Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Council OKs sweeping rezoning for Jamaica, Queens
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Oct 30, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Arun Venugopal/Gothamist
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Oct 30, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A sweeping rezoning of Jamaica, Queens will fundamentally transform a 230-block area and pave the way for thousands of new homes, jobs and upgrades to local infrastructure, city lawmakers said.
The rezoning, which the City Council approved Wednesday by a 47-0 vote, is the largest in the city in at least two decades, according to Mayor Eric Adams' office.
It's expected to create 12,000 new homes, of which 4,000 would be deemed affordable. City planning officials said the zoning changes would also create 2 million square feet of new space for commercial use and community groups, which the city contends would help generate more than 7,000 jobs.
The rezoning would also result in new parks and playgrounds and improvements to sewers and other local infrastructure.
“ We are building a Jamaica that is walkable, vibrant and thriving. A hub where people can live, work, and play, not just pass through,” said Councilmember Nantasha Williams, who represents Jamaica and oversaw the plan. “ The Jamaica neighborhood plan is more than a rezoning. It's a reinvestment in our people, in our neighborhoods.”
The Council approval came despite local opposition. Members of Queens' Community Board 8 and Community Board 12 both rejected the neighborhood plan earlier this year in what are advisory votes, with one CB 8 member saying that the opposition largely stemmed from concerns that an influx of new residents would overwhelm local transit.
Other residents expressed fears that the changes would mean higher rents, forcing out longtime residents and small businesses. City planning officials said the zoning changes would result in higher density, including mixed-use developments in the downtown area.
Adams lauded the Council's action.
“From bustling storefronts to busy train lines, Jamaica is exactly where our city should be building new housing and creating new jobs,” Adams in a statement. “For too long, the neighborhood’s outdated zoning code has made it harder to do both; but today, we changed that.”
Dan Garodnick, the director of the Department of City Planning, said in an interview that the rezoning would help make the most of the neighborhood’s close proximity to JFK Airport and improve access to other parts of the city.
“ Jamaica has long been one of the most bustling commercial and transit hubs in the city, but unfortunately, what we've seen is that outdated zoning and a lack of housing and investment have really held this neighborhood,” Garodnick said. "Today we start the process of changing all of that.”
Tagged
Race And Justice Unit
economy
housing
queens
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .