QUEENS — Gotham Greens, a Brooklyn-based urban greenhouse company, has begun construction on a vast rooftop facility in Jamaica which is expected to produce more than 500 tons of fresh vegetables a year.
The 60,000 square foot greenhouse, according to the company’s website, is slated to start growing leafy greens and herbs later this year.
The project, which is being built on the roof of a four-story manufacturing building at 184-60 Jamaica Ave., will be one of the largest of its kind in the country.
In 2012, Gotham Greens was awarded $902,000 from the Regional Economic Development Councils for the project, which is expected to create 40 permanent and 50 construction jobs, according to the EDC.
“This is an exciting project that aims to help alleviate the burden of insufficient access to fresh food, and we look forward to the future economic and environmental benefits it will provide to the Jamaica community," EDC spokeswoman, Maria Michalos, said in an email.
The high-tech greenhouse will grow plants hydroponically — in water, as opposed to soil — and use a state-of-the-art LED lighting system.
Yvonne Reddick, district manager for Community Board 12, said that she believes the enterprise will benefit the neighborhood.
“It’s a green project and that’s extremely important for the environment,” she said.
The pesticide-free vegetables will be distributed among local stores and markets.
Gotham Greens already operates a 15,000-square feet rooftop greenhouse in Greenpoint, and a 20,000-square feet facility on the roof of Whole Foods Market in Gowanus. It is also planning to build another 75,000-square feet greenhouse in Chicago, according to the company's website.
Currently, the company's produce is available at numerous places throughout New York, including Whole Food Market, D'Agostino and Fresh Direct.
