Maria Torres-Springer Stepping Down as HPD Commissioner

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced that Maria Torres-Springer will step down as Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in early March to take on a new role as Vice President of U.S. Programs for the Ford Foundation. 

During her tenure at HPD, Torres-Springer oversaw the design and implementation of Housing New York 2.0, which accelerated and expanded the mayor's housing plan to create 300,000 homes by 2026. Under her leadership, the city financed approximately 60,000 affordable homes, more than any two-year period in HPD’s history, bringing the city’s affordable housing production to date to 122,000 homes. Torres-Springer also oversaw policy changes to reach more of the city’s most vulnerable residents; supported the development of comprehensive plans for investments in Inwood, Downtown Far Rockaway, Jerome Avenue, and other neighborhoods; advanced initiatives to promote innovations in design and construction; and launched several new programs to protect tenants’ rights.

Prior to joining HPD, Torres-Springer served as the first female President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she led the implementation of city-wide Ferry, the launch of LifeSci NYC, and the expansion of EDC’s Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises programs. She also advanced projects including the re-imagining of Spofford, a former juvenile detention center in the Bronx, as a hub for the arts and affordable housing.