Mayor Brandon Johnson announces task force as part of citywide initiative to streamline housing and commercial development
NEW YORK, July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As part of Mayor Brandon Johnson's signature Cut the Tape initiative aimed at streamlining and expediting housing and commercial development, it was announced today that Veronica Gonzalez from The NHP Foundation (NHPF) was appointed to the newly formed Cut the Tape Task Force, a key group consisting of nearly 50 development leaders.
The Task Force includes developers, general contractors, leaders in the trade industries, architects, attorneys, and more. Abigail Sullivan, inaugural Director of Process Improvement leads the Task Force whose members will serve a one-year role and work directly with the Mayor's Office to support refining a multi-year process improvement strategy, addressing policy and program barriers, identifying key metrics to measure success of policy changes, and promoting the program's mission and equity-related goals.
"Our administration is guided by compassion, competency, and collaboration, and the members of our Cut the Tape Task Force bring all of that and more to the table," said Chief Operating Officer John Roberson. "We know that to create a better, stronger, safer Chicago, we must all work together to enable efficient affordable housing and commercial development, and we are committed to doing that, investing in people and creating opportunities for businesses to further strengthen our communities."
Of the appointment, Gonzalez, NHPF Midwest Development Director, remarked, "Working from the inside to create change that will cut red tape across sectors enables creation and preservation of more affordable housing throughout the city, and that is part of NHPF's mission every day."
At NHPF, Gonzalez works on a team that is responsible for award-winning development of service-enriched apartment communities created via the City's longstanding SRO (Single-room occupancy) program and other mechanisms promoting affordable housing.
Other accomplishments of Mayor Brandon's Cut the Tape initiative include:
- Created a cross-departmental roundtable to monitor and troubleshoot development projects in the City's pipeline
- Launched a working group to update and streamline DOH's Architectural and Technical Standards (ATS) Manual.
- Created an environmental checklist for developers.
- Developed and published process maps.
- Dedicated funds to a DPD predevelopment grant fund.
- Introduced an ordinance to consolidate DPD Capital Grant funding requirements.
- Created a checklist for Redevelopment Agreement (RDA) execution and payment requisition.
- Revamped the business license website to accept electronic signatures and PDF copies for applications.
Gonzalez, among other distinguished members, will play a crucial role in advising and supporting these initiatives. For more information about the Cut the Tape initiative, visit chicago.gov/CutTheTape.
About The NHP Foundation
Headquartered in New York City with offices in Washington, DC, Baltimore and Chicago, IL, The NHP Foundation (NHPF) was launched on January 30, 1989, as a publicly supported 501(c)(3) not-for-profit real estate corporation. NHPF is dedicated to preserving and creating sustainable, service-enriched multifamily housing, and single-family homes that are both affordable to low and moderate income families and seniors, and beneficial to their communities. NHPF's Construction Management Group provides in-house resources dedicated to infrastructure review, infrastructure development and cost management. Through Family-Centered Coaching, NHPF's subsidiary Operation Pathways engages with, and assists, families experiencing poverty and other hardship, to problem-solve together. Through partnerships with major financial institutions, the public sector, faith-based initiatives, and other not-for-profit organizations, NHPF has 59 properties in 16 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit http://www.nhpfoundation.org.
Media Contact
marijane funess, www.nhpfoundation.org , 9148303754, [email protected] , www.nhpfoundation.org
SOURCE www.nhpfoundation.org
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