Vicki Been Appointed Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development

The former HPD Commissioner will continue to work on affordability and economic opportunities for the City. On April 4, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of former Department of Housing and Preservation Commissioner Vicki Been as the new Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. She succeeded Alicia Glen, who served in the position for five years.


Mayor Announces $50 Million Redevelopment of Orchard Beach Pavilion

Elected officials announced new investment into Bronx beach pavilion reconstruction. On May 26, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio, alongside Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., announced a $50 million investment to redevelop the Bronx’s Orchard Beach pavilion in Pelham Bay Park. The money would go to restore the currently closed pavilion. The Mayor has committed $20 million in capital funding, and $10 million has been committed … <Read More>


City Develops Plan to Protect Lower Manhattan’s Shoreline from Climate Change Impacts

The project will include the expansion of the Lower Manhattan shoreline and four capital projects devoted to the resiliency of Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. On March 14, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency (LMCR) Project. The project is one of the City’s responses to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy was a turning point for the City to tackle infrastructure resiliency. Hurricane Sandy resulted in $19 billion of devastation for … <Read More>


Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Building 77 Opens After $185 Million Renovation

The building is expected to expand the City’s manufacturing industry and create more middle class jobs. On November 9, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio opened Building 77, one of the central buildings within the Brooklyn Navy Yard Industrial Park. The building and its $185 million renovation is a part of a billion dollar investment financed by Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the Mayoral City Capital, the City Council, and the Brooklyn <Read More>


Expecting to Meet Goals Two Years Ahead of Schedule, Mayor de Blasio Expands the Housing Plan Objectives

The de Blasio administration increases goal to building and preserving 300,000 affordable units by 2026. On October 24, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the administration is on track with meeting the goal of 200,000 units and is expected to meet the goal by 2022, two years ahead of the 2014 plan’s original date. Using the City’s new tools, programs and funding, the City will work to secure 25,000 affordable units annually by 2021. … <Read More>


City Housing Commissioner Steps Down After Three Years of Progress

Vicki Been stepped down as Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to return to academia. On January 17, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Commissioner Vicki Been would step down to return to teaching at New York University as the Boxer Family Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Furman Center. Prior to her appointment, Been served as the Director of NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, … <Read More>