Construction Starts on 174 Apartments in Jamaica, Queens

Developers First Jamaica Community and Urban Development Corporation (FJCUDC) and the Bluestone Organization started construction June 9 on the Tree of Life apartment development in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens.

The $74 million project will include 174 apartments, with the rents set to be affordable to people at a variety of income levels — from low income to moderate income.

“Tree of Life combines City investment, innovative programs like Voluntary Inclusionary Housing, and vital federal resources to create 174 affordable homes, a third of which are permanently affordable,” says Maria Torres-Springer, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

The building has been designed to meet the standards set by the Passive Housing Institute of the U.S., meaning it will be so well insulated that managers will rarely need to turn on the heat to keep the building comfortable.

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