BEAUDOIN REALTY GROUP can help you navigate a transforming Jackson Heights JBY EMILY DAVENPORT ackson Heights has always been a beautiful, historic neighborhood in Queens. If you’re looking to buy something in Jackson Heights, you’re going to need someone who can help you navigate the town with ease, like Michele Beaudoin of Beaudoin Realty Group Inc. Born and raised in Jackson Heights, Beaudoin remembers riding her bike around as a kid, getting to know the neighborhood. She graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1983 and worked as an interior designer. She started to sell real estate in 1985, and after spending time living in Manhattan, Stamford, CT, and Puerto Rico, she found her way back to Jackson Heights in 1996 and eventually founded the Beaudoin Realty Group. Having spent a lot of time in Jackson Heights, Beaudoin has seen how Jackson Heights has changed over the years. “Jackson Heights was a planned community and it began to get developed in 1916 with the arrival of the Flushing line,” Beaudoin said. “The community was originally planned for upper- and middle-class income.” However, Beaudoin noted that during the 1960s, due to Nixon’s Urban Planning, the country saw a change in immigration laws, which resulted in Jackson Heights becoming more diverse. Mixed- and low-income housing residents began to live side by side with those in the upper and middle classes. 36 FEBRUARY 2 0 1 7 “It’s one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world, or at the least in America,” Beaudoin said. “It’s the original co-op community, mostly made up of historic property. However, it is seeing more development on the outskirts of the historic district.” There are more than 2,200 historic buildings in Jackson Heights, with 200+ original apartment buildings still in existence. These days, larger apartments in the historic district (two bedrooms, two bathrooms and up) can cost you $500 to $600 per square foot. Smaller apartments will cost a buyer $400 per square foot, due to the lower ceilings and smaller room sizes. However, the growth in co-op conversions is causing buyers to pay more for an upgraded living space. “The conversions, such as the one happening at Washington Plaza, are having people pay up for a co-op in Jackson Heights because of the quality,” Beaudoin said. “These new co-ops have that attention to detail and high ceilings, which is very appealing to buyers.” So, what does the future have in store for Jackson Heights? We can expect more developments in the area, she said. “A large development is coming south of the historic district at 40-31 82nd St.,” said Beaudoin. “It’s a 160,000-squarefoot project that is being developed by Hefkel Group and Sun Equity Partners. Elias Hefkel is a Queens developer who developed most of Austin Street in Jackson Heights.”
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