NEW YORK CITY—In a shake-up of two city agencies, Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development commissioner Vicki Been is stepping down and will be replaced by NYC Economic Development Corp. president and CEO Maria Torres-Springer, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio's office. At EDC, James Patchett, an advisor to the Mayor on housing issues and the current chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, will take the reins.

Under the leadership of Been—who is set to return to teaching at New York University as the Boxer Family Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Furman Center—the administration has secured affordable housing at a rate not seen since the Koch Administration in 1989, Mayor de Blasio's office states. Her exit comes after overseeing the financing of a record 62,500 affordable homes—enough for 170,000 New Yorkers.

Torres-Springer has served as president and CEO of the EDC since June 2015. Her work there included creating large affordable housing projects with mixed use retail and community spaces and major investments in long-underserved communities. In addition, she oversaw the implementation of City-wide Ferry, the launch of LifeSci NYC, and expansion of minority and women-owned businesses.

Previously, Torres-Springer served as commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Small Business Services and as the EVP and chief of staff at NYCEDC. She also held the positions of senior policy advisor at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding and COO of Friends of the Highline.

Patchett is an architect of some key NYC initiatives, including saving 5,000 affordable homes at Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, protecting Harlem's Riverton Houses, passing Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and overhauling CitiBike.

“With her signature brand of grit and grace, Vicki created and implemented our ambitious affordable housing plan. She is a brilliant public servant and law professor, and her students are lucky to have her back,” says Mayor de Blasio.

“Having grown up in Section 8 housing, I know first-hand that the work we do is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of families. Housing is the top expense for New Yorkers, and for far too many rising rents threaten their ability to stay in the city they love. I've spent my career helping people secure better jobs with better wages, and developing neighborhood projects that provide affordable homes and economic opportunity. Vicki leaves big shoes to fill, but I'm honored to have a chance to keep up the record-breaking progress she's achieved,” says Torres-Springer.

Asserts Patchett, “As we continue to build on the achievements of this administration, I am honored to serve as the new head of NYCEDC. With the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Maria, and all of our partners inside and outside of government, we will continue to make our city a 21st century capital of commerce, culture and innovation.”

“It has been an honor and privilege to lead HPD, and to be part of the Mayor's all-star housing team. We came in with a bold agenda to change the paradigm for how we grow as a city. We promised to produce and preserve more affordable housing than ever achieved, to reach New Yorkers at a broad range of incomes, and to work with communities to ensure neighborhoods are diverse, inclusive, and rich in opportunity,” says Been.

“I am very grateful to Mayor de Blasio for giving me the opportunity to help him make history,” she continues. “As we face the challenges ahead, I look forward to watching as Maria and the amazing HPD team make even further strides to keep New York City a city for all.”

NEW YORK CITY—In a shake-up of two city agencies, Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development commissioner Vicki Been is stepping down and will be replaced by NYC Economic Development Corp. president and CEO Maria Torres-Springer, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio's office. At EDC, James Patchett, an advisor to the Mayor on housing issues and the current chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, will take the reins.

Under the leadership of Been—who is set to return to teaching at New York University as the Boxer Family Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Furman Center—the administration has secured affordable housing at a rate not seen since the Koch Administration in 1989, Mayor de Blasio's office states. Her exit comes after overseeing the financing of a record 62,500 affordable homes—enough for 170,000 New Yorkers.

Torres-Springer has served as president and CEO of the EDC since June 2015. Her work there included creating large affordable housing projects with mixed use retail and community spaces and major investments in long-underserved communities. In addition, she oversaw the implementation of City-wide Ferry, the launch of LifeSci NYC, and expansion of minority and women-owned businesses.

Previously, Torres-Springer served as commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Small Business Services and as the EVP and chief of staff at NYCEDC. She also held the positions of senior policy advisor at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding and COO of Friends of the Highline.

Patchett is an architect of some key NYC initiatives, including saving 5,000 affordable homes at Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, protecting Harlem's Riverton Houses, passing Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and overhauling CitiBike.

“With her signature brand of grit and grace, Vicki created and implemented our ambitious affordable housing plan. She is a brilliant public servant and law professor, and her students are lucky to have her back,” says Mayor de Blasio.

“Having grown up in Section 8 housing, I know first-hand that the work we do is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of families. Housing is the top expense for New Yorkers, and for far too many rising rents threaten their ability to stay in the city they love. I've spent my career helping people secure better jobs with better wages, and developing neighborhood projects that provide affordable homes and economic opportunity. Vicki leaves big shoes to fill, but I'm honored to have a chance to keep up the record-breaking progress she's achieved,” says Torres-Springer.

Asserts Patchett, “As we continue to build on the achievements of this administration, I am honored to serve as the new head of NYCEDC. With the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Maria, and all of our partners inside and outside of government, we will continue to make our city a 21st century capital of commerce, culture and innovation.”

“It has been an honor and privilege to lead HPD, and to be part of the Mayor's all-star housing team. We came in with a bold agenda to change the paradigm for how we grow as a city. We promised to produce and preserve more affordable housing than ever achieved, to reach New Yorkers at a broad range of incomes, and to work with communities to ensure neighborhoods are diverse, inclusive, and rich in opportunity,” says Been.

“I am very grateful to Mayor de Blasio for giving me the opportunity to help him make history,” she continues. “As we face the challenges ahead, I look forward to watching as Maria and the amazing HPD team make even further strides to keep New York City a city for all.”