Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Planning & Predevelopment

About the Agency:

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city’s housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.
- We maintain building and resident safety and health.
- We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability.
- We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.

HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.

Your Team:

The Office of Neighborhood Strategies (ONS) is charged with ensuring that HPD’s development and preservation efforts are guided by meaningful community engagement and coordinated with public investments in infrastructure and services, as put forth in the Mayor's Housing Plan.

ONS is composed of two divisions and a cross-divisional unit reporting to the Associate Commissioner:

- The Division of Planning & Predevelopment (P&P) is central to developing and managing HPD's housing production pipeline from project proposal phases through the land use review and entitlement process, to ensure that HPD's investments contribute to building strong, healthy, resilient neighborhoods in all five boroughs. The advertised position leads this team.

- The Division of Neighborhood Development & Stabilization (ND&S) leads the agency's commitment to neighborhood planning and strategic preservation through engagement with tenants, landlords, community leaders, and neighborhood stakeholders as we work to enable strong and healthy neighborhoods anchored by affordable housing.

- The Strategic Initiatives Unit leads special ONS initiatives and provides essential technical, planning, and policy support to staff and the Associate Commissioner of Neighborhood Strategies.

Your Impact:

As the Assistant Commissioner for Planning & Predevelopment, you will guide the transformation of public land and buildings into affordable housing integrated with community amenities and resources; you will set policies for resiliency and climate adaptation; and you will work directly with communities across the city to plan for affordable housing and community renewal. Over the past five years alone, P&P has been responsible for driving projects that will ultimately result in the creation of over 12,000 homes, dozens of new community facilities, as well as significant new retail opportunities in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Your Role:

The Assistant Commissioner for Planning & Predevelopment (P&P) will oversee seven teams with over 30 planning professionals to advance affordable housing and community development projects throughout the five boroughs. P&P includes the following units:
- Predevelopment Planning & Urban Design Unit (PDUD): PDUD is responsible for managing and overseeing HPD’s developer selection processes for projects on City-owned land. The unit also provides guidance towards parallel interagency affordable housing efforts, including projects managed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The unit also is charged with leading urban design initiatives and projects for the Office of Neighborhood Strategies including coordination with the Department of City Planning.
- Borough Planning Units (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens & Staten Island): Four Borough Planning Units are responsible for managing the land use approval process for the development of City-owned parcels and/or projects financed or sponsored by HPD for affordable housing, including but not limited to, constituent and stakeholder relationships. Additionally, the borough teams advise on the most appropriate types of housing for privately-owned properties being considered for development.
- Climate and Social Resiliency Planning and Policy Unit (CSRPP): CSRPP ensures that all individuals and households have access to safe, quality and affordable housing, even in the face of physical, economic and social upheaval due to shocks and stresses, including the impacts of climate change. LUP and CSRPP report to an Executive Director who reports up to the Assistant Commissioner.
- Land Use & Policy Unit (LUP): LUP oversees and monitors the use and intended disposition strategy of HPD’s inventory of vacant land. LUP is involved in a range of activities including pipeline development and oversight, intra and inter-agency coordination, mapping and presentation materials for internal analysis and public engagement, and license agreements.

Your Responsibilities:

Under the direction of the Associate Commissioner for Neighborhood Strategies, the Assistant Commissioner for P&P will oversee and manage the activities of the agency’s predevelopment and planning efforts. For a significant number of projects, the Assistant Commissioner will also act as primary liaison with HPD’s Office of Development, Office of Legal Affairs, and others; key agency partners, such as the Department of City Planning (DCP), the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and the Department of Transportation (DOT), and others; and external stakeholders. Responsibilities include:

- Manage a team of 32, comprised of one Executive Director, six Directors, and 25 professional and administrative staff, including coaching staff to be effective managers and leaders within HPD and the communities that we serve.
- Oversee the inventory and development strategy for HPD’s City-owned land portfolio, advancing appropriate action plans for sites designated for affordable housing as well as for other uses. This includes overseeing HPD’s developer selection process for projects on City-owned land.
- Develop strong relationships with partner agencies whose work and processes intersect with HPD’s affordable housing goals, including interagency affordable housing efforts with agencies such as the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS), Health and Hospitals Corporations (H&H), and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
- Facilitate the New York City Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on behalf of the agency. Provide leadership in analyzing and resolving complex planning issues related to HPD interdepartmental predevelopment planning and environmental reviews.
- Coordinate affordable housing studies and implementation strategies in collaboration with other internal partners and external agencies, such as the Department of City Planning.
- Represent HPD interests in high-profile public-private planning and development processes, interagency policymaking initiatives, and in meetings with elected officials, exercising substantial independent judgment and providing direction to agency partners
- Define and drive innovations in order to improve planning outcomes and the efficiency of staff.

Your Skills and Experience:

- Exceptional team- and project-management skills, including ability to execute. Proven ability to: manage multiple teams and complex projects with multiple internal and external stakeholders; receive direction and anticipate next steps; think through, communicate, document, organize, and execute on project goals and keep other team members on schedule. Ability to manage up, down, and across teams. Attentive to the details, organized, and has the ability to follow through.
- Subject-matter expertise. Thorough demonstrated knowledge of New York City government, affordable housing, urban planning principles and processes (including ULURP and CEQR); understanding of real estate finance and development principles; masters degree in urban planning, urban studies, public policy, real estate or a related field; substantial professional experience in a related field.
- Outstanding communication skills. Extremely strong written, verbal, and presentation skills. Proven ability to produce high-quality materials in a variety of formats for internal and external audiences.
- Strong analytical skills. Ability to work with, understand, analyze and communicate qualitative and quantitative information in a variety of formats.
- Good judgment. Ability to analyze a situation, understand what is needed, understand when additional input is needed, flag or resolve issues as necessary, and escalate when appropriate.
- Collaborative and creative spirit. Excited to be part of a team, to work with others to solve problems creatively and get quality work done. Ability to hear, take, and give feedback effectively and productively; to motivate peers to get the job done.

- A master’s degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design/Architecture, Real Estate Finance, Business Administration, or similar.
- Minimum 7-10 years in urban planning and preferably practical application of real estate principles in finance and/or development, with a minimum of eighteen (18) months in a managerial capacity.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.