Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed Anita Laremont to replace
Planning Commissioner Marisa Lago.
Laremont will serve as chair of the City Planning Commission
and Director of the Department of City Planning (DCP) after serving a Executive
Director of the Department of City Planning since 2018.
Lago was retained by the Biden Administration to join the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“Anita Laremont brings vision and experience to the City
Planning Commission, and she will be a tireless fighter for more equitable,
inclusive, and dynamic neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bill
de Blasio. “She has an extraordinary record of success at the Department of
City Planning, and I know she will continue that legacy of service to her city
in this new role.”
Laremont first joined DCP as General Counsel in 2014. Before
that, she was a partner in the law firm of Harris Beach PLLC, where she had a
real estate, land use and government agency practice.
Laremont previously served for more than 16 years as General
Counsel of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) where she was
involved with numerous large-scale economic development and land-use projects,
including the 42nd Street Development Project, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors
Island.
Laremont is a magna cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke
College, and received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law,
where she was a Root Tilden Scholar.
“As Chair of the Committee on Land Use, I have worked
closely with both Marisa Lago, outgoing City Planning Commission (CPC) Chair,
and Anita Laremont, the next Chair of CPC,” said Council Member Rafael
Salamanca. ‘Marisa Lago brought a plethora of experience in negotiating
projects or legislation during our interactions. Always by her side providing
valuable input; Anita Laremont. I congratulate Chair Laremont on her new
appointment, and look forward to working with her in the years ahead.’”
