THE RALPH C. MENAPACE FELLOWSHIP IN URBAN LAND USE LAW Applications Due: May 1, 2018
New York City has been both the laboratory and battleground for innovations in land use regulation, including urban environmental controls, zoning, open space, and historic preservation. Legislation drafted or refined through litigation in New York has provided the model for land use laws throughout the country.
The Ralph C. Menapace Fellowship, sponsored by the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), gives recent law school graduates an opportunity to acquire first-hand experience in the legislative process, litigation, and advocacy before New York’s regulatory bodies. It provides the intensive learning experience of a judicial clerkship with a greater opportunity for independent, creative work in finding solutions to new and persistent problems in urban life.
ABOUT THE MENAPACE FELLOWSHIP
The Menapace Fellow will work under the guidance of MAS’s General Counsel and our Law Committee, which comprises distinguished attorneys with expertise in preservation, zoning, land use and government. The Fellow will be involved in legislative work, litigation, and the preparation and delivery of testimony in proceedings before state and federal administrative bodies, as well as the City Planning Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission, Board of Standards & Appeals, and the City Council. The Fellow will also serve as in-house counsel, assisting in corporate and non-profit law matters for the MAS.
The Fellow’s term, to commence in summer 2018, will run for a mandatory two-year period. The Fellowship is a salaried position, commensurate with a judicial clerkship, and standard MAS benefits. The Fellow will work with staff in the MAS office at 488 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter indicating the basis of their interest, a resume, legal writing sample (no longer than ten pages), and transcript by May 1, 2018 to Robert Libbey, Municipal Art Society, 488 Madison Avenue, 1900, New York, New York, 10022.
ABOUT MAS
MAS is a 125-year-old civic organization (MAS) that works to educate and inspire New Yorkers to engage in the betterment of our city. As a non-profit advocacy organization, MAS mobilizes diverse allies to focus on issues that affect our city from sidewalk to skyline. MAS protects New York’s legacy spaces, encourages thoughtful planning and urban design, and fosters complete
THE MUNICIPAL ART SOCIETY OF NEW YORK T 212 935 3960 MAS.org 488 MADISON AVE SUITE 1900 NEW YORK, NY 10022
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neighborhoods across the five boroughs devoted to improving the physical environment of New York City.
Our advocacy efforts over the years have led to the creation of the nation’s first zoning ordinance, early air and noise quality controls, the first billboard legislation, New York’s first tree-planting program, and the establishment of New York City’s Planning Commission, Public Design Commission, and Landmarks Preservation Commission. MAS played a key role in the legal action that saved Grand Central Terminal and the resulting United States Supreme Court decision affirming the New York City’s Landmarks Law. MAS also was a key player in the successful court battles over Saint Bartholomew’s Church and Columbus Circle – the latter would have resulted in the largest building ever built in midtown Manhattan at the time – as well as a leader in New York’s response to 9/11, spearheading the Tribute in Light and Imagine New York.
More recently, MAS released the Accidental Skyline initiative, focusing on policy recommendations to close loopholes in the City’s Zoning Resolution and correct flaws in the public review process. In addition, MAS has been successful in advocating for legislation that improved the Board of Standards & Appeals variance process and regulations governing Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). It is currently advocating to protect the Garment District and City parkland from the imposition of development rights currently unavailable in the Zoning Resolution.
The 2018-20 Menapace Fellow will be engaged in policy development and advocacy for current urban land use issues confronting New York City. Specific issues might include housing equity, the impacts of climate change on the densifying city, regulations to safeguard and promote small business, and the protection of light and air in the public realm to ensure a healthier and more livable city.
ABOUT RALPH C. MENAPACE, JR.
The Fellowship is named in honor of Ralph C. Menapace, Jr., a distinguished lawyer and active civic leader who died in 1984. Mr. Menapace, a graduate of Yale Law School and a partner in the firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, championed the preservation of landmarks, the protection and enhancement of parks, and the creation of more sensitive zoning tools to guide new development. He was an invaluable resource for community groups, government agencies, and civic organizations.