Norman Marcus (August 31, 1932 – June 30, 2008) was an American lawyer and zoning expert. He served as general counsel of the

New York City Planning Commission The Department of City Planning (DCP) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning. The department is responsible for land use and environmental review, p ...

for over twenty years and played a key role in designing zoning laws to preserve the historic integrity of New York City's old neighborhoods while allowing for new development.

Biography

Marcus was born on August 31, 1932 in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He graduated from Columbia College in 1953 and

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1957. At Yale, he met his wife, Maria Eleanor Lenhoff, who became Joseph M. McLaughlin professor of law at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

, and the two married in 1956. Marcus joined the New York City Planning Commission in 1963 and for 20 years was its general counsel. In that capacity, Marcus devised legal codes that helped transfer air rights above historic

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

theaters in

Theater District, Manhattan New York City's Theater District (sometimes spelled Theatre District, and officially zoned as the "Theater Subdistrict") is an area and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, ...

and above

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

, preserving their historic architecture while allowing construction of new skyscrapers. He also pioneered

inclusionary zoning Inclusionary zoning (IZ), also known as inclusionary housing, refers to municipal and county planning ordinances that require a given share of new construction to be affordable by people with low to moderate incomes. The term ''inclusionary'' zon ...

, which offers tax breaks to developers of luxury housing if they set aside a portion of their building for low-to-middle income tenants. Marcus helped draft the 1982 Loft Law, which legalized artists' occupation of old warehouses in manufacturing districts and their transformation into work spaces and residential apartments by protecting them from rising rents, poor conditions, and eviction. After leaving the commission in 1985 after a 22-year career, Marcus taught zoning laws at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, the

Cardozo School of Law The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is the law school of Yeshiva University. Located in New York City and founded in 1976, the school is named for Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo. Cardozo graduated its first class in 1979. An LL.M. ...

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

and the

Princeton University School of Architecture Princeton University School of Architecture is the name of the school of architecture at Princeton University. Founded in 1919, the School is a center for teaching and research in architectural design, history, and theory. The School offers an und ...

. Marcus died of cancer on June 30, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Norman 1932 births 2008 deaths Lawyers from New York City American urban planners Columbia College (New York) alumni Yale Law School alumni New York University faculty Pratt Institute faculty Princeton University faculty Cardozo School of Law faculty