Years in the making, co-working space opens in Downtown Jamaica
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(From left to right) Assemblymember Clyde Vanel, Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development Hope Knight, New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Governor Kathy Hochul, GJDC President Justin Rodgers, State Senator Leroy Comrie and Association for a Better New York CEO Melva Miller at the ribbon cutting of Greater Nexus, a new co-working space in Downtown Jamaica on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By Jacob Kaye
It’s been years in the making – but after the original champion of a new co-working space in Downtown Jamaica was promoted into Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration, the project got just the boost it needed.
Hochul joined a number of Queens elected officials and local leaders in Downtown Jamaica on Wednesday to celebrate the impending opening of Greater Nexus, an $11 million co-working space sponsored by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, York College and the state.
Greater Nexus, located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd., aims to serve as a hub for small start-up business and local nonprofits. The 1,800-square-foot co-working space will be open to tenants beginning next month, and can hold 80 to 100 people.
The site, which will be operated by GJDC, features open workspaces, conference rooms, soundproof phone rooms and a podcast studio. Tenants can rent and choose to work from a desk in the open space, a cubicle or private office. Greater Nexus will also feature training events, including a financial service offered free of charge to tenants and operated by Ponce Bank, a New York-based financial institution.
“Something I really believe in is when you have communities that rise up and form a vision that is theirs – it’s not dictated by Albany, it’s not me sitting in my office saying, ‘I think Jamaica needs this, I think Queens needs this,’” Hochul said. “This is created by the community.”
Greater Nexus, a new co-working space in Downtown Jamaica, will open to tenants at the start of August. Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Whispers of the project began in 2016, when Hope Knight ran the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation – Knight was appointed to serve as the commissioner of the Department of Economic Development and as the president and CEO of Empire State Development in October.
Hochul, who was serving as lieutenant governor at the time, said that the co-working space was one of a number ideas being considered for the neighborhood, but that it was also “one of the best.”
“This is a new beginning, and I'm very energized to see that you got the job done,” Hochul said. “Because sometimes things start out as ideas or concepts, but it takes a lot of hard work and pushing, and pushing to get through all the barriers.”
And there were barriers.
Though they held a groundbreaking ceremony in 2019, the GJDC was prepared to begin work on the building in March 2020, just as the pandemic began, delaying the start of construction at the site formerly used by Queens County’s Family Court.
“Today we're seeing how all that hard work has paid off,” Knight said. “This project continues the tremendous resurgence in the downtown, and we are very excited about what's to come.”
Wednesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony also served as a coming out ceremony for Justin Rodgers, who officially replaced Knight as the president and CEO of GJDC in June. Completing Greater Nexus was the first thing on his to-do list after taking the leadership role.
“Hope, this is your vision and we're finally at the finish line,” Rodgers said. “It took a village to get to this point.”
In addition to the pandemic delays, COVID-19 supply chain issues raised the project’s total cost by $5 million, Rodgers said.
The project was funded in part by the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Funding from the state’s program covered a little over $1 million of the project’s total cost – the state also put an additional $1 million into Greater Nexus.
“Every time I see [Hochul], it feels like Christmas in Queens,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “Just keep that money coming, alright?”
In total, $3 million in public funds went into the project, the rest came from the private sector.
“This is the genius behind this, as well, because we put our public money out there leveraged against the private sector and, all of a sudden, the numbers are transformative,” Hochul said.
On Wednesday, the governor announced the opening of the sixth round of funding for the DRI program, and introduced a new revitalization program known as NY Forward, which is aimed at rejuvenating smaller and rural communities. There is a $100 million pot available for each.
Through five rounds of funding, the DRI program has paid out $600 million to 59 downtown areas throughout the state, according to the governor.
Hochul said Wednesday that Greater Nexus is part of a bigger push to get New Yorkers to return to the office.
“[Tenants] will now be able to have, what I call, creative collisions,” Hochul said. “What we want to do is create a space where people can have co-working experiences.”
“That is what my fear has been, that we're going to miss this if people continue working from home,” the governor added. “I understand the luxury of this for many, but also, we are known for our innovation here in the state of New York and I want to make sure that we create spaces like this. The timing is perfect to welcome individuals who will be helping build back and reimagine our post-pandemic world as they sit here and come up with great ideas.”
