Maria Torres-Springer is the new housing commissioner

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on January 17 that Maria Torres-Springer will serve as the next commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development when its current commissioner, Vicki Been, returns to teaching at New York University.

Maria Torres-Springer comes to HPD with deep experience securing affordable housing and working directly with communities on holistic neighborhood planning. As president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and before that as the Mayor’s Small Business Services commissioner, Torres-Springer has created and advanced transformational projects, including the re-imagining of Spofford, a former juvenile detention center in the Bronx as a hub for the arts and affordable housing. She has been the administration’s leader in developing the Downtown Far Rockaway Neighborhood Plan, which included more than $90 million in neighborhood investments and affordable housing to serve both the lowest-income New Yorkers and those in the middle class.

Maria Torres-Springer: She grew up in Section 8 housing. ‘ Photo: Inside City Hall

Torres-Springer will build on Been’s legacy of protecting neighborhoods and developing record numbers of securely-financed affordable homes in increasingly challenging economic times.

“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,” De Blasio said. “As progressive thinkers and proven deal makers, Maria and James have worked closely with me to advance our most important initiatives. Together, we will continue to build on the successes of our first three years, and make this city fairer and more affordable for everyone.”

The move is effective Feb. 6.

“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,” said Maria Torres-Springer.

HPD Commissioner Vicki Been said, “I am very grateful to Mayor de Blasio for giving me the opportunity to help him make history. 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.”

Torres-Springer has served as President and CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation since June 2015. She has a demonstrated record of expanding economic opportunity and building relationships between community, government, and private businesses to support economic development projects throughout New York City.

At NYCEDC, her focus was to grow the vital sectors of the city’s economy while creating real opportunity for all New Yorkers. At NYCEDC and her work included creating large affordable housing projects with mixed use retail and community spaces, major investments in long-underserved communities, such as the Lower Concourse Plan, the Downtown Far Rockaway Neighborhood Plan, and investments in Brooklyn’s Flatbush-Caton Market to also include affordable housing. She oversaw the implementation of City-wide Ferry, the launch of LifeSci NYC, and expansion of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises programs at EDC including the Emerging Developer Loan Fund.

Before NYCEDC, Torres-Springer served as commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), where she spearheaded the administration’s efforts to raise wages and expand skill-building in workforce placement programs, support women-owned and immigrant-owned businesses, streamline the regulatory environment for small businesses, and launch path-breaking initiatives like the Tech Talent Pipeline to grow the tech sector and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs. Her approach to growth and inclusion also resulted in New York City’s launch of Women Entrepreneurs NYC (WE NYC), a catalytic effort to expand the economic potential of women entrepreneurs across the five boroughs, with a focus on the specific needs of underserved women and families. — pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov