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Hundreds of Luxury Apartments Planned for Former Hospital Site in Jamaica

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | March 24, 2015 11:11am | Updated on March 24, 2015 4:20pm
 Plans call for more than 350 luxury apartments.
Developer Plans to Convert Former Mary Immaculate Hospital into Luxury Apartments
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QUEENS — The derelict site of the Mary Immaculate Hospital site in downtown Jamaica could be transformed into luxury apartment buildings.

If approved by the Department of Buildings, the former hospital complex — which is located at 150-13 89th Avenue, near popular Rufus King Park — would be “completely redone,” according to a website for architects Goldstein, Hill & West.

The plans come on the heels of several other projects planned for the neighborhood which has been undergoing a number of changes in recent years, attracting new retailers and developers.

Two of the two main hospital buildings, which are currently seven stories and 94 feet tall, would be transformed into a 16-story apartment building, as first reported by YIMBY

The new enlarged structure would be 196-foot-tall.

One of the buildings would boast a new façade with metal and glass elements, while the adjacent one would have its lime and brick façade restored, according to the architecture company.

The two redeveloped buildings would feature nearly 340 luxury rental apartments as well as a parking garage with 237 spaces. 

A nearby four-story historic building, which is also part of the block-large complex, would be converted into 15 apartments, the website read.

Four additional buildings could become part of the site, according to the company. 

Demolition of the interior of the main buildings started in 2013.

The plans for the redevelopment, which were filed last September, were initially denied in November due to an incomplete application. But the developer can refile the paperwork, according to the DOB. 

The buildings have been deteriorating ever since the hospital closed. Residents complained that many windows were broken and the site was collecting trash.

Since the 1980s, the site was hit with more than 200 violations, including for an elevator malfunction and failure to file annual boiler inspections. More than half of the violations remained open as of Monday.

Local community leaders said they hope that after years of neglect, the site will eventually become an asset.

“It’s a beautiful space and it’s right near the park,” said Rhonda Binda, executive director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District. "And it’s sitting there just wasting away.”

The Chetrit Group, which bought the complex in 2009, did not immediately returne phone calls and emails seeking comment. 

A representative for Goldstein, Hill & West Architects said Monday that the company is not at liberty to discuss additional details related to the project at this time.