By Philip Newman
At the monthly Borough Board meeting, eight council members
heard from R. William Harvey, a project manager at the city Economic Development Corporation, and Carlisle Towery, president of the GJDC, on what the sale would mean for the economic revival in downtown Jamaica and what the GJDC planned.
They then voted to approve the sale. But the required quorum of eight of the 14 council members representing Queens was short one vote after Councilwoman Julia Harrison (D-Flushing) abstained.
Councilwoman Juanita Watkins (D-Laurelton) was en route, however, and with the assurance that she would arrive late, the Queens Borough Board delayed adjourning its meeting for perhaps 10 minutes past the close of regular business.
Watkins rushed into the room with one arm raised and proclaimed “aye,” cinching approval of the sale of the parking lots to Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.
The measure must now go to the full City Council for a vote and requires the signature of the mayor to be implemented.
The land to be sold by the city to GJDC includes two lots on 168th Street and 91st Avenue and a parking garage on Archer Avenue and 165th Street. It will provide accommodations for 1,105 vehicles.
Metered parking spaces in downtown Jamaica are scarce and municipal lots are usually filled with cars belonging to government office workers.
“A better maintained parking facility will create good will and people will shop more,” Towery told the meeting. “Also, although downtown Jamaica is safe, we want the perception that it is safe.”
After the meeting, he said his agency can now get started on the first steps toward renewing the parking facilities.
“We will probably start right after the first of the year on financing this project,” Towery said after the vote. “It will mean raising nearly $5 million through loans, which would be paid back over 20 years.”
“We plan to make dramatic improvements, including the planting of trees and providing other types of beautification,” he said.
In addition, he said the new parking facilities would include uniformed gate attendants and other employees, including security agents.
“This will provide a safe and attractive environment that we believe will bring many more shoppers to downtown Jamaica,” Towery said. “At the same time, we will keep parking rates reasonable.”
Towery has long contended that although Jamaica has needed more parking spaces, it could not afford to turn city-owned space over to regular parking companies because such rates would drive away shoppers to Nassau County malls, where parking is both plentiful and free.
“We cannot take market value parking and survive,” Towery told a meeting of Community Board 12 ,which covers downtown Jamaica, before it approved the sale of the city lots earlier this year.
