De Blasio considers four potential city planning heads

From left: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Harriet Tregoning, Karen Phillips and Mitchell Silver
From left: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Harriet Tregoning, Karen Phillips and Mitchell Silver

WEEKENDEDITION Mayor Bill de Blasio is close to naming a new commissioner of city planning, a position that will be key to the mayor’s affordable housing agenda.

Thus far, four names are under consideration, according to Crain’s: Harriet Tregoning, the current director of city planning in Washington, D.C.; Anna Hayes Levin, a member of the City Planning Commission; former City Planning Commission member Karen Phillips; and Mitchell Silver, the head of city planning in Raleigh, N.C.

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One of the more interesting potential picks is Tregoning, who is known for her “smart growth,” walkability and bike initiatives – Tregoning regularly bikes to work, according to Crian’s.

One source told Crian’s that Tregoning “has a real shot,” while others noted that as a New York City outsider, she might not possess the detailed understanding of NYC’s complicated land-use review procedure necessary for the job. [Crain’s] Christopher Cameron