Anita Laremont. Image Credit: NYC Department of City Planning.

Laremont has worked with the Department of City Planning since 2014. On September 23, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Anita Laremont will serve as the next Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning. The appointment is effective immediately, and Chair Laremont succeeds outgoing Chair Marisa Lago, who will be joining the U.S. Department of Commerce after being selected by the Biden Administration. 

Anita Laremont started with the Department of City Planning as General Counsel in 2014, and most recently served as the Executive Director of the Department of City Planning since 2018. Prior to joining the Department of City Planning, she was a partner at Harris Beach PLLC, where she practiced real estate, government agency and land use law. She previously served as General Counsel for the Empire State Development Corporation for sixteen years, where she worked on projects like Governors Island, Brooklyn Bridge PArk and the 42nd Street Development Project. She earned her bachelor’s at Mount Holyoke College and her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where she was a Root Tilden Scholar. 

CityLand previously published a profile on Chair Laremont in 2019, which can be found here. 

Mayor de Blasio stated, “Anita Laremont brings vision and experience to the City Planning Commission, and she will be a tireless fighter for more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic neighborhoods across the five boroughs. She has an extraordinary record of success at the Department of City Planning, and I know she will continue that legacy of service to her city in this new role.”

Chair Laremont stated, “I am honored to be named Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning, where I lead teams of talented data, environmental, legal and tech experts, planners and urban designers, and so many others, as we continue the urgent work of bringing New York City back from this deadly pandemic. My deep appreciation goes to Mayor de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, my staff at DCP and my fellow commissioners, all of whom pour their heart and soul into advancing the twin goals of equity and sustainability for all New Yorkers.”

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)