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
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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
By Eric DeBear
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…
Zoning Commission Moves to Clarify Regulations for Virtual Meetings and Hearings
By Eric DeBear
As COVID-19-related closures are likely to continue into 2021, the
Zoning Commission (Commission) recently took emergency proposed action to further
clarify the rules and procedures for virtual meetings and hearings. The text
amendment applies to Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA)
proceedings, which have been held virtually since May 2020.
The amendment would allow…
Board of Zoning Adjustment Reverses Zoning Administrator’s Interpretation on Multiple Dwelling Conversions in the RA-1 and RA-6 Zones
On July 1, 2020, the Board of Zoning Adjustment (Board) reversed a
decision by the Zoning Administrator (ZA) allowing the by-right conversion of
an existing dwelling unit into an eight-unit apartment house in the RA-1 zone.
The crux of the appeal in BZA Case 20226 concerns the ZA’s
interpretation of Subtitle U §§ 401.1…