State Provides Funding for Downtown Jamaica Revitalization

Gov. Andrew Cuomo traveled to Jamaica, Queens to announce the $10-million award.

NEW YORK CITY—Downtown Jamaica bested all downtown districts in the five boroughs and landed $10 million in state aid to fund improvements to help revitalize this section of Queens. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state officials traveled to Jamaica on Wednesday to announce the Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, part of the governor’s $100-million program to revitalize 10 downtowns statewide. The governor has announced a host of Downtown award winners of late, including the Mid Hudson region’s winner—the City of Middletown—in Orange County last month. The $10-million award will include up to $300,000 in planning funds for private sector experts to work with a local planning committee to draft a Strategic Investment Plan that will identify specific economic development, transportation, and housing projects. Plans are to be completed by early 2017. “Downtown neighborhoods are the heartbeat of communities across the state and investing in their revitalization is key to generating growth statewide,” Gov. Cuomo says. “By capitalizing on Jamaica’s higher education institutions, cultural cornerstones and diversity, we are transforming it into a magnet for opportunity that will continue to attract private investment and generate economic activity for generations to come. This is the beginning of a new chapter in Jamaica’s economic success story and I look forward to seeing this vibrant core of Queens move forward.” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz says the state funding will significantly build upon the community-generated initiatives and the Jamaica NOW Action Plan currently underway toward the area’s smart growth and revitalization. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough President Katz and other city officials launched the Jamaica NOW Action Plan on April 15, 2015. The plan outlined 21 actions geared at revitalizing and growing Jamaica into a “thriving residential and commercial neighborhood.” Uniting new initiatives with ongoing projects, the Action Plan looks to address the challenges that have faced the Jamaica area in recent years by providing workforce training and small business support, initiating new mixed-use development anchored by affordable housing, and improving the livability of the neighborhood through investments in safety measures, green spaces and more. At the time of the launch of the plan, the 21 strategic actions, 16 of which are to be launched and implemented in the next three years, represent approximately $153 million in current public funding. In response to the $10-million state award, Queens Borough President Katz says, “The funds will allow key investments to move forward in infrastructure, housing and retail opportunities, driving new economic growth and creating jobs. A critical component of the Jamaica NOW Action Plan includes our ability to ensure this vibrant neighborhood remains an affordable destination for families—and this investment from the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Council will help to do just that.” Later this year, state officials will announce the award of more than $750 million in state funding and tax incentives to be dolled out to the 10 regional economic development councils statewide.