Queens Chronicle, Thursday, July 21, 2005 By Sametta Thompson, Eastern/Southeastern
Queens Assistant Editor
A ribbon-cutting ceremony
was held last Thursday in Downtown Jamaica to honor Ciampa Organization and the
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation for joining forces to build a public
parking garage and an apartment complex with a public walkway in the area.
The event, which was held in front of the parking lot on 162nd Street, featured
various elected officials, local business owners and concerned residents.
Jamaica
First Parking, a unit of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, is a low-cost
406-space garage that is three stories tall with entrances on 162nd and 163rd
Streets.
The $11-million garage is GJDC’s fifth parking facility in the area. It
includes 5,000 square feet of street-level retail space, which will be leased
to a furniture store when it opens in September.
With the cooperation of the Ciampa Organization, the garage’s service area was
expanded by creating a public walkway called Jamaica Pathway, between 162nd and
161st Streets.
With the walkway in place, pedestrians and customers utilizing the garage can
walk from 163rd to 161st Streets easily.
The walkway is part of Ciampa’s 180-unit Yorkside Towers, the first market-rate
residential rental housing constructed in Downtown Jamaica in over 30 years.
The first phase of the housing unit opened last year and the second, this year.
Joseph Ciampa, president of the Ciampa Organization, said the collaboration is
“great for the community. The pathway can be used by all pedestrians to connect
between the blocks.”
F.
Carlisle Towery, president of GJDC, said that unlike commercial parking
operations, the reasonably priced parking garage along with the walkway will
increase shopping and other business activity in Jamaica Center.
He thinks that the pathway built to accommodate the parking facility will serve
people in the community well.
The
parking garage is for both short-and long-term parking and begins at $3 per
hour and goes up to $12 for 24 hours.
Towery said, “Jamaica First Parking’s achievements are countering the
attraction of free parking in nearby Nassau County malls. The availability of
affordable parking is an essential element in Jamaica Center’s economic
vitality and growth.”
He hopes the efforts will be matched by continued government support to
increase off-street parking, especially in the Sutphin Boulevard corridor and
near the new AirTrain Terminal where there is an enormous need for off-street
facilities.
Gloria Black, chairperson of Community Board 12 is “excited about the
organizations’ taking the lead and initiative to revitalize the community.” She
hopes this is just the beginning of innovative ideas for the community.
Helen Marshall, Queens Borough President said, “parking is very necessary
because it is a problem every financial district encounters.” She is impressed
with the two organizations sharing the same vision in improving the area with
housing and parking.
Marcia Keizs, president of York College, believes the parking will also serve
the students. “The parking, housing and pathway are very accommodating to the
area,” Keizs said.
Michael Blake, commanding officer and deputy inspector of the 103rd Precinct, said
he “supports anything that’s going to relieve the flow and congestion of
traffic.” He also thinks it will likely eliminate getting tickets and
summonses.
Although he commends the organizations’ for coming together and enhancing
economic life and development, Thomas Crater of the Beautification Committee of
Downtown Jamaica, said “now we may need traffic enforcement officers for the
traffic jam that may occur between the long block of Jamaica and 89th Avenues.”