NYC Mayor Mamdani Appoints Sherman as Chair of City Planning Commission, DPC Director

NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced today he has appointed Sideya Sherman as Chair of the City Planning Commission (CPC) and Director of the Department of City Planning (DCP).

He also reappointed Eric Enderlin as President of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and Edith Hsu-Chen as Executive Director of DCP.

Sherman most recently served as New York City’s Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice. She brings extensive experience in community and economic development, urban planning and racial justice. Sherman previously served as Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity and spent more than a decade at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). She also worked in planning and economic development at the Municipal Art Society and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, helping communities better navigate the land use process.

Hsu-Chen has served as Executive Director of DCP since 2022. She began at the agency as an intern in 1997 and has gone on to serve in several leadership roles, including Manhattan Director. She was a part of the leadership team that delivered the “City of Yes” zoning reforms for sustainability, economic development and housing, and has led efforts to strengthen commercial job centers citywide, city officials said.

At DCP, Sherman and Hsu-Chen will oversee the city’s long-term growth strategy, including neighborhood planning, land use and zoning. The agency will play a central role in advancing the Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) and Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) task forces to accelerate affordable housing on public land. The department will also implement recent City Charter changes aimed at delivering affordable housing faster and more equitably.

On Friday, the Mamdani administration announced the start of public review on the first-ever Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) for an affordable housing proposal in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Under Sherman and Hsu-Chen's leadership, the department will also guide the city’s strategic approach to economic development, resiliency, transportation and capital planning.

Enderlin has served as President of the HDC since 2016. Under his leadership, the nation’s largest municipal housing finance agency has issued more than $2 billion in bonds annually and financed the creation and preservation of thousands of affordable homes each year. He brings more than 20 years of experience in public policy and affordable housing, including roles at HPD, NYCHA, the Louis Berger Group and the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing.

“Sideya Sherman understands that planning is not an abstract exercise—it is about whether working people can afford to live in the city they call home. Her record in community engagement and equitable development makes her exactly the leader we need at City Planning. I’m confident that she and Edith Hsu-Chen will move with urgency to deliver affordability, advance fair housing and build a city that works for everyday New Yorkers—not just the wealthy and well-connected,” said Mayor Mamdani. “Eric Enderlin will continue to lead HDC’s groundbreaking work as the nation’s largest municipal Housing Finance Agency, bringing innovative financing tools to bear to build a more affordable city, starting with the homes that dot the five boroughs.”