Burlington Coat Factory, a popular national off-price apparel retailer, signed a 20-year lease for 70,000 square feet of the planned 150,000 square-foot retail center in a highly commercialized area on Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, Queens, New York.

The new retail development on Jamaica, which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2016, is a project of the United American Land, a family-owned real estate development company based in New York City. United owns and manages almost 50 properties in the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens areas.

The retail center is composed of three buildings at 161-02, 160-16, and 160-08 Jamaica Avenue. The building at 161-02 Jamaica Avenue is a designated landmark, formerly the Jamaica Savings Bank, which was built between 1897 and 1898. The original façade of 160-08 Jamaica Avenue will be maintained, but the nine-storey building at 160-16 will be reduced to four floors. The interior of the buildings will be connected to one another. The architectural firm GreenbergFarrow designed the project.

Albert Laboz, a principal at United American Land, negotiated the deal on behalf of his company and CNS Real Estate’s Clifford Simon, who represented Burlington in the deal.

“Jamaica is a longtime retail shopping destination,” Mr. Simon said in an interview. “It met Burlington’s parameters that they were looking for.”

Burlington will occupy a portion of the second floor and the entire third and fourth floors of the four-storey center in early 2017. Its presence in the area will open opportunities for part-time and full-time employment and will contribute to the city’s income through taxes that will help boost the local economy.

With a company that is big in the retail apparel business, the retail center is expected to be a magnet for other tenants eyeing an opportunity such as this for their business expansion. Mr. Laboz confirmed that their company had received interests from other fashion-related stores for commercial space in the building. United is eyeing to have four or five more tenants to this real estate development.

Burlington is expected to boost its market share in the Queens area with this new location. Jamaica is the perfect site for Burlington’s new store because “it has very high foot traffic and there is fantastic public transportation,” said Mr. Simon. The company already has two other outlets in Queens – one in Rego Park and another in Glen Oaks.

“(Burlington’s lease) validates how strong this urban retail corridors is,” Mr. Laboz said. “I think it’s a catalyst. I know others will follow.”