Dan Garodnick Resigns as Head of City Planning After Four Years

New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and New York City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick has resigned from city government, leaving influential roles in which he led a wave of reforms designed to create more housing.

Just eight days into Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tenure, Garodnick departed the high-power positions after reportedly not getting a desired post as deputy mayor in the new administration, the New York Daily News first reported.

A Mamdani administration spokesperson denied the Daily News’ report regarding the reasons for Garodnick’s resignation, and that he would continue to do the job until a replacement was selected.

“After four incredibly productive and rewarding years at the Department of City Planning, the time is right for me to move on from this role,” Garodnick said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of all that we accomplished, including enabling more homes in four years than had been in the past 20, and have deep affection and respect for the tremendous team at DCP.”

Over the last four years, Garodnick was involved in major zoning reforms in the city, such as the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, OneLIC, the Jamaica Housing Plan and the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan. The rezonings were all game-changing policies for developers trying to meet the needs of the housing crisis. Garodnick played a key role in shaping all the new policies.

Former Mayor Eric Adams tapped Garodnick to lead his urban planning efforts in January 2022. Before that, Garodnick served as CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, and previously served as a New York City Council member representing the Upper East Side and Midtown East until 2017.

“I will be staying on to support Mayor Mamdani and his team during the transition, and wish them only the best as they work to deliver a more affordable city,” Garodnick said. 

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.