Downtown Jamaica: Gateway to the New York Region Design, Market and Mobility Assessments December 2016 Acknowledgments This report was commissioned by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. Regional Plan Association Greater Jamaica Development Corporation Pierina Ana Sanchez, New York Director Hope Knight, President Robert Lane, Senior Fellow for Urban Design Justin Rodgers, Managing Director, Real Estate Development Jeffrey Zupan, Peter W. Herman Chair for Transportation and Urban Planning Christopher Jones, Senior Vice President and Chief Planner Jim Diego, Senior Project Manager, Real Estate Development Richard Barone, Vice President for Transportation and Urban Planning Vanessa Barrios, Associate Planner, Outreach Benjamin Oldenburg, Senior Graphic Designer Special thanks to the following for their contributions: Technical Advisory Committee** Jamaica NOW Leadership Council Patty Clark, Senior Advisor of Aviation Policy, PANYNJ Adrienne Adams, Chairperson, Queens Community Board 2 Frank DiMola, Executive Director, Terminal 4 Airline Consor- Rhonda Binda, Downtown Jamaica BID tium, JFK Airport (GJDC Board) Brian Browne, St. Johns University Ian Harris, Co-Chair, Jamaica NOW Leadership Council Nick Buron, Queens Library Central Branch Marcia Keizs, President, York College Ricardi Calixte, Queens Economic Development Corporation Peter Kulka, President, KJL Property Management Corporation Tonya Cantlo-Cockfield, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (GJDC Board) Clive Dawkins, Property Owner Meredith Marshall, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, BRP Kevin J. Forrestal, Community Board 8 Member Corporation Deepmalya Ghosh, Chider Center of NY Melva Miller, Deputy Borough President, Office of the Queens Glenn Greenidge, Sutphin BID Borough President Michael Griffith, NYC Department of Transportation Jeffrey Moerdler, Partner, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, Tyrell Hankerson, Resident and Popeo, P.C. (RPA NY Committee) Ian Harris*, Community Board 12 Member, Resident Elisa Picca, Executive Vice President, LIRR Howard Hecht, Community Leader Elliot G. Sander, Managing Director, Global Transportation and Cathy Hung, Jamaica Center For Arts & Learning / Jamaica Infrastructure, U.S., Hatch (GJDC Board/RPA Board) Performing Arts Center Michael Replogle, Deputy Commissioner for Policy, NYCDOT Derek Irby, Downtown Jamaica BIDs 165th St. Carlisle Towery, President Emeritus, GJDC Bilal Karriem, Community Board 12 Member Christopher Ward, Senior Vice President, Chief Executive Malikka Karteron, Community Leader Metro New York, AECOM Philippa Karteron, Community Leader Cali Williams, Vice President, NYCEDC Michele Keller, Business Owner William Wheeler, Director of Special Project Development & Tameka Pierre-Louis, Queens Community Board 8/ Queens Planning, MTA Library Robert Yaro, President Emeritus, RPA Justin Rodgers, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation John Young, Director, Queens Borough Office, Department of Pierina Ana Sanchez*, Regional Plan Association City Planning Aaron Schwartz, Commercial Property Owner Earl Simons, York College Nakita Vanstory, LaGuardia CC's Justice Community Program at SUNY EOC Bernard Warren, Jamaica YMCA Richard Werber, King Manor Museum * Co-chair of the Jamaica NOW Leadership Council Jonathan White, Community Leader ** Note: participation in the TAC does not indicate Montgomery Wilkinson, Resident endorsement of report recommendations Nadezhda Williams, King Manor Museum 2 Jamaica Airport Gateway | Regional Plan Association | December 2016 Source: RPA 3 Jamaica Airport Gateway | Regional Plan Association | December 2016 Contents Executive Summary / 5 V. Market Study Recommendations / 22 I. Introduction / 6 Introduction / 23 Regional Plan Association and Jamaica, a History / 6 Retail / 23 Issues Today / 6 Office / 25 Industrial: John F. Kennedy / 27 II. Conceptual Framework / 8 Industrial: Jamaica / 28 Hotel / 30 When the Aerotropolis Model Works / 8 Relationship to Previous Work / 30 Evaluating Jamaica as an Aerotropolis, Airport City and Airport Gateway / 9 Implementing the Aerotropolis Model in VI. Mobility Study Jamaica, the Airport Gateway / 10 Recommendations / 32 Introduction / 33 III. Community and Stakeholder Description of Transit System Serving Jamaica / 33 Engagement / 12 What Makes a Good Transit System? (Conceptual Framework) / 34 Jamaica NOW! Action Plan and Leadership Council / 12 Bus Service / 35 Community Board Statements of District Needs / 12 Subway Service / 37 Technical Advisory Committee / 13 Commuter Rail Service / 39 AirTrain / 41 IV. Design Study Jitneys / 41 Relationship to Previous Work / 43 Recommendations / 14 Summary / 43 Introduction / 15 Pulling it Together: An Urban Design VII. Recommendations Framework for