Press Release:	Anita Laremont Appointed City Planning General Counsel - DCP

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For Immediate Release
March 31, 2014

Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff - (212) 720-3471

ANITA LAREMONT APPOINTED CITY PLANNING GENERAL COUNSEL

March 31, 2014 – Department of City Planning Director Carl Weisbrod today announced the appointment of Anita Laremont as General Counsel of the Department of City Planning. Laremont most recently was a partner in the law firm of Harris Beach PLLC, where she had a real estate, land use law and government agency practice. Prior to joining Harris Beach, Laremont served for more than sixteen years as General Counsel of the Empire State Development Corporation, New York State’s primary economic development entity, where she was involved with numerous economic development and land use projects in New York City and throughout the state.

“Anita Laremont has a stellar record with an extensive background in public service, private real estate practice and land use law,” said City Planning Director Weisbrod. “She has proven time and again that she is a capable and adept leader through her involvement with several transformative economic development initiatives. Projects that she has helped facilitate range from the 42nd Street Development and Columbia Manhattanville in Manhattan to Brooklyn Bridge Park. She also helped attract a Silicon Valley chip fabrication manufacturer to an Albany suburb that fostered a new high-tech corridor in the region. Anita is not only an outstanding lawyer, but also a wise, experienced and trusted advisor. I am confident she will provide superb guidance as City Planning’s General Counsel.”

Laremont also has served as a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission, and as Co-Chair of its Economic Development Committee. She is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the State Bar and the American Bar Association. Among a number of board affiliations, she currently serves as First Vice-Chair and Chair of the Development Committee at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens in Staten Island where she resides. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and is a graduate of the New York University School of Law, where she was a Root Tilden Scholar.

Laremont said, “I welcome the opportunity to provide counsel to the City Planning Department and Commission. Among the planning and land use challenges facing the City, perhaps the most immediate is the development of an affordable housing plan, a signature initiative of Mayor de Blasio. I am excited to be a part of the administration's efforts to address the needs of New York’s diverse communities, which is essential to ensuring the City’s continued growth and preeminence. I am hopeful that my experience in real estate development, land use and economic development will prove useful to advancing these goals.”

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.