The Rooftops Conference NYC 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016

Registration Now Open!

The Rooftops Conference NYC 2016, to be held on Friday, April 1st, will be our sixth annual symposium for the not-for-profit sector focused on the role of real estate — owned, leased, or hosted physical space — in the operations, financial performance, and achievement of mission by not-for-profit organizations of all sizes and mission types.

Panelists from the not-for-profit sector, the real estate industry, and the professions will explore themes illustrating how not-for-profit executives, staff, and board members can collaborate in addressing real estate and space needs in achieving their organizations’ core objectives. The Conference is a forum for meaningful discussion and also a chance to interact with peers in the social sector and the real estate industry. Whether you are involved in real estate and space decisions every day or once in a while, you’ll hear something new that may validate, challenge, or even change your approach. We hope you will join us!

The Conference will again be held at New York Law School, 185 West Broadway, New York.

Registration:

Registration is required and open now. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged. Please register online by clicking here. For questions you may call 212.431.2306.

Who Should Attend?

• Not-for-Profit Executives and Staff ~ Board Members ~ Volunteers ~ Lawyers
• Real Estate Industry and Social Sector Professionals ~ Donors and Funders
• Government Officials and Staff

When:

Friday, April 1, 2016 * 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where:

New York Law School * 185 W. Broadway, New York, NY 10013
(at the intersection of West Broadway and Leonard)

Agenda:

8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Conference Moderator: James Hagy, Distinguished Adjunct Professor and Director of The Rooftops Project, New York Law School

New York Law School: Our NYC Footprints Over 125 Years
This year, New York Law School celebrates its 125th anniversary as “New York’s Law School.” Professor Korngold will narrate a brief pictorial overview of the NYC locations at which our school has educated generations of lawyers, with images gathered and curated by Michael Roffer, New York Law School’s Professor of Legal Research and Associate Librarian for Reader Services
Gerald Korngold, Professor of Law, New York Law School

9:00 a.m. — 9:30 a.m. Responding to the Unanticipated
Planning and managing effective responses to emergency situations are essential for every organization to protect individual safety, property, and community well-being. But the exact scenario that may present itself may seldom be precisely among the ones that have been imagined or rehearsed. The recent crane collapse in Tribeca presented such a scenario to various organizations, including New York Law School and the surrounding community. Join Law School leaders in a discussion to explore how both preparedness and flexibility are a necessity for community anchor organizations to be an effective partner in aiding government rescue and recovery operations.
Anthony W. Crowell, Dean and President, New York Law School
Carole Post, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, New York Law School

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Right Where We Started: Celebrating NYC Organizations at the Same Locations Over a Century and More
In conjunction with New York Law School’s own 125th anniversary celebration this year, we reached out to not-for-profit organizations that have been furthering their charitable missions in the same place for approximately 125 years or more. In preparation for today, we were privileged to visit and chat with organizations across boroughs and mission types to be able to highlight these extraordinary organizations, their equally extraordinary properties, and to draw themes from commonalities and differences they experience in occupying mission-driven, historic structures. Representatives of the organizations will be present for an informal panel discussion as part of the presentation.

Featured Organizations: The Art Students League of New York; The Bowne House Historical Society; The Bronx Zoo; Carnegie Hall; Middle Collegiate Church; Flushing Friends (Old Quaker) Meeting House; Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanic Gardens, Sailors’ Snug Harbor

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break

10:45 – 11:15 a.m. Making Accessibility More Accessible
Not-for-profit organizations often express the ambition and commitment to make their properties and programs more accessible to staff and guests alike. The realities of existing physical building infrastructure, urban property site conditions, and limited budget can all work to make achieving these goals more difficult. Landmark status and historic preservation, worthy policies in themselves, may impose requirements that can appear to compete with accessibility improvements. What can not-for-profit organizations (those with capital budgets, and those without) do to advance and improve accessibility for all stakeholders?
Victor Calise, Commissioner, New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
Paul Feuerstein, Founder, President, and CEO, Barrier Free Living
Ross F. Moskowitz, Partner, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