Greater Jamaica / 15 What Can Get Built Here? Build-out Matrix / 44 for Greater Jamaica / 15 Strategic Nodes / 16 Findings and Recommendations / 19 Implementing the Urban Design Framework for Greater Jamaica / 20 Relationship to Previous Work / 21 4 Jamaica Airport Gateway | Regional Plan Association | December 2016 Executive Summary Home to over 500,000 residents of diverse backgrounds, at The market study recognized that Downtown Jamaica's commer- the nexus of rich bus, rail and airport infrastructure, Jamaica cial significance will grow tremendously as a result of projected is the gateway to the New York region. Upon landing at John long-term sea level rise over the next decades, which will require F. Kennedy International Airport, one is just minutes away from space at JFK Airport to be maximized for aeronautical activities Downtown Jamaica along the AirTrain. As one enters the down- while aviation-related cargo uses could be consolidated closer town, the community's vibrancy, combined with the levels of both to the airport to rationalize and improve cargo operations. In the public and private investments taking place, is astounding. The medium to long-term, aviation-related office and retail should be downtown has seen more than $1 billion in accelerating public attracted to Downtown Jamaica. The Downtown office market and private investments over the last decade, catalyzed by the could be catalyzed in the short term by creating a co-working 2003 completion of the AirTrain and a 2007 city rezoning that space that provides affordable spaces to local entrepreneurial enabled significant development capacity. Thousands of residen- young professionals. In the medium term, second floor office tial units, hotel rooms, and commercial spaces, public spaces and spaces could be maximized by leasing to smaller firms. Also in though delayed, several road redesigns, are in progress. Because the short term, the retail gap could begin to be addressed in a of this, there is a need to guide future investments to yield the way that creates more of a 24-hour district with more dining, best outcomes for the neighborhood and its diverse residents. entertainment and hospitality options, in a manner that protects the existing booming fashion and other offerings unique to This report surveyed Downtown Jamaica's urban design, Jamaica. Diverse food and beverage options should be promoted economy and transit links as part of Regional Plan Association's in planned hotels. Finally, the market study supported the design Fourth Regional Plan, and was informed by a robust community recommendation to revisit land uses south of the LIRR tracks in engagement process and a survey of previous studies. Sys- order to activate employment clusters with lighter uses that fit tematic improvements are recommended that would leverage with the downtown's commercial character. the Downtown's proximity to JFK Airport using the aerotropolis model for economic development. Key recommendations are The mobility study recommended ways to maximize Greater Jamaica's con- summarized below. Like recommendations in the forthcoming nectivity to surrounding neighborhoods, Manhattan and JFK Airport. Speeds Fourth Plan, the recommendations in this report are not con- could be improved on nine bus routes through bus rapid transit-type of strained by current regulatory restrictions or even political cycles, interventions, and the Q9 could be extended to address the transit coverage and instead, begin to envision Jamaica in 2040, with both short- gap to southwest and north Queens. Skip-stop operation in the reverse peak and long-term recommendations presented. could be considered to improve headways on the J/Z, and the LIRR's Atlantic Branch's service could be converted to a hybrid urban transit type service The urban design study treated the downtown as a system with between Jamaica and Babylon. In line with the Fourth Plan forthcoming a gateway at the Jamaica AirTrain and LIRR Station Area, and recommendations around regional rail: LIRR headways could be shortened key nodes throughout the downtown. In the short-term, designs in Jamaica; additional stops could be added to improve access for Jamaica are needed to address severe pedestrian and vehicular conges- residents and visitors; and LIRR pricing could be changed to extend the more tion that elevate stress levels in the community. Pedestrian, affordable CityTicket pricing, currently only available to city residents on the cyclist and transit use of space should be prioritized over private weekends, to all seven days. Finally, connection between the multi-modal automobiles and for-hire vehicles. A promising proposal is to Jamaica Station hub and Downtown Jamaica could be improved via physical maximize the potential of the 165th Street Bus Terminal as a vis- access