Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to nominate Sideya Sherman to run the Department of City Planning and chair the City Planning Commission, putting a longtime racial-equity advocate in charge of the office that signs off on neighborhood rezonings and helps decide where new housing is built. The move is being read as a citywide turn toward affordability and equity in land-use decisions, according to reporting, and lands just as the administration prepares changes aimed at faster project reviews and new housing priorities.
Sherman most recently served as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice and previously led the city’s Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity after senior roles at NYCHA and the Municipal Art Society, according to the Mayor’s Office. Her background includes years spent linking community organizations with planning and housing programs, along with more than a decade building relationships inside city government. Officials say that experience is expected to be central to both the political and technical demands of running DCP.
Per reporting by The City, Sherman told colleagues she views the job as a chance to “continue systems-level work” and to advance the mayor’s focus on affordability. Mamdani praised her record and, according to the outlet, said Sherman understands that planning decisions determine whether working people can afford to remain in their neighborhoods. If confirmed, she would simultaneously serve as DCP director and City Planning Commission chair, a pairing that effectively sets the city’s zoning agenda.
What the job controls
The Department of City Planning writes zoning rules, reviews land-use applications and helps chart where housing, offices and public spaces are allowed across the five boroughs. Under former director Dan Garodnick, the agency played a central role in advancing the “City of Yes” zoning package, which revised decades-old rules and sped up neighborhood plans throughout the city. For reporting and context on how those changes have influenced recent rezonings, see coverage from City & State and neighborhood-level plan reporting from City Limits.
What to watch next
The appointment arrives as the Mamdani administration has already moved to speed approvals for modest affordable projects. On Feb. 20, the city launched an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) intended to shorten review times from roughly seven months to 90 days, according to a Mayoral press release from HPD. Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg has indicated that the administration is beginning to look at a next phase of rezoning proposals with an emphasis on increasing affordable housing, describing that discussion to The City. Advocates say Sherman’s experience at NYCHA and in equity work could steer land-use choices toward tenant protections and deeper affordability, while developers and real-estate interests are expected to pay close attention to how DCP balances speed, predictability and community commitments.
