Curbed Cup 1st Round: (2) Hudson Yards vs. (15) Jamaica

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. We’ll reveal each of the neighborhoods this week, and polls will be open for 24 hours so you can cast your vote as to which ones should advance. Let the eliminations commence!

Hudson Yards (2)

Hudson Yards has been a Curbed Cup contender for several years, but has yet to actually win. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of action happening that keeps the neighborhood-to-be deserving of a shot at the title.

Earlier this year, it was announced that a 985-foot Norman Foster-designed office tower would make its way to 50 Hudson Yards. The building is poised to be the city’s most expensive office building, with a price hovering around $3.94 billion, which works out to about $1,407 per square foot for the 2.8 million square feet on file.

While many of the buildings within the emerging neighborhood are still under construction, Related Companies launched leasing on its pricey rental building, One Hudson Yards earlier this year. The Davis Brody Bond and Ismael Leyva-designed building offers 178 apartments, with rents starting around a hefty $5,095 per month for a one-bedroom and going as high as $12,000 per month for a three-bedroom.

The neighborhood’s forthcoming cultural center, Shed, received a $60 million financial boost from former mayor Michael Bloomberg, and construction on the project has been making steady progress. And another major attraction took off: Thomas Heatherwick’s $200 million sculpture Vessel broke ground in April and has already topped out.

Jamaica (14)

Believe it or not, there is a development boom happening in Jamaica, Queens: Several new towers are on the rise near the AirTrain. A 26-story residential building with 379 affordable apartments is under way at 147-36 94th Avenue while the set of buildings being developed by BRP Companies, The Crossing at Jamaica Station, broke ground and has made significant progress. A 177-unit affordable development is planned at 89-50 164th Street, and the NYPD parking garage at 168th Street will be converted into 350 affordable apartments.

Not only are new residential developments underway in Jamaica, but the neighborhood has welcomed a handful of new businesses as well. A Starbucks debuted along the Jamaica Avenue shopping strip this year and the finishing touches are being put on a Chipotle restaurant that will be part of a larger retail complex, set to include a Burlington Coat Factory and an H&M.

And the Regional Plan Association also gave Jamaica the nod as a neighborhood that’s rife for development, thanks to its location at the nexus of several transit hubs, and its proximity to JFK Airport.

In this battle of neighborhoods bracing for big changes in the future, which one will come out on top? Cast your vote below, and may the best neighborhood win.