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Tag: zoning

Pentagon City plan aims for higher density

A major study that will shape the future of Pentagon City is entering  its final stages.

The Arlington County urban village has grown from empty fields and warehouses in the 1950s to become one of the Washington, D.C., area’s busiest neighborhoods. With construction plans now under community review for Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2, Pentagon City is approaching full build-out, which is kind of like turning on the “no vacancy” light under the current plans.

Amazon’s nearly 5 million-square-foot East Coast headquarters will be the final under zoning guidance in place since the 1970s but with an eye to the future, as modern planning principles and site standards will guide the surrounding future development that HQ2 will spur. The Pentagon City Planning Study, which establishes new long-term goals and parameters for growth, is set to be voted on in early 2022 by the Arlington County Board of Supervisors.

The study establishes requirements for property owners who want to increase density, putting in place parameters  such as a rule that a building cannot have more than 30% of its users rely on a car for transportation. Planners want to transform the area into a mixed-use hub, and they know current owners can only redevelop if they have the chance to increase density.

To prevent gridlock, the plan also includes a bike network that links the neighborhood, as well as parking programs to incentivize carpooling. 

“We have to emphasize different modes of travel,” says Arlington planner Matt Mattauszek, who is heading the study. “We have to have people thinking they can live or do business in Pentagon City without having to have a car.”

Expect to see more green space. The plan’s vision statement includes the call to “embrace biophilic design that makes nature a universal part of the everyday experience of the area.”

The live-work-play community that planners envision will require housing. The plan anticipates residential use growing from 45% of available space to as high as 65% in the future, and office use decreasing to somewhere between 25% and 30%, down from the current 38%.

Planners anticipate major redevelopment in the next decade, and they held meetings with existing tenants to ensure the new plans aligned with their long-term vision for the neighborhood.  

2021 REAL ESTATE/LAND USE LAW Q&A

Cartwright R. “Cart” Reilly

Williams Mullen, Virginia Beach

Title: Partner

Other legal specialties: Banking and financial services

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; law degree, The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America

Spouse: Craig Reilly

Children: Three sons: Simmons, 7; Barton, 6; and Ward, 1

First job as a lawyer: Law clerk to the Hon. Charles E. Poston and the Hon. Karen J. Burrell in Norfolk Circuit Court

Fan of: Tar Heels basketball

Recently read book: “The Alice Network,” by Kate Quinn

Career mentors: My father, J. Barbour Rixey; Judge Charles E. Poston; C. Grigsby Scifres

You represented a national petroleum manufacturer selling 1,100 properties across the country. How complex was that?

It was truly a team effort! More than 30 attorneys, paralegals and staff worked together on the transaction. Unique, complex and unexpected issues always come up in large transactions and part of the “fun” is navigating those issues. There were complicating factors and everyone pitched in to get it closed on a tight timeline.

How does your expertise inform your community work serving on Norfolk’s Board of Zoning Appeals?

My background in real estate law provides a good base for understanding nuances of the zoning code, as well as evaluating the various factors that must be considered with respect to requests that come before the BZA. I am always interested in projects occurring around town, and it is so fun to experience and play a small part in the projects in Norfolk and Hampton Roads that bolster our community. 

Arlington County names new planning director

Arlington County has promoted Anthony Fusarelli Jr., a 15-year veteran planning employee, to planning director effective in early June, the county announced May 6.

Fusarelli started as a principal planner with the county in 2006. Most recently he served as assistant director of the county Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.

Fusarelli was chosen after a national search. County Manager Mark Schwartz cited his experience and work with the community on long-term plans.

The county also credited Fusarelli with spearheading the first Crystal City Sector Plan in 2010 and managing the the Realize Rosslyn planning process, an update to that sector plan in 2015.

“I’m grateful and excited to help advance Arlington’s evolution towards a better, more inclusive community,” Fusarelli said in a statement.

Fusarelli received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from University of Massachusetts Amherst and his master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University. He has an accreditation from the American Institute of Certified Planners and is an alumnus of ULI Washington’s Regional Land Use Leadership Institute.