Betty Chen and Nathan Leventhal approved. The City Council unanimously approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s appointment of two new commissioners to the Planning Commission, Betty Chen and Nathan Leventhal. The terms of the two new commissioners commenced on March 5, 2007.

Yale-trained architect Betty Chen worked several years as project architect for the New York firm Todd William Billie Tsen. Chen also taught architecture and art history. Chen currently serves as Vice President of Planning, Design and Preservation for the Governor’s Island Preservation and Education Corporation, which oversees the island’s operations. Before accepting her position with Governor’s Island, Chen headed up development of a World Trade Center master plan for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. (more…)

Since taking office in January 2006, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has set land use policy and community board reform as priorities.

Stringer hired Anthony Borelli as his Director of Land Use, Planning and Development. Before joining the Borough President’s office, Borelli studied urban planning at Columbia University and worked with the university’s Urban Technical Assistance Project, which provides urban planning consultation to distressed communities. Borelli then served as District Manager of Community Board 4 for five years, where he dealt with the highly complex Hudson Yards and High Line/West Chelsea rezonings and large developments like the John Jay College expansion.

CityLand interviewed Borelli to discuss Borough President Stringer’s land use agenda. (more…)