Plan Overview
In October 2025, the New York City Council approved the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan in Jamaica, Queens.
The plan will update the area's zoning code to create nearly 12,000 new homes across nearly 230 blocks of this transit-accessible neighborhood.
Additionally, by mapping Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) in the neighborhood at scale for the first time and requiring new developments to include affordable housing, the plan will ensure that approximately 4,000 of the new homes are permanently affordable, creating the largest MIH area in the city to date.
The plan also opens the door to new commercial and industrial space, unlocking economic opportunities for residents and businesses and creating 7,000 new permanent jobs.
To support this growth, the Adams administration pledged investing over $400 million in infrastructure, including sewer upgrades to reduce flooding; new and improved public spaces; safer, more walkable streets; and more.
The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan will bring additional updates to:
- The Downtown Core: Allow high-density, mixed-use developments with permanently affordable housing, active ground floor retail, and community services along Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue, a transit-rich area served by the E, J, and Z trains. Densities slightly decrease further north, between Jamaica Avenue and Hillside Avenue.
- Southern Corridors: Encourage mixed-use, mid-rise developments with locally-serving retail and community facilities along Hillside Avenue, western Jamaica Avenue, Liberty Avenue, Sutphin Boulevard, Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, and Merrick Boulevard.
- South Core: For the first time in 60 years, bring new housing immediately to the south of Jamaica Station and the Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer subway station. It will also generate commercial and light manufacturing near world-class transit resources.
- Industrial Growth Area: New growth manufacturing zoning supports new employment and local businesses.
