Ground broken for Jamaica Manor townhouse community

Real Estate Weekly, May 4, 1994

Groundbreaking was held April 29 for Jamaica Manor, a $13.5 million development which is a mixture of 34 two-family townhouses and 60 low-rise condominium apartments under the auspices of the New York City Housing Partnership, announced the developer, a partnership of R. Randy Lee, Julius Mehrberg and Alan Hoffman. The 128-unit project is located on scattered lots near York College in Jamaica, Queens, bounded by Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 160th Street, South Road and 109th Avenue.

Subsidies for the two-family townhouses, which sell for $158,000, and the condominium homes, which sell for $69,000 to $79,900, have been provided by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, New York State's Affordable Housing Corporation and Queens Borough President Claire Shulman's office. The subsidies make the homes affordable to families with incomes of $25,000 to $40,000 per year.

Both the two-family townhouses and condominiums feature brick and aluminum facades with mansard roofs and dormer windows, and have front and rear yards and off-street parking. Each two-family townhouse consists of a two-bedroom rental apartment on the ground floor, plus a three-bedroom duplex with a master bedroom suite located on the third floor for privacy. Condominiums are also two- and three-bedrooms. A Hollywood kitchen with a two-door refrigerator and gas stove, dining room and wall-to-wall carpeting are provided in all homes.

"Bringing affordable homeownership to Jamaica is the crowning achievement of our 20 year-old organization," says Cathy Mickens, executive director of the community sponsor for Jamaica Manor, Jamaica Neighborhood Housing Services.

Occupancy for the project, which is being designed by DiFiore & Giacobbe, Brooklyn-based architects, is expected to start in December 1994. Financing was provided by Jamaica Savings Bank.

Lee, as president of The Leewood Real Estate Group, has developed and/or built over 2,500 housing units in New York City. In addition, Lee has over 300 units currently under development and/or construction in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island.