Currently, the difference between downtown Jamaica before 7 p.m. and after is literally the difference between night and day.

In the day time, this area of Southeast Queens resembles mid-town Manhattan with large crowds and traffic jams on the sidewalks and on the streets.

However, when the evening rolls in,
it is a totally different story.

Unlike Times Square, which never sleeps, Jamaica Center definitely
gets its z’s.

But the Jamaica Center One project expects to change that.

The ongoing project, on Jamaica Avenue and 159th Street, which is being built by developer the Mattone Group, will house a 16-screen
theater, two levels of retail space
and two levels of parking.

The retail space is slated to house clothing stores: Old Navy, Gap and Gap Kids, and Walgreens Pharmacy; restaurants: Pizza Max and Golden Crust; Bally’s Fitness Center; Urban Haircutters and other stores.

According to Michael Mattone, chief financial officer of the Mattone Group, the project "is nearing field completion. The building facade is nearly complete. It should be fully operational by spring next year."

He sees a positive economic impact coming as a result of Jamaica Center Site One. "The project will probably create 500 permanent jobs and by its completion, it would have created 600 construction jobs.

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation Spokesperson, Sam Samuels said, the center "represents probably the largest private investment in Southeast Queens, certainly in a decade and probably ever.

"The nature of what’s being developed will have additional benefits. When you have 16 theaters, that means thousands of people will come in at night. We feel that many of the people will not just go to the movies and go home, but will stay and shop. It will be a magnet for people, who will come in to see movies and go shopping and do other things."

Reddick said, "You have to remember all the people that live in Southeast Queens and go to the theater in Great Neck."

She believes that it is high time Southeast Queens residents did not have to travel outside of the neighborhood to see a movie. "There are not too many communities that do not have a theater. We haven’t had a theater here in a long time," she said.