NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams released a landmark plan to transform the Jewel Streets area in Brooklyn and Queens into a safer, more affordable neighborhood, delivering long-overdue infrastructure upgrades, laying the foundation for thousands of new homes, and improving quality of life for current and future residents.
The plan, which marks the culmination of more than two years of deep community engagement since its launch in June 2023 includes a new, comprehensive drainage system to address chronic flooding in the neighborhood as well as new bus lane and traffic safety improvements along Linden Boulevard.
Additionally, as part of the neighborhood plan, the city will transform 17 acres of city-owned land into 1,400 new homes and pursue an area-wide rezoning proposal for the neighborhood to unlock another 3,600 homes as well.
The Adams administration will immediately begin implementation of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan, investing in infrastructure investments and new housing as well as kicking off the public approval process for the plan this year. Altogether, the city will invest over $146 million in upgrading the neighborhood’s streets and infrastructure.
“New Yorkers in this neighborhood are the crown jewel of our city; unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the area’s infrastructure. For too long, the Jewel Streets neighborhood has suffered from chronic flooding, dangerous streets, and a dire housing shortage. When we came into office, we said the days of letting government ignore the Jewel Streets and leaving residents to fend for themselves were over, and today, with the release of this plan, we are again keeping our word,” said Mayor Adams.
“After two years of community engagement, we are not only unveiling but implementing a landmark neighborhood plan that invests nearly $150 million in this neighborhood to create a safer, more affordable Jewel Streets with new sewers to address flooding, street upgrades to protect pedestrians and bikers, and plans for thousands of new homes. From the North Shore of Staten Island to Jamaica, Queens, our administration is fighting to make sure that every neighborhood is a safe, affordable place to raise your family.”
“For too long the residents of the Jewel Streets have waited to see real change in their neighborhood,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth.
“Over the past two years, the community has worked alongside the city to tackle illegal dumping and nuisance flooding, but more is needed. The new Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan lays out a long-term, all-inclusive strategy to deliver the infrastructure and investment this community deserves — creating a safer, stronger, and more resilient neighborhood for current and future residents.”
“After years of extensive engagement, this administration is presenting an historic vision for the Jewel Streets,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr.
“Our plan will bring much-needed infrastructure improvements, support for existing homeowners and approximately 5,000 units of new housing to the Jewel Streets. I look forward to seeing this neighborhood plan advance and ultimately be implemented to vastly improve the lives of generations of New Yorkers.”
“We want to congratulate the residents of the Jewel Streets for this historic win in the fight for the long-overdue justice they deserve. When we began organizing in the Jewel Streets four years ago, residents told us they had tried raising their concerns with various government offices for decades to no avail. It is an understatement to say that they were frustrated and jaded, and many felt like giving up. Nevertheless, residents were ready to try again so we formed the Justice for the Jewel Streets Coalition and organized relentlessly around collective demands for investment and infrastructure. Today, we are thrilled that the city has released this detailed plan to address flooding over the long term,” said Debra Ack, co-Founder and board member, East New York Community Land Trust (ENYCLT).
“We are proud that our community will be the site of the Resilient Acquisitions program, the city’s first-ever pre-disaster voluntary buyout and retrofit program. The plan is a testament to the power of community organizing and what can be achieved when residents and city agencies work together in good faith. ENYCLT will continue organizing so that residents’ voices are heard through the plan’s design and implementation phases. We will advocate for a just and equitable Resilient Acquisitions program that compensates and supports homeowners and tenants who have endured decades of disinvestment whether they choose to stay or leave.”
“We at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, proud members of the Justice for the Jewel Streets Coalition, applaud the city’s comprehensive neighborhood plan for the Jewel Streets, which came out of years of our coalition’s grassroots organizing and real collaboration between residents, advocates, and city agencies,” said Meredith McNair, senior community planner, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, Inc.
“For far too long, this community has gone without basic infrastructure, fending for themselves in the face of constant flooding, faulty septic systems, and rampant illegal dumping. Today, we move towards a more livable, resilient future for the neighborhood, complete with infrastructure upgrades, bluebelt ponds, affordable housing, and a voluntary buy-out and retrofit program for residents in flood-prone areas. We celebrate these historic wins and will continue to work with the city to ensure that resident needs, climate resiliency, and equitable development remain front and center throughout the implementation phase.”
