Nicole Campo Guests on ‘Sisto Says’ Podcast
December 2023
New York, NY — Nicole Campo, Technical Director, Land Use Planning, Matrix New World Engineering (Matrix), joined Sisto Martello, President and founding Principal of Design 2147, for an interview on the ‘Sisto Says’ podcast.
Campo specializes in municipal planning services in land use as well as environmental planning. Her recent involvement in the East Flatbush, Brooklyn Community Board 17 Proposal highlights preserving Black homeownership in CB 17 through analysis of accessory dwelling unit potential. As a resident of Community Board 17, Campo is deeply connected to the issues surrounding the proposal.
East Flatbush is a predominantly black community with one of the highest rates of black home ownership in New York City. However, as new development increases, there has been a decline in both the percentage of black home ownership and the overall black population in the community. Campo emphasized this trend, stating, “These market pressures are actually reducing the black population in the neighborhood.”
Campo highlighted Matrix’s pivotal role in the CB17 project. She stated, “What my team looked at was, we have these homes, we know anecdotally that people break up homes into two or three families, they do use basements as apartments, but there are no legal mechanisms for them to really do this.”
Matrix is responsible for analyzing the potential for additional housing units by adjusting zoning requirements and building codes. Their objective was to streamline the legal conversion of single-family and two-family homes into two- or three-family dwellings, including the conversion of both below- and above-grade basements into legal dwelling units within Community Board 17.
Leading the Matrix team, Campo oversaw a comprehensive approach to the project. The group conducted an inventory of existing residential structures and reviewed current zoning regulations and prevailing conditions throughout the community. Matrix prepared a set of recommendations aimed at increasing the number of dwelling units in CB17 through the addition of units within existing single- and two-family homes.
According to Jayne Warne, PE, President, “Nicole’s expertise combined with Matrix’s strategic contributions are set to make a positive impact on the housing in CB17, outlining critical issues and offering sustainable development options within the community.”
To listen to the interview, please click here.
About Sisto Says Podcast
Sisto Says is a show dedicated to the New York City building development industry.
About Nicole Campo
Nicole Campo, AICP, is an urban planning professional with over 18 years of experience in urban planning, environmental review, public speaking, and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. Ms. Campo is the Technical Director of Land Use Planning at Matrix New World Engineering, a renowned environmental consulting firm solving national and global challenges in climate change, infrastructure, transportation, and energy.
As a former Vice President of the Land Use Division with the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the former Deputy Director of both the Staten Island Borough Office and the Land Use Review Division of the NYC Department of City Planning, Campo led or coordinated review of hundreds of ULURP and non-ULURP land use applications, land use approvals, and comprehensive plans to support transit-oriented growth, housing production and affordability, economic development, and resilient and sustainable communities across NYC. Nicole also held an adjunct professor position at Hunter College, at which she taught a course on zoning and land use within the Master of Urban Planning program.
Ms. Campo received her Master of Urban Planning from Hunter College, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Vassar College.
About Matrix New World Engineering
Matrix New World Engineering is a company of engineering and science experts who focus on some of the nation’s most pressing long-term challenges, including climate change, resiliency, ecological restoration, contamination studies, water supply, disaster response, and urban revitalization. Matrix believes solving environmental challenges through careful planning and engineering is an indispensable measure of success.
Matrix has offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Louisiana and California, coupled with project experience throughout the United States and the Caribbean.
