Photos: John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
QUEENS, NY — This week, Deputy Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams convened Deputy Mayors, senior City agency officials, community stakeholders, and local leaders Wednesday for an interagency walkthrough of Downtown Jamaica focused on improving public safety, addressing persistent quality-of-life concerns, and strengthening coordination across City government.
The tour began with a briefing at Greater Nexus before participants moved through Downtown Jamaica, with a particular focus on the Sutphin Boulevard corridor, to observe conditions firsthand and discuss concerns related to sanitation, public safety and enforcement, transportation, homelessness and supportive services, street and sidewalk conditions, parks and other issues affecting residents, businesses and visitors.
Williams previously convened a similar walkthrough with the prior Administration. While that effort resulted in improvements to several conditions identified at the time, some concerns have persisted or reemerged. Wednesday’s walkthrough brought the current Administration and agency leadership together to identify both immediate interventions and longer-term solutions that can improve safety and quality of life along the corridor.
“As Downtown Jamaica continues to grow and transform, the people and businesses who are already here need to experience that progress in their everyday lives,” said Deputy Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams. “We have brought agencies together and walked these streets before, and we know focused attention can produce results. What I want to see this time is lasting change. I appreciate this Administration and every agency that came out to see these conditions firsthand. We will continue this work through our debrief, direct agency follow-up and clear next steps because residents and businesses deserve to see meaningful improvements long after the walkthrough is over.”
“Residents and businesses in Jamaica have been clear about the challenges they are seeing every day. The people asked, and we answered,” said Council Member Ty Hankerson. “Jamaica is one of Queens’ most important transit hubs, serving our neighbors, daily commuters, and travelers heading to and from the airports. These conditions cannot be the first impression people get of our community. If we want people to work here, shop here, visit here, and live here, Jamaica has to look and feel like a place people want to come back to.”
Throughout the tour, agency leaders discussed sanitation and street conditions; public safety and enforcement; illegal parking and traffic conditions; coordination among NYPD, TLC, and transportation partners around Jamaica’s major transit hubs; management and placement of micromobility infrastructure; and coordination around shelters and services. Deputy Speaker Williams’ office will reconvene participating agencies for a debrief to review what was identified during the walkthrough, establish next steps and determine where additional agency-specific follow-up is needed.
The historic Jamaica Neighborhood Plan secured significant commitments and investments in housing, infrastructure, parks, schools, cultural institutions and economic opportunity, along with the creation of an Oversight Task Force to help ensure those commitments are carried out. As that work moves forward, Deputy Speaker Williams has emphasized that Jamaica’s long-term transformation must also address the day-to-day conditions experienced by the residents and businesses that make Downtown Jamaica the vibrant community it is today and will continue to shape its future.
“With nearly 12,000 units of housing coming to Downtown Jamaica, it is imperative that community safety and cleanliness remain at the forefront as we bring new development to the area,” said Assemblywoman Alicia L. Hyndman. “During the interagency walkthrough, constituents told staff from my office that drug use and drug paraphernalia on the streets, violence and illegal dumping are some of their top concerns. For far too long these issues have been neglected, and we must address them immediately for current residents and for those who intend to make Downtown Jamaica their new home.” said Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman.
“Thank you to Deputy Speaker Dr. Williams and her team for organizing Wednesday’s walkthrough and bringing so many key city agencies together. Addressing long-standing trouble spots in the Southeast Queens corridors—especially the sanitation and quality-of-life issues under the LIRR trestles near York College—requires exactly this kind of leadership and partnership. I look forward to continuing to work with our elected officials and city and community partners to turn these conversations into concrete improvements for our York College community and neighbors,” said Dr. Claudia Schrader, President of York College/CUNY, located in Jamaica, Queens, NY.
Participants included Council Member Ty Hankerson; Deputy Mayor Helen Arteaga-Landaverde; Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson; Deputy Mayor Renita Francois; representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Congressman Gregory Meeks’ Office, Senator Leroy Comrie’s Office, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman’s Office, and Queens Borough President’s Office; Commanding Officer Genienne King of the NYPD 103rd Precinct; officials from Queens Supreme Court; and representatives from the NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Parks, HRA/DHS, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, MTA and MTA Police, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, Queens Community Board 12, Downtown Jamaica BID, York College, and additional government and community partners.
