit-oriented development blueprint. Thanks to a remarkable effort by numerous public and private entities working towards one goal, Jamaica is experiencing a revitalization, and residents, local commuters and travelers alike may soon benefit from this significant new mixed-use development.

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