The city has taken over a number of rooms at a hotel near the AirTrain station in Jamaica to house homeless people — the latest lodging in Queens to be used to shelter the city's booming homeless population.
The move comes on the heels of a resolution passed in December by a local community board, asking the city not to open more homeless shelters in the area, which already has the largest number of shelters in the borough.
It was unclear how many rooms have been booked by the city, and for how long, at the former Quality Inn hotel, at 94th Avenue and 143rd Street, two blocks away from the JFK AirTrain station.
Last year, the hotel was listed for sale by CPEX, a real estate firm, but on Friday a representative for the company said they were no longer marketing that property.
The hotel has also recently changed its name to “Retreat Inn.”
A person who answered the phone at the hotel on Tuesday said that the facility is currently under renovation and is not accepting guests.
A person who picked up the phone on Friday morning denied that the building is being used to house homeless people and said that it’s a regular hotel. The price for a standard room ranges from $100 to $110 plus tax, she said.
One of the homeless residents, who did not want his name to be used, told DNAinfo last Thursday that he has lived at the hotel for about two weeks and was transferred to Jamaica from a shelter on Randalls Island.
Yet there's another new "hotel" scheduled to open in the same area.
And at least one sex offender is being housed at the Westway.
16 comments:
If you think only 200 tourists will be occupying that 200 room planned hotel (93-43 Sutphin) right across from the spiffy entrance to the Air Train, you need your head examined. (That's 200 tourists just dying - qvelling with joy - to stay overnight in Jamaica.)
Then again its champion, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, has probably got some legalese in the construction contract that it wont be used for another poorhouse. Carlisle Towery, before you skeddadle and head for the hills, are we right or wrong?
Now I know....I drive all over Brooklyn and Queens, I see hotels popping up in areas and say "Why would they build a hotel here".
Sure build a hotel, contact the city and tell them you have a hotel and would like to house homeless. Charge a good rate for each unit and make millions.
Think about it, your guarenteed to have full occupancy as long as you house the homeless.......So, now I know why they build hotels in area where I would never think of putting one.
That's very convenient because homeless people enjoy hanging out in the airtrain station. And they can easily catch the E train there to ride for no reason and stink up.
Since the taxpayers fund these shelters, why can't we vote on whether or not to have them in our neighborhoods. These politicians have too much power. DiBlasio would never put a shelter in his neighborhood near his home. This is a ploy to make the middle class move out of NYC.
Jamaica like Corona and College Point is one of those shit holes where anything that is not welcome in the higher priced sections of Queens is dumped.
Don't you get it? One must apply the Nancy Pelosi "food stamps make jobs" mentality. It's making jobs for construction workers to build and service people to maintain these locations. Just another stop on "The Road to Utopia".
I'd gladly give my tax dollars to the construction of gas chambers. I think thats the best solution to the problem.
Yes, liberalism will destroy us all.
Nice trolling with the gas chambers, by the way.
The only question is whether the U.S. can still be saved or if we're already too far gone, thanks to the left.
New York should have a residency law. It would halt people all over the country coming here because of our generous benefits. Institute that law and watch the homeless population drop. Deport the illegals and there will be plenty of housing. Which politician is willing to take up this cause? Anybody?
The hotel owner would rather rent the rooms to the homeless than the regular guests which tell us the city are paying more for the homeless.
for everyone that lives near this place contact your congress person and go to the media this works -- but go to the media first because you never know if your congress person knew all about it to begin with
The city is paying upwards of $4000 PER unit. The shelters on Queens Boulevard and in Glendale are owned by the Hasidim who will be building dormitories there as well. Make no mistake, they will get their way.
They used to be called SRO (Single Room Occupancy) hotels
More to come, even in far east Queens. A huge lot at Jamaica Ave/Jericho Turnpike and Little Neck Parkway (Bellerose/Floral Park) is under construction. We expect a hotel, to be followed by homeless. As long as the City is leaglly on the hook to put up homeless, there is no stopping this trend.
Jamaica, in that spot, is a shithole anyway. This is a tourists first view of Queens? Cut the crap about encouraging tourism beep Katz. That myth is being kept alive to supply patronage jobs for loyal clubhouse suck ups. Nobody cares to visit Queens unles their relatives from Taipei live there and they are visiting them. End of story. End of bullshit.
Better the "bros" are in a homeless shelter instead of wandering the streets there begging and making trouble.
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