11:15 — 11:55 a.m. The Church of St. Luke in the Fields: Aligning Goals, Advancing Mission, and Securing a Future through Real Estate
As budgets continue to be stretched to their limits, many not-for-profit organizations are looking for creative ways to improve physical, organizational, and financial sustainability without compromising a commitment to mission. In many cases, real estate may provide a solution, but assessing real estate options is a complex endeavor for any not-for-profit organization. It requires high-level visioning, thorough evaluation and mitigation of financial risk, the ability to identify practical solutions, and careful consideration of impacts on programs and beneficiaries – both in the short-term and into the future. A group of architectural, legal, and real estate planning professionals will discuss ways in which real estate can be key in helping organizations achieve a position of strength and stability, particularly in New York City’s volatile marketplace. They will be joined by leaders of the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, which is currently implementing a complex block-wide development initiative in the West Village.
Peter Anthony Irvin, Former Vestry Member, the Church of St. Luke in the Fields
Meredith J. Kane, Partner, Paul Weiss
Elizabeth Leber, Partner, Beyer Blinder Belle
Stephen Powers, Senior Manager of Transaction Services, Denham Wolf Real Estate Services
Rev. Caroline Stacey, Rector, the Church of St. Luke in the Fields
Paul Wolf, Co-President, Denham Wolf Real Estate Services

11:55 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Real Estate Tax Exemptions: The Lightning Road

For many years, while President of the New York City Tax Commission, Glenn Newman has generously shared his time and perspectives with New York Law School program audiences, including addressing real estate tax exemptions at past Rooftops Project conferences and workshops. Having recently transitioned to private practice, we will explore with Glenn in a fast-paced session advanced topics in securing and maintaining real estate tax-exempt status and how to avoid common not-for-profit property owner mistakes. Hold on to your hats … and your exemptions!
Glenn Newman, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Luncheon Breakout Sessions (guests will be able to select two)

Session Facilitators:

Stacy Dasaro, Associate, Ropes & Gray
Dmitriy Ishimbayev, Founder, Ishimbayev Law Firm
Kirstin Porro, Partner, Porro Law Group LLC
Tamara Salzman, Associate, Kellner Herlihy Getty & Friedman, LLP

Topic A: Lease Audits: Are You Paying More Than You Should?
Commercial leases are often structured to include not only a fixed, base rent but a tenant’s share of building operating costs and real estate taxes. Leases vary widely in what can be included in these costs; negotiated changes can make the administration of these leases and the issued invoices complex. What are tenant lease audits, how do they work, and what can they reveal and save?
Marc Betesh, Founder and President, KBA Lease Services

Topic B: To Market, To Market
Whether you are a tenant leasing space, or the owner (or future owner) of property, current rental costs and property sales prices can affect your organization’s planning and performance. Richard Warshauer will provide an overview and insights on market conditions in New York’s five boroughs, one of the world’s priciest cities.
Richard Warshauer, Senior Managing Director, Colliers International NYC LLC

Topic C: A Capital Opportunity: Green Infrastructure
This New York City Department of Environmental Protection grant program offers funding for the design and construction of green infrastructure systems for qualified private properties in New York City. Not-for-profit properties can qualify. The projects, which manage stormwater runoff, can include installations such as green roofs, rain gardens, porous pavement, blue roofs, and rainwater harvesting. This session will provide an overview of the project requirements, application, and selection process.
Tiffany Lowe, Project Manager, Green Infrastructure Grant Program, Office of Green Infrastructure, New York City Department of Environmental Protection

Topic D: Walling Off Risk
Not-for-profit organizations can assume significant (and unanticipated) risks in taking on the ownership of real property. Recent experiences suggest that not-for-profits should identify and develop strategies for minimizing these risks. This session will consider property ownership alternatives including creating separate wholly-owned subsidiaries or sole member limited liability companies to take ownership of property, or entering into joint venture arrangements to spread the risk.
David Samuels, Partner, Duval & Stachenfeld LLP
Themes Karalis, Partner, Duval & Stachenfeld LLP
Elizabeth Buckley Lewis, Counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Glenn Newman, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

1:30 p.m. Reception

Our reception offers a chance, over dessert and beverages, to meet peers and to chat with our speakers, panelists, faculty, and students involved in The Rooftops Project.

More information about this and other Rooftops Project programming can be found by visiting: www.nyls.edu/rooftops