The rezoning changed Jamaica's FAR from around 1 or 2 to 10-12, with a height limit of up to 290 feet, which has spurred many projects.

A developer is looking to build a commercial project with retail and housing on 50,000 square feet of land adjacent to Jamaica Station on the northern side of Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica's main drag. To the east, a 200-room hotel is under contract and Atlantic Avenue, another key corridor, is being extended to make the area more accessible to the Van Wyck Expressway.

The GJDC is spending more than $85 million on improvements in the area and recently turned an “unsightly” loading dock into a pedestrian arcade with a widened sidewalk and a strip of retail stores. The agency also has bought from the city two parking lots, one of which it hopes to convert to retail.

“Many of our residents go to Long Island to shop, so the city is leaking retail jobs,” says Towery. “Three department stores left here in a 10 year period. We're hoping to rebuild Jamaica as a retail district.”

Meanwhile, Jamaica Crossing, a 400-unit transit oriented, mixed-use residential and commercial project of BRP Cos., is under way adjacent to the Air Train station. The $225-million development will have 80 to 100 stores, including a much larger Duane Reade than the one currently at the train and bus station, which spans 6,000 square feet, BRP co-founder and managing partner Meredith Marshall tells GlobeSt.com.

“We're talking to some national restaurants, national retailers and some banks,” he reveals. “If you look at demographics and how New York is trending, we think Jamaica will be attractive for middle and moderate income households.”

Another company making a bet on the area is the Dermot Co. It opened a 346-unit residential building, which includes some affordable housing, and a 10,000-square-foot grocery. The company also has a sit-down restaurant called City Rib in Jamaica and is looking to lease another 20,000 square feet of commercial space at its development. It's likely that a restaurant will become a tenant.

Dermot has a unique approach to working with tenants, notes Drew Spitler, director of development. “We have funds available to help tenants build and design the space. It's a business deal, not a grant, but opening a store is capital intensive and tenants often have great skills as operators but they don't necessarily have the couple of millions of dollars that it takes to open.”

GJDC also is working to lure a pharmacy school to Jamaica because of the presence of York College, which has one of the biggest Food & Drug Administration labs in the nation.

“York has a 50-acre campus and it's only using about half of its space,” Towery says. “There's real potential for growth.”