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MAP: Housing and Hotels to Rejuvenate Downtown Jamaica

 Several new projects, including 3 hotels and 3 residential buildings are planned near the LIRR station in downtown Jamaica.
New Projects Planned Near LIRR Station in Jamaica
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QUEENS — A long-neglected stretch along the Long Island Rail Road tracks in downtown Jamaica are poised for an upturn with proposed developments including homes and hotels.

Among projects planned are three hotels and three residential buildings, including a new 14-story development currently under construction on the corner of Archer Avenue and 165th Street.

The building will feature 89 apartment units and retail space on the ground floor, according to information provided by the Department of Buildings.

The opening of the AirTrain station on Sutphin Boulevard in 2003 brought major changes to downtown Jamaica.

Connecting the airport with subway trains to Manhattan and the Long Island Rail Road turned the neighborhood into a major transportation hub but also began spurring real estate activity in the area, experts said.

"The uptick in growth around downtown Jamaica is another sign that we have arrived as a target for development," said Hope Knight, president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, a nonprofit which has worked for decades to bring new investment to the neighborhood.

The new mixed-use building, planned for 92-61 165th Street, is being developed by the Arker Companies.

It was not immediately clear if the building will include affordable housing units but, according to information posted at the construction site, it's scheduled to be completed by summer 2016.

The project comes on the heels of several other developments announced for the area in recent years including The Crossing, a 580-unit mixed-income apartment complex which will be located at 93-01 Sutphin Blvd. across the street from the LIRR and AirTrain station.

The building is being developed by BRP Companies and consists of two towers. It will include more than 100,000 square feet of retail space.

Groundbreaking for the building is expected to take place by the end of 2015.  

Chris Xu, a Flushing-based developer, is also planning a massive residential market-rate housing development at 163-05/25 Archer Ave., at Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, which will replace several shops and an unused seven-story parking garage.

The development is slated to include several hundred apartments and a supermarket, said Xu, who is also planning to build two hotels near the LIRR station — a Marriott Courtyard and a Fairfield Inn and Suites — on Archer Avenue, near 149th Street.

Both hotels will be located in the same 16-story building. They will contain more than 330 hotel rooms and the developer expects to complete the project by spring 2019.

A 24-story Hilton Garden Inn, planned at 93-43 Sutphin Blvd., directly across the street from the AirTrain and Long Island Rail Road station, will bring another 210 rooms, a sit-down restaurant and a business center to the area. Groundbreaking is expected to take place sometime this year.

There are also plans for a nine-story Four Points Sheraton on 94th Avenue, which would boast 155 hotel rooms. The project still needs city approval, according to the Department of Buildings website.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS PLANNED NEAR LIRR/AIRTRAIN STATION IN DOWNTOWN JAMAICA: