Press Release: SUSAN AMRON APPOINTED CITY PLANNING GENERAL COUNSEL - DCP

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For Immediate Release
January 22, 2019

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

SUSAN AMRON APPOINTED CITY PLANNING GENERAL COUNSEL

NEW YORK—Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Marisa Lago today announced the appointment of Susan Amron as the agency’s next General Counsel.

Amron, who started today, has served as Chief of the Environmental Law Division at the New York City Department of Law for close to a decade. In that capacity, she oversaw cases related to environmental and land use law, including those arising at public and private development sites across New York City. These cases related to parks and open space, natural resource protection, wastewater treatment, solid and hazardous waste management, and the city’s drinking water.

“We are delighted to have Susan Amron join City Planning as our next General Counsel. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Susan, listening to her sage counsel at DCP and benefitting from her exceptional problem-solving ability. As we plan for a growing city – a city that is committed to growth that is sustainable, fair and accessible to all New Yorkers across all our neighborhoods – there is no question that Susan’s decades of public service and unparalleled environmental chops will help us immeasurably in securing an even more equitable and resilient New York City. Welcome Susan!” Director Marisa Lago said.

“Susan is a first-rate attorney who always provides reasoned, clear advice on all matters,” said Executive Director Anita Laremont. “I have known and worked with Susan for many years and I’m ecstatic that she’s bringing her insight and wisdom to City Planning. I look forward to working closely with her as DCP continues to plan with communities for affordability, economic opportunity, vibrancy and resiliency.”

“I am delighted about my new appointment as General Counsel to the Department of City Planning. As this city moves into the 21st Century, we are working to ensure housing and jobs are accessible to all New Yorkers and that our homes, businesses and shores can be resilient. After nearly three decades at the City’s Law Department, DCP offers a new perch from where I can continue to serve the city I love from the ground up,” said Susan Amron, DCP’s new General Counsel.

“Susan Amron has given nearly three decades of outstanding service to the people of New York City and has been an extraordinary leader in the field of environmental law, not only locally but on a national level. She is an outstanding lawyer whose experience and judgment will undoubtedly help City Planning further its mission of ensuring a more vibrant, resilient, and fair City for every New Yorker,” Corporation Counsel Zachary W. Carter said.

A graduate of Yale University and Columbia University School of Law, Amron began her legal career at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, in their litigation department. She was recruited in 1990 to join the City’s newly created Environmental Law Division. She was appointed deputy chief of the Division in 1997 and chief in 2010. At the Law Department, her work has supported the city’s environmental agenda, including on climate mitigation and resiliency. She’s responsible for the 1997 Memorandum of Agreement to protect the city’s drinking water supply system, and led the legal team that fought challenges to the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the reconstruction of athletic fields on Randall’s Island.

In 2009, she won the ground-breaking $105-million jury verdict in a lawsuit against ExxonMobil for contaminating the City’s groundwater. She has also led the City’s current efforts to push back against the federal government’s rollback of federal environmental policy and regulations.

Amron serves on the executive committee of the Environmental and Energy Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on climate and other environmental issues, and has taught the environmental moot court at Columbia Law School.

Amron takes over as General Counsel from Anita Laremont, who was appointed Executive Director at DCP last fall.

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.