FOR BREAKING NEWS VI SIT www.queenscourier.com january 8, 2015 • PERSON OF THE YEAR • The Queens Courier 45 person of the year s With Thanks For Your Years Of Service ASSEMBLYMEMBER DAVID WEPRIN District Office 185-06 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, NY 11366 718-454-3027 Fax: 718-454-3178 District Office 111-12 Atlantic Avenue, #5 Richmond Hill, NY 11419 718-805-2381 Fax: 718-805-2384 Airport in 2003, which further expanded Jamaica’s transportation hub to new heights. That transportation hub, which is now comprised of various subway lines, an LIRR station, numerous bus lines and the AirTrain, has become a magnet for development. After a 368-block rezoning was completed in downtown Jamaica in 2007 near the transit hub to allow more developments with commercial and residential uses, more and more developers have been planning large-scale projects there. Some local initiatives and projects that have helped shape Jamaica were original ideas the GJDC started under Towery’s leadership, such as the creation of the first business improvement district in the downtown area to focus on the growth of local stores and companies and the first green market in New York City. “Carlisle has been extremely successful in attracting government resources to the downtown, and has been a leader in urban revitalization and ahead of lots of other people with ideas of how to make things go better in downtowns,” said Andrew Manshel, the GJDC’s executive vice president. “He has integrated arts and culture in economic development way before that got to be a standard practice.” In 2014, the GJDC was proud to announce the development of a $225 million mixed-use, 29-story residential and commercial tower at the building it owns on 93-01 Sutphin Blvd. just north of the LIRR and AirTrain station. The project led numerous community leaders and politicians to proclaim the return of Jamaica, because it followed the 2013 announcement of a 210-room, 24-story hotel on the south side of the LIRR complex at 93-43 Sutphin Blvd., a plot of land that is partly owned by the GJDC. Jamaica also saw some sales last year that showed developers were highly interested in purchasing land in the area and building commercial centers or residential properties. A 90,000-square-foot building and parking garage at 163-05 and 163-25 Archer Ave., which has 719,736 square feet of buildable space, was sold for $22 million in October. Additionally, a development site at 147- 07 to 147-37 94th Ave., which has 420,000 buildable square feet, was listed for $24 million. Going forward, Towery believes that Jamaica is in need of more housing developments, since most of the GJDC’s projects and partnerships have been unrelated to housing. New housing in the area should be 50 percent market rate, 30 percent moderate income and 20 percent low income for Jamaica, he said in a published interview. Towery also said in that interview that his replacement should be a visionary who should pursue productive partnerships. Towery plans to retire with his wife to their home in Maine. But because he’ll always be interested in what Jamaica will become in the future, he hopes to keep a close eye on the neighborhood as it completes its transformation. We congratulate Carlisle Towery on his service to Jamaica. We are also thankful for his vision of Jamaica and look forward to being a part of the community Viral H. Patel
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