The public plaza outside the Queens Civil Court in Jamaica has been torn up, with green construction fences going up earlier this month, and it isn't reopening anytime soon. The 10,000-square-foot space at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard is in the middle of a renovation meant to stop water from leaking into the parking garage below, and the project won't wrap until early 2028.
A Leak Problem Years in the Making
The purpose of the overhaul is to address leaking from the plaza into the indoor parking garage underneath the courthouse, according to qchron.com. A spokesperson for the city's Department of Design and Construction told the outlet the garage itself is still safe to use even as the work drags on overhead. The Queens Daily Eagle reports the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages the courthouse, has framed the project as long-awaited plaza upgrades finally arriving.
The plaza will be unavailable for at least a year and a half, per the Eagle's reporting, and completion is now expected in early 2028, according to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The project is also running 103 days behind its own internal schedule, the Eagle reports. An earlier account from qchron.com had pegged the redevelopment's timeline at summer 2025 through fall 2027, a schedule that has since slipped.
Costs Don't Quite Add Up
Figures on what the project actually costs vary depending on the source and the moment the number was reported. qchron.com's earlier account cited a $7.5 million project handled by the Department of Design and Construction for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, while the Eagle's more recent reporting describes an $8.3 million renovation funded through the DCAS capital budget, with $11.3 million allocated per city records and a final budget of $12.8 million, also per city records. Separately, a 2026 city award notice reviewed by stoneworksny.com lists Sea Breeze General Construction, Inc. as the awarded vendor for a contract valued at $4,392,582. None of the available reporting reconciles these figures or clarifies whether they describe different phases, estimates or contracts within the same project.
Whatever the final price tag, the scope of the work is consistent across accounts. The project involves drains and pipes, structural-slab repairs, waterproofing, setting-bed work and paver replacement, the stoneworksny.com report states. Crews are reusing granite pavers that can be salvaged and replacing damaged ones to match the existing material, while also modifying a planting area with accessible seating, freestanding benches and replacement trees, per the same account. The Eagle reports the finished plaza will include improved drainage, waterproofing, granite pavers, planting areas and ADA-accessible benches, per the work permit.
Court Staff Left Guessing
While the renovation plans have been laid out in permits and city budget documents, the people who work at the courthouse say they haven't been told much. Court employees told the Eagle they weren't given many details about the construction, and the Office of Court Administration did not answer the outlet's questions about the project or its effects on courthouse operations. In the meantime, the Eagle reports that jurors will line up on the other side of the courthouse instead of gathering in the plaza as usual.
The Department of Design and Construction is also managing a fire alarm design and replacement project and a roof repair project at the Queens Civil Court, according to the Eagle, suggesting the plaza work is part of a broader push to address aging infrastructure at the nearly three-decade-old building.
A Courthouse Built to Replace Cramped Quarters
The Queens Civil Courthouse traces back to construction that began in 1994, with the building officially opening in summer 1998, according to the Eagle, costing $67.7 million. It was built to let the court expand operations after years of functioning out of Queens Borough Hall. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said at the time that the courthouse improved on Borough Hall's cramped quarters in Kew Gardens and should make people feel their court system is dignified and efficient, per the Eagle's reporting.
Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman called the courthouse's opening a new chapter in the history of the court system in Queens County, adding that it created an appropriate setting for the public and judiciary to work together, the Eagle reports. The civil courthouse sits adjacent to the Queens Supreme Courthouse, which has stood at the site since the 1930s, and the plaza now under construction was designed to unify the two buildings — a detail echoed by ellana.net, which notes the plaza helps unify the structure with the older Supreme Courthouse across the street. Inside, the complex houses civil, housing, calendar and small-claims courtrooms along with jury-selection facilities, according to perkinseastman.com.
