Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani appointed Sideya Sherman as Chair of the City Planning Commission (CPC) and Director of the Department of City Planning (DCP), and 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.
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 Mott Haven, 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."
"The Department of City Planning shapes the lived reality of our city - from whether families can find stable housing to how neighborhoods grow and thrive," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. "I'm proud to welcome Sideya and to continue working with Edith and Eric as we fight for a New York that is not only affordable, but genuinely livable."
"It's an honor to join the Mamdani administration and work to advance the mayor's affordability agenda at DCP. It's an exciting time for city planning, with a mandate to deliver a city that New Yorkers can afford, and new tools to help make that a reality. I look forward to working with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Bozorg, the public servants at DCP, and communities across New York as we advance equitable and community-focused land use policy," said Sideya Sherman, incoming City Planning Commission Chair and City Planning Director.
"It's an honor to continue at DCP alongside Mayor Mamdani and incoming Director and Chair Sideya Sherman. Over my career at DCP, I have seen how smart planning can deliver affordable housing, good jobs, vibrant neighborhoods and a resilient city, and I know we will have even more success with this incredible team," said DCP Executive Director Edith Hsu-Chen.
"I am extremely proud to continue leading HDC as a part of the Mamdani administration. The HDC team and I will redouble our work to help deliver a city that every New Yorker can afford," said HDC President Eric Enderlin. "I want to thank Mayor Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Bozorg, and our partners across the city for their collaboration in creating and preserving the affordable housing that New Yorkers need."
"Sideya Sherman is a principled and visionary leader whose career has been defined by a deep commitment to affordable housing, racial equity, and community development. I am confident she will build on the Department of City Planning's legacy and help shape a city where opportunity reaches every neighborhood as Director and Chair," said Maria Torres-Springer, President of The Charles H. Revson Foundation and former First Deputy Mayor. "Congratulations to Sideya Sherman, Eric Enderlin, Edith Hsu-Chen, and the many talented public servants stepping into leadership roles across the administration. These appointments reflect the depth of experience and values-driven leadership New York needs at this moment, and I look forward to the impact they will have serving New Yorkers."
"Having served with her, I know that Sideya Sherman's wide experience in city government and her deep commitment to social equity will enable her to help fulfill Mayor Mamdani's ambitious agenda for housing and citywide affordability," said Carl Weisbrod, Senior Advisor at HR&A Advisors, Inc. and former City Planning Chair.
"Sideya Sherman's wide range of experience in planning, affordable housing, community engagement, and equity make her an excellent choice to lead City Planning as it tackles the job of making every neighborhood contribute to solving the City's affordable housing crisis," said Vicki Been, former Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development.
"ANHD applauds the appointment of Sideya Sherman to lead the Department of City Planning and the City Planning Commission. Her deep experience advancing fair housing, equitable neighborhood development, and inclusive planning makes her exceptionally well qualified to guide the city's planning work during a critical affordability crisis. We look forward to partnering with her to advance thoughtful, equity-centered planning policies that strengthen communities across New York City," said Barika Williams, Executive Director, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD).
"New York City's housing shortage is inextricably linked with its history of exclusionary zoning, and solving one means confronting the other," said Annemarie Gray, Executive Director of Open New York. "Sideya Sherman brings a deep understanding of the connection between racial equity and fair housing, and I am excited to see her bring her experience to the Department of City Planning and the City Planning Commission. Recent charter changes, overwhelmingly approved by voters last November, give the city new tools to approve more homes faster. Under Chair Sherman, DCP and the Commission can use these tools to allow more housing in every neighborhood, ensuring that no New Yorker is forced from their community-or their city-by the high cost of housing. With Edith Hsu-Chen continuing as Executive Director of DCP and Eric Enderlin as President of HDC, the city retains leaders who have been central to many of New York's housing victories in recent years. Congratulations to Chair Sherman, Director Hsu-Chen, and President Enderlin, and we look forward to working with the Mamdani administration to build a fairer and more affordable New York City."
ABOUT SIDEYA SHERMAN
Sideya Sherman is the incoming City Planning Commission Chair and City Planning Director, with more than two decades of experience advancing equitable neighborhoods across New York City.
Most recently, she served as New York City's first Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice, where she led citywide efforts to embed equity in policy and practice across government. She previously served as Executive Director of the NYC Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, coordinating cross-agency strategies to direct resources to communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. At NYCHA, she served as Executive Vice President for community engagement and partnerships, leading large-scale resident engagement, service coordination, and cross-sector partnerships to connect public housing residents to critical resources and investment.
Sherman began her career in the nonprofit sector, supporting neighborhood revitalization initiatives. At the Municipal Art Society of New York, she provided training and technical assistance to community-based organizations to strengthen pubic engagement in planning. She also held roles at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Lower East Side Business Improvement District, supporting commercial corridor revitalization.
A lifelong New Yorker, Sherman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Utica College and a Master of Science in Urban Affairs from Hunter College.
