2025 Annual Luncheon

Director, NYC Department of City Planning & Chairman, NYC City Planning Commission

Dan Garodnick didn't set out with the expectation of becoming New York City’s chief planner; before his involvement in City government, he was a securities litigator. But an inquisitive, public-minded determination ultimately landed him in a position to deliver the most significant reforms in memory to the city's zoning regulations.

Appointed in 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams to lead the City Planning Commission and Department of City Planning, Dan set out to tackle ambitious goals with strategies to make them achievable. Faced with a longstanding and intractable housing crisis, he says, “we were charged to come up with solutions that were meaningful and bold. And that’s what we did.” Under his direction, DCP compiled three citywide zoning text amendments focused on sustainability, economic development, and—most significantly—housing. The proposed changes to residential zoning were truly citywide in scope, oriented toward creating “a little more housing in every neighborhood.”

The Bridge

Visiting Bridge Rockaway in Brownsville, it is quickly evident why this building stands out as an ideal recipient of the Impact Award for Community Investment. Standing as a testament to the transformative power of vision, collaboration, and determination, Bridge Rockaway is the first mixed-use development in New York City to co-locate supportive and affordable housing with light manufacturing.

Bridge Rockaway adopts a multi-pronged approach to meeting the housing and economic needs of the Brownsville community. It provides homes, supportive services, community spaces, social connection, employment opportunities, and generates business to stimulate the local economy. It demonstrates the importance of not confining community development aspirations to the projects and outcomes that are customarily or more easily achievable, but rather of reaching more broadly and collaboratively, and rising to the challenge of doing something new.

In a challenging environment marked by rising costs and a historic regional housing shortage, the affordable housing industry has never been more in need of versatile and mission-oriented investors to make projects feasible, offer steady financial support, and provide direct funding to local communities.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) represents a cornerstone of the industry, leveraging its unique role as part of a congressionally chartered, nationwide system of regional cooperatives to provide members with prompt, on-demand liquidity in support of housing, local community development, and financial stability. Their work has benefited countless communities and individuals in New York City and across FHLBNY’s region.

Director of Small Homes Programs, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation

Ryan Chavez is a dedicated community planner and advocate for housing justice whose commitment and perseverance has been essential to recent progress on the long-intractable challenge of legalizing basement apartments. As Project Director for the Basement Apartment Conversion Pilot Program at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC), he has been on the front lines of generating solutions to deliver safe, legal, and affordable housing for some of New York City’s most vulnerable residents.

Beyond his technical expertise and policy acumen, Ryan is known for his thoughtful and measured leadership. He is a steadying force in high-pressure situations, a trusted partner in complex negotiations, and a source of inspiration to those who work alongside him. His ability to navigate bureaucratic challenges while maintaining a deep empathy for the people he serves sets him apart as a community planner.