2008 Woodie Awards
New dorms cause stir in Jamaica Estates
Everton Bailey, Staff Writer
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
Some local residents are up in arms over the current construction of a new St. John's off-campus dormitory in a Jamaica Estates neighborhood. Their anger stems from the University not consulting with the community before agreeing to the construction, according to affected homeowners.
The new six-story dorm is under construction at 172-14 Henley Road and will house 485 students. The building is expected to be completed by August 2009.
The area where Henley Road is zoned limits buildings to being 40 feet high, but a technicality in the zone's community facility rules will allow the planned 62 foot building to be constructed, according to a September 18 Daily News article.
The Henley Road dorm will be the third off-campus building for the Queens Campus. The Seton Complex on Union Turnpike and the DePaul townhouses are the other two.
According to a September 20 Daily News article, local residents were not officially informed of the Queens campus' plans until a community dialogue meeting last Tuesday.
In a September 18 St. John's press release, the University stressed that it was not the owner or developer of the project. However, they were engaged in ongoing talks with the owner before plans to build the off-campus dorm were set.
A 10 year lease agreement for the building was signed in early August.
The press release indicates that the community was left in the dark about the new off-campus housing plans because "early public dialogue on this issue would have been premature and speculative on the University's part."
The press release also stated, "St. John's consistently has made it known that it seeks appropriate residential sites in the community for the growing number of requests for university-controlled student housing.
"In an effort to comply with that demand, we have entered into the lease agreement with the owner and developer of this site."
In the September 20 issue of the Fresh Meadow Times, City Councilman James Gennaro referred to the project as a "sucker punch."
The new six-story dorm is under construction at 172-14 Henley Road and will house 485 students. The building is expected to be completed by August 2009.
The area where Henley Road is zoned limits buildings to being 40 feet high, but a technicality in the zone's community facility rules will allow the planned 62 foot building to be constructed, according to a September 18 Daily News article.
The Henley Road dorm will be the third off-campus building for the Queens Campus. The Seton Complex on Union Turnpike and the DePaul townhouses are the other two.
According to a September 20 Daily News article, local residents were not officially informed of the Queens campus' plans until a community dialogue meeting last Tuesday.
In a September 18 St. John's press release, the University stressed that it was not the owner or developer of the project. However, they were engaged in ongoing talks with the owner before plans to build the off-campus dorm were set.
A 10 year lease agreement for the building was signed in early August.
The press release indicates that the community was left in the dark about the new off-campus housing plans because "early public dialogue on this issue would have been premature and speculative on the University's part."
The press release also stated, "St. John's consistently has made it known that it seeks appropriate residential sites in the community for the growing number of requests for university-controlled student housing.
"In an effort to comply with that demand, we have entered into the lease agreement with the owner and developer of this site."
In the September 20 issue of the Fresh Meadow Times, City Councilman James Gennaro referred to the project as a "sucker punch."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Leslie Weinberg
posted 10/01/07 @ 11:40 PM NA
Unfortunately for the residents who do care, Jamaica Estates brought this on themselves. Instead of addressing the overbuilding and development of the area, and pushing for downzoning in certain quadrants, to preserve the aesthetics and quality of life, they have conributed to the loss of real estate value throughout the neighborhood. (Continued…)
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