Blogs

Construction

East Falls Church Planning Task Force Completes Three Year Effort

We are very pleased to have another colleague writing for us today. Jon Kinney is a highly regarded land use and real estate law expert with our firm. Jon brings us commentary on changes coming to Arlington County’s planning for the East Falls Church area in Northern Virginia. In anticipation of the opening of Metro’s…

June 11, 2010

Construction

Spewing Oil: On Personal Choices and New Energy Regulation

For the first time since we started the blog, I have gotten stuck in place unable to write. Like everyone, I have watched the oil spewing into the gulf with horror, frustration and a sense of the inevitability of this type of disaster when dealing with extraction and transportation of oil.

June 7, 2010

Construction

Part II: Subordination, Non-disturbance and Attornment Agreements

In this Part II, we continue the discussion of Subordination, Non-Disturbance and Attornment Agreements, and suggest ways tenants can protect themselves in the current marketplace.

June 1, 2010

Construction

Montgomery County Passes Carbon and Energy Tax

Last week, Montgomery County, Maryland passed what has been described as the nation’s first local carbon tax. The tax imposes $5 per ton on any entity that emits more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide in a single year. Interestingly, the tax only applies to Mirant Corporation which owns the Dickerson Generating Plant in…

May 24, 2010

Construction

Case Watch: Upcoming Virginia Supreme Court Opinions

Here is a new sampling of cases in which the Virginia Supreme Court has recently granted appeals. In April, the Court granted the petition for appeal in Studio Center Corporation v. WKW Construction, LLC, Record No. 092257, challenging the ruling of Judge Shockley from the Circuit Court of the City of Virginia Beach. Studio Center…

May 19, 2010

Construction

Economics and Sustainability Meet – Walmart’s Progress Update

Improving sustainability does not mean just increasing costs. Indeed, the best thinkers in the sustainability dialogue understand and embrace the need to include economics and profitability into the equation. This is particularly true in the current economic environment.

May 17, 2010

Construction

Bean Kinney Receives a Green “Best Business” Award

We were very pleased to be recognized Thursday by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at their 24th annual Best Business Awards, the ABBIES. Bean Kinney received a Green Business Award for our efforts in green building projects, lecturing and writing, and development of our sustainability policy. As quoted from the event by our friends at…

May 14, 2010

Construction

To Arbitrate or Not To Arbitrate

I regularly face the question of whether arbitration is “good or bad”, “better than court”, or best for a particular client. I always give that most lawyerly of all answers: It depends. Arbitration is presented as a means of streamlining disputes, cutting down expenses, and providing the parties with a more informed decision maker to…

May 10, 2010

Construction

Subordination, Non-disturbance and Attornment Agreements

Given the current commercial real estate market and the difficulties faced by many lenders, it is no surprise that many tenants are more concerned than ever about their landlord’s financing. In particular, even if the property is mostly leased and producing a steady income stream, tenants are concerned that highly leveraged landlords will have difficulty…

May 7, 2010

Construction

Buildings and Uses: Section 15.2-2282’s uniformity requirement in Schefer v. City Council of the City of Falls Church

Back to another of the cases highlighted in Case Watch: Upcoming Virginia Supreme Court Opinions. In Schefer v. City County of the City of Falls Church, the Virginia Supreme Court was confronted with a 2006 amendment to a Falls Church ordinance that specified different building height requirements for one-family dwellings in the same zoning district.

May 5, 2010