Press Release: Photos: DCP Holds Community Board Leadership and New Member Trainings - DCP

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For Immediate Release
October 23, 2018

Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff, Joe Marvilli – press@planning.nyc.gov (212) 720-3471

Photos: DCP Holds Community Board leadership and new member trainings

Sessions come as boards call for training and tools to better advocate for communities

Oct. 23, 2018 – Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago today released photographs highlighting the start of a series of annual workshops aimed at ensuring Community Board members are aware of resources available to them through DCP, and that the agency is here to assist them as they make the important land use, planning and budgeting decisions they are tasked with under the City Charter.

Photos from today and the October 19 leadership sessions at DCP’s headquarters at 120 Broadway in Manhattan, as well as from an October 11 session for nearly 100 Queens Community Board members at Queens Borough Hall are available.

In addition to the training session in Queens, meetings will be held in the coming months and year for community board members in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. Some of the trainings are aimed at newer board members, others are for veteran land use committee members and district managers.

“New York’s Community Boards are the backbone of the City’s land use review process. They play an indispensable role in giving voice to the many, diverse points of view in our neighborhoods, and that the City Administration is attuned to on-the-ground, neighborhood-specific needs and concerns. We see these DCP-Community Board sessions as an opportunity to further strengthen the flow of information among Community Boards, neighborhood residents and DCP. I hope that the Community Board members who attended our first three sessions found the information shared to be useful, and that they will urge other members of their Community Boards to attend future, borough-based training sessions,” said DCP Director Marisa Lago.

The sessions are the first of a recurring series of annual training events DCP will host in the years to come.

Questions from community board members to DCP staff at the three events focused on a variety of topics, including the need for affordable housing and information about how local community members can get involved in efforts to ensure a full count for the 2020 Census in New York City.

At the October 11 presentation in Queens Borough Hall, DCP’s borough staff offered in-depth breakout sessions on three fundamental topics:

Zoning 101, the basics on the regulations that give shape to neighborhoods and predictability to their future.

ULURP and Environmental Review.

CD Budget and District Needs Requests:

DCP recently streamlined and standardized the process by which community boards submit their budget priorities for consideration to City agencies, enabling them to more effectively advocate for investments, programs and services.

During the sessions held at DCP headquarters, staff presented an overview of DCP’s planning mission and organization, and also information about newly streamlined procedures and forms for Community District Needs & Budget Requests, which are due Oct. 31.

Staff members also gave live demonstrations of DCP interactive data tools and resources.

Population Factfinder – An online search tool, which enables visitors to easily define study areas within New York City and examine detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing statistics, and how these statistics have changed over time.

Community Portal – DCP’s gateway to data, maps, and other resources describing New York City’s 59 community districts.

ZoLa– The zoning and land use map that provides a simple way to research zoning regulations, find the zoning for a property, discover new proposals in a neighborhood, and learn where DCP initiatives are happening throughout the City.

Other commonly used tools that will be presented at future training sessions include:

Facilities Explorer – A comprehensive dataset of public and private facilities and program sites that shape the quality of city neighborhoods. Find libraries, parks, schools, health and social service providers and much more, including Privately Owned Public Spaces known as POPS.

Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.