We are pleased to announce that three lawyers at Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh have been named Virginia “Super Lawyers” for 2020. In addition, four of the firm’s lawyers have been named Virginia “Rising Stars” by the lawyer rating service Super Lawyers.

ARLnow reported on the recently approved 175-unit assisted living facility, Artis Senior Living, along Lee Highway which was guided through the approval process by land use attorneys Art Walsh and Nick Cumings.

 

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New Senior Living Facility Along Lee Highway Approved

The Arlington County Board has voted unanimously to approve a new, 175-unit assisted living facility along Lee Highway. The elder care center will replace a handful of single-family homes on a large parcel of property at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Taylor Street. In addition to more homes for seniors in need of memory care and assisted living services, the project includes environmentally-conscious features and a new 10,000+ square foot public open space. Read more

On March 14, 2020, the Alexandria City Council approved special use permits submitted by the Tall Ship Providence Foundation which will allow the development of a new pier and maritime center for the Tall Ship Providence. The new developments will be exciting additions to Old Town’s Waterfront Park experience, and will fulfill the vision set forth in the Old Town Waterfront Small Area Plan. The Waterfront Small Area Plan was adopted in February of 2012. The Plan recognizes the important contributions of history and art to Alexandria and seeks to add them to a series of public spaces that comprise the waterfront, making specific mention of The Strand Park located along the waterfront between Prince and Wolfe Street. The Strand is a linear park along the waterfront that residents and staff identified as an opportunity to bring history and art back to the forefront of daily life in Alexandria.

The Plan sets forth various goals to achieve this, including attracting a tall ship to be docked and berthed along a new pier on the waterfront. Tall Ship Providence, an 18th century replica, will achieve this goal and will be docked at a 5,300 square-foot floating pier. The pier will include two 24-by-32-foot cottages to serve as a visitor center, a gift shop, restrooms, and a ticket office; as well as The Tall Ship Maritime Center which will include a theater for historical presentations. The site will finally realize the potential set forth in the plan; providing residents a connection to the City’s history and art scene with various opportunities for education and entertainment.

Land use attorney Cathy Puskar guided the Tall Ship Providence Foundation through the development review process, negotiating with City staff, and conducting significant community outreach.

“We’re very excited to have a home for the Tall Ship Providence. That’s been in the works for quite some time now,” Cathy Puskar told the commission.

All Images Courtesy of HGA

At its March 24 public hearing, the Arlington County Board approved Woodridge Capital’s proposal to renovate the existing hotel and construct two new residential buildings and a public esplanade on the Potomac River at the Key Bridge Marriott property in Arlington. The applications were shepherded through the zoning review and approval process by managing shareholder and land use attorney Nan Walsh who was assisted by land use attorney Nicholas Cumings.

The proposal includes the demolition and renovation of portions of the existing hotel, construction of a new apartment building on the western portion of the property over the existing parking deck, and the construction of two new condominium buildings on the eastern portion of the property.  The hotel will contain approximately 299,953 square feet of development and 445 hotel units.  The apartments will contain approximately 301,617 square feet of development with 300 residential units, and the condominium buildings will contain a total of 334,996 square feet of development with 151 residential units.

Led by Nan Walsh, the hearing, which was conducted virtually due to the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, was brief but positive.  Nan Walsh emphasized to the County Board that the proposed project “celebrated the site’s natural, historic and geographic significance.”  County Board members remarked that the project was an excellent use of the property, a valuable addition to Rosslyn, and delivered important community benefits.  These benefits include providing a publicly accessible esplanade oriented toward the Potomac River as well as an elevated overlook of the Colonial Branch Creek and surrounding forest which will be available to the public and a second park along Fort Myer Drive, which would front a future monument site.

The hearing marked the conclusion of a thorough but positive public review process including support and recommendations for approval from the Disability Advisory Commission, the Environment and Energy Conservation Commission, the Urban Forestry Commission, the Transportation Commission, and the Planning Commission.  The positive reception of the project was a direct result of Woodridge’s decision to assemble a large and talented design team which included three architects for the three housing types and a nationally renowned landscape architecture firm to provide continuity and cohesion at the ground plane.  Throughout the process, the team received numerous compliments on the architecture, innovative approaches to open space, and a commitment to biophilic design.

All Images Courtesy of Maurice Walters Architect, Inc.