Blogs

Construction

Arlington County Board Approves the Retail Action Plan

On Saturday, July 18, the County Board approved the Retail Action Plan by a vote of 4 to 1, with direction to further amend some facets of the proposed plan. Board Member Libby Garvey voted against the Plan. During a rather extensive discussion which focused a great deal on the feedback that Board Members and…

July 29, 2015

Construction

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign (ordinance): Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the First Amendment and Signs

On June 18, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Reed v. Town of Gilbert that an Arizona town’s sign ordinance unconstitutionally regulated the content of speech posted on signs within the town. Like so many modern localities, the Town of Gilbert had adopted a sign ordinance regulating signage within the town, including the…

July 22, 2015

Construction

Issues with HVAC – Part 2

Part 1 of this piece can be accessed here. Specialty Improvements As mentioned above, the law is evolving to place greater obligations on landlords with respect to maintenance and repair. The landlords strike back by including onerous provisions in their commercial lease forms. Maintenance and repair of specialty improvements is no different. The form lease…

July 8, 2015

Construction

Issues with HVAC – Part 1

Disputes over specialized tenant improvements or exclusive heating and air conditioning systems are common in commercial leasing. Landlords and tenants often argue over maintenance and repair obligations, or whether or not such specialized tenant improvements can remain on the premises upon the expiration of the term or if tenant is obligated to remove the alterations…

July 1, 2015

Construction

Arlington’s Retail Action Plan: Further Discussion

The debate about the new Retail Action Plan (“The Plan”) continued earlier this month as the Board held another work session to discuss the progress on ongoing efforts to update the Plan. Much of the discussion focused on the so called “red streets” within the Plan. These streets are designated for pure retail uses, including:…

June 24, 2015

Construction

A Patriotic Partnership: The Construction Industry and the Military

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” -President John F. Kennedy Richmond-based Hourigan Construction has begun work on Phase One of the Marine Security Force Regiment headquarters and compound at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, VA. The new facilities will include…

June 17, 2015

Construction

Fairfax County’s Plans for the Route 1 Corridor

On May 12, 2015, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to endorse a phased, multimodal approach to the future expansion and development of the Route 1 Corridor between Huntington and Fort Belvoir. This will take place in the context of eventual expansions and improvement extending further to Woodbridge. This approach, recommended by the…

June 10, 2015

Construction

Relaxed Variance Standards in Virginia Soon to Go Into Effect

Last year, we wrote about the difficult standards in Virginia for obtaining a zoning variance, particularly in light of the recent case Martin v. City of Alexandria, in which the Supreme Court held strictly that all statutory requirements must be met before a variance may be granted. Now, those requirements are about to change. Effective…

May 14, 2015

Construction

Update on the Arlington County Retail Action Plan

On April 22, 2015, Jill Griffin of Arlington Economic Development shared with NAIOP the progress being made on the update to the Arlington County Retail Plan (the “Retail Plan”). Following the County Board work session in January, the Retail Plan has undergone some further refinements. The number one theme which emerged during the County Board…

April 27, 2015

Construction

Unanimous Approval for 2025 Clarendon Boulevard

On March 14, 2015, the County Board of Arlington County unanimously approved a 4.1 Site Plan Special Exception, Rezoning and General Land Use Plan Amendment to allow Carr Properties to build over 195,000 square feet of office and ground floor retail space in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood. To accomplish the project, the application also included a…

April 22, 2015