By Courtney Dentch
A plan to create a business improvement district on Sutphin Boulevard in downtown Jamaica is moving forward, but the nine-block strip was shortened by three blocks after a property owner pulled out of the project.
The steering committee has had preliminary meetings with city agencies and Community Board 12 to discuss the BID, which would now stretch from Hillside Avenue to 94th Avenue along Sutphin Boulevard and could be up and running by next summer, steering committee members said.
The district's budget, funded through an additional real estate tax paid by the property owners, would allow the group to pay for additional services such as sanitation and safety patrols and decorative lamps, plants and benches. A portion of the project would be funded through a $1.5 million federal grant, which would cover the installation of plants, benches, lights and information kiosks from Jamaica to Hillside avenues, said April Jones, a steering committee member.
The BID is aimed at capitalizing on foot traffic from the Queens County Surrogate's Court at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd. and the Queens County Civil Court at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd., as well as the AirTrain Terminal at the corner of 94th Avenue, which is set to open by the end of this year.
The BID was to have included the blocks between 94th Avenue and 97th Avenue, but it was altered after Clinton Graham, who owns several pieces of property in that area, decided not to continue with the project, he said.
“I don't think it would benefit me enough for the price I would be paying for it,” Graham said. “I think it will be healthy for the area, but if I don't believe in a product, I won't sell it.”
The dues would have cost Graham an additional $30,000 a year, not including the 18.5 percent property tax increase, he said. Also, Graham's properties are farther away from the court business, said Robin Eshaghpour, a steering committee member.
“They are not so close to all the action,” he said. “They don't have a lot of foot traffic. They felt it wasn't going to be beneficial to them.”
But the change has not set the BID process back, Eshaghpour said. At a preliminary meeting with CB 12, which covers the area, board members were receptive to the idea and expressed hope the BID would draw more upscale retailers to Sutphin Boulevard.
“Several members of the board thought that retailers on the boulevard don't offer the quality of goods and services that members of the board would like to see,” Eshaghpour said. “We are hoping to move the boulevard in a more upscale direction to benefit the needs of the community and commuters.”
In addition to a fitness center, a hotel and more retail opportunities, Eshaghpour would like to see chain restaurants and coffee houses on Sutphin, he said.
“We don't have any type of affordable-priced fine dining,” he said. “This is a commuting boulevard. It is very important that we are able to present things to the commuters who travel through here that will attract them.”
In order to attract the commuters and the businesses, the BID proposal includes plans for a six-day-a-week sanitation crew to collect garbage and sweep the streets, street banners and holiday lighting to promote the area, and the “Queens Watch” program, which will keep merchants in immediate touch with the 103rd Police Precinct.
“Approval of the BID will greatly increase the quality and prestige of Sutphin Boulevard and contribute to the continuing economic advancement of downtown Jamaica,” said Joy Tomchin, a steering committee member. “It will benefit property owners and businesses along Sutphin and nearby residents.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
