Comrie holding up designation of Jamaica Savings Bank for owner approval

From the Times Ledger 01/17/2008City in talks with owner to landmark Jamaica bankBy Ivan Pereira The City Council and the Landmarks Preservation Commission are waiting to see whether a landlord will allow his historical building in downtown Jamaica to become a city landmark.For more than 30 years, the city has been trying to make the […]

Comrie holding up designation of Jamaica Savings Bank for owner approval

From the Times Ledger 01/17/2008City in talks with owner to landmark Jamaica bankBy Ivan Pereira The City Council and the Landmarks Preservation Commission are waiting to see whether a landlord will allow his historical building in downtown Jamaica to become a city landmark.For more than 30 years, the city has been trying to make the […]

Jamaica Savings Bank Still Not Landmarked; Comrie Still On The Fence

Mr. Comrie knows full well that a building’s condition is not a predicating factor for landmark designation. He is underlining the politics of the situation (by implying that unless he is satisfied with LPC’s answers – he will overturn the designation) and by doing so, undercuts the landmarks process. From the Queens Chronicle Historic Jamaica […]

Jamaica Savings Bank: maybe this time the designation will stick?

What this story neglects to mention is that the Landmarks Preservation Commission already designated this building not once but twice – and both times the designation was overturned by local politicians (the last one being Archie Spigner, Mr. Comrie’s former boss). Of course the LPC wants his assurances that he will support it! Owner of […]

Jamaica Savings Bank: maybe this time the designation will stick?

What this story neglects to mention is that the Landmarks Preservation Commission already designated this building not once but twice – and both times the designation was overturned by local politicians (the last one being Archie Spigner, Mr. Comrie’s former boss). Of course the LPC wants his assurances that he will support it! Owner of […]

Watch Jamaica Grow

From the Queens Courier FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2007Big Changes ComingDevelopments already planned for downtown JamaicaBY PETE DAVIS The downtown Jamaica area Queens residents see today could be very different in a few short years with many private developments and public infrastructure improvements on the horizon. When the city council certified the Jamaica Plan, the largest […]

Jamaica Plan Approved By Council

Only Jamaica ‘Nays’Come From Queens By SASHA AUSTRIE After years of brainstorming, hearings, and amendments, the Jamaica Rezoning Plan has cleared the final hurdle. In a vote of 45 to 3, the plan was approved by the City Council. The three who voted against the plan were Queens Councilmen Tony Avella (D-Bayside), Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh […]

Jamaica Plan Gets Mixed Response

From the New York Times August 25, 2007Southeast Queens Is Split Over Makeover ProposalBy ELLEN BARRY When Gloria Black looks into Jamaica’s future, she sees a grand restoration: Department stores will move into spaces where discount jewelers sell removable gold teeth; vacant storefronts, their windows taped up with yellowing newspaper, will fill one by one. […]

Jamaica Plan Passes City Council Zoning Committee

From the New York Times August 23, 2007Council Committee Backs Rezoning Plan to Turn Jamaica Into an ‘Airport Village’ By DIANE CARDWELL A plan to transform downtown Jamaica, Queens, into a vibrant “airport village” while preserving the quiet, low-scale character of neighboring side streets cleared an important City Council committee yesterday, all but ensuring final […]

City Planning Passes Jamaica & Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Rezoning

City Advances Widescale RezoningBY Special to the SunJuly 12, 2007URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/58299 The City Planning Commission passed two sweeping rezoning plans yesterday in an effort to curb out of scale development on residential streets of three neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. Plans for the a 368-block section of Jamaica, Queens and a 99-block section of Brooklyn’s […]