The District of Columbia’s Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) plays an outsized role in shaping neighborhoods, housing outcomes, and development timelines. The BZA is an independent, quasi‑judicial body responsible for hearing zoning variances, special exceptions, and appeals of decisions made by the Zoning Administrator at the Department of Buildings. For developers navigating atypical site constraints,
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D.C. Apartment Investors Affected by the RENTAL Act
Developers, operators, buyers, and sellers of apartment buildings in D.C., whether market rate, mixed-rate, or 100% affordable housing, will be impacted by the impending RENTAL Act (aka, the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act of 2025). The D.C. Council completed its first vote (10-2) in favor of the RENTAL Act on July 28,…
Deal for Wizards and Capitals is a Major Win for Downtown D.C.
Last week, downtown D.C. received another huge boost when it was announced that Mayor Bowser and Monumental Sports entered into a non-binding agreement that will keep the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals playing in Capital One Arena for decades to come. The announcement came only weeks after Mayor Bowser unveiled the “Housing in Downtown” tax-incentive…
How Zoning Changes Will Impact Data Centers & the Energy Market
The data center permitting and entitlement review process might be getting more difficult in Northern Virginia. Home to nearly 300 data centers, Northern Virginia has become known as “Data Center Alley.” Scattered across Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William counties, these data centers handle more than a third of the world’s online traffic. And the demand for…
Mayor Bowser Announces Tax Abatement Program to Spur Downtown Residential Conversions
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the writing has been on the wall that downtown D.C. could use a breath of fresh air. With office vacancy rates skyrocketing, the Bowser administration has made no secret of its desire to resuscitate downtown D.C. as a livelier mixed-use neighborhood. One of the primary aims of this policy…
Major Shake Up in the Department of Buildings’ Zoning Division
It is a New Year for D.C. zoning and we are all wondering what 2023 will bring given the recent changes at the Department of Buildings. As of October 2022, the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) was officially dissolved and split into two new agencies – the Department of Buildings and the…
D.C. Looking to Incentivize Office to Residential Conversions
As office vacancies remain at record levels in D.C., and even leased buildings continue to remain largely empty thanks to COVID, the city is looking to find ways to incentivize conversion of older commercial buildings (office, hotel, or retail) to residential use. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development issued a Request…
D.C. Council Considers Changes to Condominium Warranty Adjudication Process
If the COVID-19 pandemic was
not already difficult enough on the D.C. real estate development community,
recent proposed legislation by the D.C. Council might make developing
condominiums in the city more challenging.
On September 17, 2020, the D.C. Council’s Committee on
Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization held a public hearing on two bills that
will impact…
Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration Issues Fines to Restaurants and Bars Violating Social Distancing Measures
Dr. Robert Redfield, the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, said during his testimony before a Senate subcommittee on
September 16 that wearing face masks may be more effective than a vaccine at
protecting against COVID-19. What is surprising is the authority tasked
with enforcing public health requirements for face masks in the…
Zoning Commission Approves Six-Month Extension of Orders Expiring Through December 31, 2020
As
part of the initial flurry of administrative and regulatory changes in response
to the ongoing pandemic, the Zoning Commission (Commission) took emergency
action to approve a text amendment to the Zoning Regulations extending the
validity of approval orders that otherwise would expire between April 27, 2020,
and December 31, 2020. The amendment applies to…