Opinion: Transformative change or missed opportunity? Jamaica Neighborhood Plan falls short

For nearly two years, southeast Queens has been told that the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan would mark a turning point. This was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse decades of neglect and secure real, lasting investment in downtown Jamaica. I embraced this process with urgency and resolve, working in good faith with agencies, advocates and neighbors to ensure the plan reflected our community’s priorities.

The recent hearing before the Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises brought that process into sharper focus. Community members testified on key aspects of the plan, raising important concerns, some of which I share, underscoring the need for the city to follow through on commitments. The Department of City Planning, Housing Preservation & Development, Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection presented updates and responded to questions, including issues I’ve consistently raised: long-overdue sewer and stormwater infrastructure upgrades, groundwater flooding relief, open space and transit improvements, school capacity, support for cultural institutions, pathways to homeownership and protection for local businesses and faith-based organizations.

When the Jamaica Plan was first announced in 2023, it was presented as a vision for equity and renewal. From the start, my office identified the investments necessary to make that vision real: affordable homeownership opportunities, infrastructure upgrades, transformative improvements at York College, stronger cultural institutions, expanded healthcare access, transit upgrades and long overdue solutions to flooding. These were not abstract requests. They were the foundation of a thriving Jamaica, a blueprint for fairness and stability.

Eighteen months later, those foundations are missing. In September 2024, I sat down with Mayor Eric Adams to press these priorities directly. In June 2025, when the FY2026 budget was adopted, none of the commitments tied to these conversations were honored. The absence of funding for critical sewer infrastructure, the Queens STEAM Center and cultural anchors like the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning and King Manor cannot be explained away as oversight. These omissions represent a profound failure to meet the moment.

This week’s hearing only underscored these concerns. Agency officials acknowledged that school capacity in school districts in southeast Queens will be pushed beyond 100%, yet no concrete sites for new schools have been identified. Questions about sewer and stormwater capacity revealed that studies focused only on treatment plants, not the already overburdened neighborhood sewer lines. Promises of $2 billion for “City of Yes” sewer investments remain vague, with no clear assurance that flooding and groundwater issues in southeast Queens will be addressed.

Concerns about open space were met with vague references to plazas near the LIRR and the fact it remains “challenging” to identify new sites. Residents raised safety issues along Jamaica Avenue and Liberty Avenue, but DOT’s response was simply that a study will be launched “next year.” Meanwhile, the oversaturation of hotels as shelters – which has long been flagged by the community as hindering economic development – was dismissed as a matter of “legal obligation,” without a strategy to balance shelter needs with neighborhood revitalization.

It is especially painful to see this neglect under the leadership of a mayor who himself hails from southeast Queens. To make public commitments and then deliver nothing is not just disappointing. It undermines trust in the government itself. Moving forward, I cannot and will not accept promises that are not backed by concrete action.

The stakes could not be higher. The Jamaica Plan holds the potential to deliver nearly 12,000 units of new housing, but housing without infrastructure is not progress. Growth without accountability is not justice. Without meaningful investment, the plan risks compounding inequities rather than correcting them.

Meanwhile, the challenges our community faces every day remain urgent and unaddressed. The oversaturation of hotel shelters strains resources. Groundwater flooding damages homes and destabilizes livelihoods. School overcrowding continues to worsen. Open space remains scarce. Cultural institutions, which are pillars of our community identity, struggle without adequate funding. Forward-looking ideas like an open space along 149th Street, affordable condominiums on Parsons Boulevard, an illegal dumping bounty program or a Downtown Jamaica Oversight Task Force remain ignored despite their clear potential to deliver results.

This community has waited too long for half measures. Residents deserve modern infrastructure, safe and affordable housing, thriving cultural spaces and accountable leadership. The Adams administration must choose whether the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan will be a transformative step forward or another chapter in the long history of broken promises to southeast Queens.

I remain committed to securing a plan that is bold, transparent and just. I will not lend my support to anything less. The people of Jamaica have been clear about their needs and aspirations. It is time for this administration to show that it is listening and that it is prepared to act.

The future of downtown Jamaica hangs in the balance. What happens in the coming weeks, as the plan moves toward a full City Council vote, will determine not only the success of this plan but the credibility of the city’s commitment to accountability and equity. Empty promises will not suffice.