The City of Yes - 80,000+ new homes for New Yorkers. A Conversation with Dan Garodnick (Chair of NY City Planning) and Robert Knakal, moderated by Nick Petkoff.
A Conversation with Dan Garodnick (Chair of NY City Planning) about The City of Yes. An industry perspective on the City of Yes by Bob Knakal, founder of BKRS.
The City of Yes represents the most significant and historic update to the city's zoning code since its original adoption in 1961. Additionally, the City Council has secured a commitment from both the City and State to invest $5 billion in the Council's City for All housing plan, aimed at supporting affordable housing, homeownership, and enhancements to neighborhood infrastructure. We will discuss with Dan the zoning changes that were implemented to achieve the goals above.
About the Speakers
Dan Garodnick, appointed by Mayor Eric L. Adams, began serving as Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission in February 2022.
Dan served in the New York City Council for 12 years, representing the East Side of Manhattan, and was known as one of New York's most independent voices and effective legislators. Dan chaired the City Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committees and served as a member of the Land Use Committee.
Garodnick, a lawyer who has also served as a not-for-profit executive, is best known for his skill in negotiating complicated land use matters, such as the rezoning of 80 blocks of East Midtown and the Vanderbilt Corridor. This rezoning – approved unanimously by the City Council – not only has already spurred energy and new growth in a key commercial district, but is expected to deliver nearly a billion dollars in improvements to subways and public spaces in Midtown over the next 20 years. Garodnick also negotiated the largest affordable housing preservation deal in New York City’s history – 5,000 middle-class housing units in Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village. He wrote a book on that subject, Saving Stuyvesant Town, which Amazon called one of the best nonfiction books of 2021.
During his time in the City Council, Garodnick authored and passed 60 bills, which included relief for small businesses from the Commercial Rent Tax, a right for tenants to sue a landlord for harassment, a biotech tax credit, transparency in the use of economic development incentives, the City’s first “green” energy code, and various good government reforms.
Immediately before he took the helm at the City Planning Commission and the Department of City Planning, Garodnick was President and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a six mile park on Manhattan's West Side.
Prior to his public service, Garodnick was a litigator at the New York law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP. He has a B.A. from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. He lives with his wife and two sons in Manhattan”
Bob Knakal is the Founder and CEO of BKREA. He started his real estate career in 1984 at CB Richard Ellis where he met Paul J. Massey Jr. They both left CB in 1988 to form Massey Knakal. From 1988 through 2014, Massey Knakal closed over 6,000 transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $23 billion. To date, Bob has been personally responsible for the sale of over 2,300 buildings (generally considered to be the highest total ever for a single broker in New York) and over $22 billion in sales. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob acted as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob then joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman of New York Investment Sales and stayed until early 2024.
Since 2009, Bob has written a weekly column on the New York City Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer.
Moderator
Nick Petkoff, President, ANG Real Estate and Better Brokers, LLC
Please contact us with any questions at wrei@whartonny.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
When:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
5:45 PM ET – 7:30 PM ET (Program will be 6pm to 7pm sharp)
Where:
Midtown location
(Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members – $20 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni/Alumni Guest Ticket – $40
Gold & Benefactor Member – $0
Notes:
Please reach out to Nick Petkoff or the Wharton Club of NY if:
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as this event will sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, January 28th at 9:00am.
Cancellations must be made at least 48-hours (business day) prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.
A Conversation with Dan Garodnick (Chair of NY City Planning) about The City of Yes. An industry perspective on the City of Yes by Bob Knakal, founder of BKRS.
The City of Yes represents the most significant and historic update to the city's zoning code since its original adoption in 1961. Additionally, the City Council has secured a commitment from both the City and State to invest $5 billion in the Council's City for All housing plan, aimed at supporting affordable housing, homeownership, and enhancements to neighborhood infrastructure. We will discuss with Dan the zoning changes that were implemented to achieve the goals above.
About the Speakers
Dan Garodnick, appointed by Mayor Eric L. Adams, began serving as Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission in February 2022.
Dan served in the New York City Council for 12 years, representing the East Side of Manhattan, and was known as one of New York's most independent voices and effective legislators. Dan chaired the City Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committees and served as a member of the Land Use Committee.
Garodnick, a lawyer who has also served as a not-for-profit executive, is best known for his skill in negotiating complicated land use matters, such as the rezoning of 80 blocks of East Midtown and the Vanderbilt Corridor. This rezoning – approved unanimously by the City Council – not only has already spurred energy and new growth in a key commercial district, but is expected to deliver nearly a billion dollars in improvements to subways and public spaces in Midtown over the next 20 years. Garodnick also negotiated the largest affordable housing preservation deal in New York City’s history – 5,000 middle-class housing units in Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village. He wrote a book on that subject, Saving Stuyvesant Town, which Amazon called one of the best nonfiction books of 2021.
During his time in the City Council, Garodnick authored and passed 60 bills, which included relief for small businesses from the Commercial Rent Tax, a right for tenants to sue a landlord for harassment, a biotech tax credit, transparency in the use of economic development incentives, the City’s first “green” energy code, and various good government reforms.
Immediately before he took the helm at the City Planning Commission and the Department of City Planning, Garodnick was President and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a six mile park on Manhattan's West Side.
Prior to his public service, Garodnick was a litigator at the New York law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP. He has a B.A. from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. He lives with his wife and two sons in Manhattan”
Bob Knakal is the Founder and CEO of BKREA. He started his real estate career in 1984 at CB Richard Ellis where he met Paul J. Massey Jr. They both left CB in 1988 to form Massey Knakal. From 1988 through 2014, Massey Knakal closed over 6,000 transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $23 billion. To date, Bob has been personally responsible for the sale of over 2,300 buildings (generally considered to be the highest total ever for a single broker in New York) and over $22 billion in sales. In 2014, Cushman & Wakefield acquired Massey Knakal. At Cushman & Wakefield, Bob acted as Chairman of New York Investment Sales. He was ranked the top originating investment sales broker at Cushman & Wakefield, globally, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Bob then joined JLL in September of 2018 as Chairman of New York Investment Sales and stayed until early 2024.
Since 2009, Bob has written a weekly column on the New York City Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for the Commercial Observer.
Moderator
Nick Petkoff, President, ANG Real Estate and Better Brokers, LLC
Please contact us with any questions at wrei@whartonny.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
When:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
5:45 PM ET – 7:30 PM ET (Program will be 6pm to 7pm sharp)
Where:
Midtown location
(Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members – $20 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni/Alumni Guest Ticket – $40
Gold & Benefactor Member – $0
Notes:
Please reach out to Nick Petkoff or the Wharton Club of NY if:
- Your company is hiring, and you’d like to make the position known to talented Wharton alumni;
- Your company would be open to sponsoring/hosting a Wharton Real Estate future speaker event—it’s a fun way to get PR; or
- You’d like to be added to the group’s email list.
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as this event will sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, January 28th at 9:00am.
Cancellations must be made at least 48-hours (business day) prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.