N.Y. Building Congress Rallies for Jamaica Rezoning

Congress champions development opportunity in Queens. Also Connecticut Building Congress lauds top projects in the state.

Queens Neighborhood May Get Facelift

Plans are currently in the works to rezone a 368-square-block portion of the Jamaica district of Queens, primarily to attract new residents who would commute from its already robust transit hubs. The plan already faces local opposition but also has a strong ally in the  New York Building Congress, which is urging the New York City Council and N.Y.C. Mayor Michael Bloomberg to support the endeavor. 

“As New York City grows in population and its economy expands, it is important to focus on development in the right places,” says Richard Anderson, president of NYBC.

The rezoning is currently undergoing a public review process that began in April, after the plan was approved by the N.Y.C. Department of City Planning. The rezoning could be approved by as early as this fall.

The rezoning would create 1.8 million sq ft of office space and 1.1 million sq ft of retail space along Archer Avenue, Jamaica Avenue, and Sutphin Boulevard, as well as carve out a special downtown district over 71 square blocks of a previously industrial neighborhood.

But the biggest impact of the rezoning would be felt through the expansion of residential space. New residential developments would primarily be located on Hillside Avenue, Merrick Boulevard, Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, and Liberty Avenue. Additional changes as a result of the residential expansions would include improving and widening sidewalks, street tree-planting initiatives, and constructive use of first-floor spaces with large windows.    

Queen Borough President Helen Marshall supports the rezoning, but only “with a multitude of conditions,” says Dan Andrews, a spokesman for her office. Andrews says there is some hesitation – if not unrest – from Jamaica residents and local community boards, including Community Board 8, which recommended against the rezoning in a recent vote.

Anderson wrote a letter to Marshall’s office on behalf of the Building Congress to urge support for the rezoning, which the organization contends will allow Jamaica to “realize its significant growth potential.”

The rezoning’s proponents say focusing density near Jamaica’s transit hubs protects smaller-scale nearby neighborhoods such as South Jamaica, Hollis, and St. Albans. Also, to support Bloomberg’s initiative to preserve neighborhood character, 161 blocks of the rezoned area would be designated low density, with low rises and three-family homes.

CBC Recognizes Project Teams

The Connecticut Building Congress recently handed out its 2007 Project Team Awards, a program created 11 years ago to foster teamwork among participants in the construction process. The winners this year were:

• Major Renovation/Expansion - First Place: Yale University, Trumbull College
  Residence Hall, New Haven; Owner: Yale University, New Haven; Designer: Goody
  Clancy, Boston; Contractor: Dimeo Construction, New Haven.

• Major Renovation/Expansion - Award of Merit:  Greenwich Hospital, Olive & Thomas
  J. Watson Jr., Pavilion, Greenwich; Owner: Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich;   Designer: Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, Boston; Contractor: Turner   Construction, Milford, Conn.

• K-12 School - First Place: Hamden Middle School, Hamden, Conn.; Owner: Town of
  Hamden; Designer: Tai Soo Kim Partners, Hartford; Contractor: Konover   Construction, Farmington, Conn.

• K-12 School - Award of Merit: Cesar A. Batalla Elementary School, Bridgeport;
  Owner: City of Bridgeport; Designer: Fletcher-Thompson, Shelton, Conn.; Contractor:
  O&G Industries, Torrington, Conn.

• Small Project - First Place: Yale University School of Medicine, Sterling Hall of
  Medicine Renovations, New Haven; Owner: Yale University, New Haven; Designer:
  Svigals + Partners, New Haven; Contractor: Whiting-Turner Contracting, Baltimore.

• Small Project - Award of Merit: Connecticut Historical Society - Old State House,
  Hartford; Owner: Connecticut Historical Society; Designer: DuBose Associates,  
  Hartford; Contractor: Turner Construction, Milford, Conn.

PWC Honors Four

Four women were honored for their success in the industry by Professional Women in Construction at the organization’s annual Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon held at the Yale Club in Manhattan in May.

The organization honored Sharon Greenberger, president and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority, with the PWC Leadership Award. Greenberger is the first woman to hold her post with the SCA, and is currently implementing a five-year, $13.1 billion capital plan.

Leticia Remauro, vice president for community relations for the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, was given the Public Service Achievement Award. She oversees the authority’s Department of Public Affairs and Affirmative Action. According to Remauro, 19% of the authority’s annual budget goes to women- and minority-owned businesses, totaling $500 million over the last decade.

PWC gave its Professional Achievement Award to Marie Neuscheler, project manager for New York’s Turner Construction. Neuscheler is currently managing a $32.5 million tenant improvement project for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. And the organization also honored Yvonne Isaac, vice president and director of operations for Full Spectrum NY, a development firm, with its Business Achievement Award.

PWC’s guest of honor at the event, New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Daniel Doctoroff, told the audience that the women are playing a significant role in the city’s construction industry.

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