Overview of Industry

For more than three decades, VF&N has represented developers, business owners, individuals, homeowners and condominium owners’ associations, landlords, tenants, and sellers and purchasers of real estate throughout Northern Virginia.

VFN’s Virginia real estate development attorneys know the local landscape and provide legal guidance at every stage of the life cycle of commercial real estate projects, including acquisition, financing, entitlement, development, leasing, and disposition. Our Real Estate team is a collaborative group of land use, real estate, and leasing, litigation, financing, and construction law professionals designed to serve you from concept to completion.

Experience

Mixed used development: Represented the City of Manassas Economic Development Authority regarding the legal work necessary for the development of The Landing at Cannon Branch, mixed-used development which will house a hotel, retail, offices, restaurants and over 270 new homes
Special permit amendment for international retailer: Successfully represented international retailer seeking approval of special permit amendment to expand convenience store gas station; matter involved substantial community outreach with influential citizen’s group in Fairfax.
Shopping Mall Subdivision: Represented regional shopping mall owner in connection with subdivision and sale of mall parcel and drafted and negotiated complex reciprocal easement and operating agreement in connection with sale.
Municipalities: Advised municipalities in connection with various zoning and land use matters including: Virginia’s new proffer legislation; sign ordinances after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert; the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), and federal constitutional issues in connection with zoning ordinances pertaining to certain land uses.
Federal Easement Mediation: Represented flex building owner in mediation involving claim against title insurance company regarding insurer’s failure to identify federal easement that restricted owner’s land use; conducted appraisal analysis and worked with expert appraiser.
Performance Bond Agreements: Assisted municipalities in drafting performance bond agreements for site/subdivision, storm water management, erosion and sediment control and landscaping improvements.
Zoning Analysis: Provided zoning analysis in connection with client’s potential purchase of land for manufacturing and testing facility in a Northern Virginia county.

Related Services

Team

V. Rick Nishanian

President/Shareholder

Michael R. Vanderpool

Co-Founder, Of Counsel

Randolph D. Frostick

Co-Founder, Of Counsel

Guy Jeffress

Shareholder

Services Include:

Construction, Contractor, and Architectural Agreements Construction lending and financing Declarations, covenants, conditions, restrictions and easements considerations Environmental, wetland, and historic permitting and compliance Land Use Planning and Zoning Matters Leasing (ground leases, build-to-suit leases, space leases, subleases, sale/leaseback agreements, and synthetic leases) Litigation of construction delays Public-private partnerships Site acquisition and permitting due diligence Subdivision and Site Plan Approval Tax increment financing, tax credits, and tax credit syndications Tax-deferred exchanges Title and Survey Matters Workouts and Foreclosures

Related News

Buying Vacant Property

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Do your homework: Zoning Laws and the Pitfalls of Buying Vacant Property Written by: Olaun Simmons Buying vacant land can be a great investment, but it’s important to do your homework before making any purchases. One major consideration is zoning laws, which can have a...

New Water and Sewer Allocation Ordinance Does Not Constitute an Unconstitutional Taking

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Written by: Guy Jeffress The recent case of PEM Entities LLC v. County of Franklin (2023 WL 105711), out of the United States Court of Appeals (the “Court”), reminds us that the imposition of new rules or restrictions by a local government, although onerous in...

Are You Keeping Proper Records?

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Written by: Guy Jeffress The recent federal case of Renee Mason, DPM, v. Brian Mazzei, Et Al., 2023 WL 234777, out of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, highlights the importance of adhering to proper record-keeping formalities, even if you are...

Concept Of “Disguised,” Or “De Facto” Dividends Discussed In Recent Maryland Case.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Written by: Guy Jeffress Edward MEKHAYA v. EASTLAND FOOD CORPORATION, et al., 2022 WL 17843057 Appellate Court of Maryland (formerly the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland) In a first for Maryland, the Appellate Court of Maryland, relying on persuasive authority from other jurisdictions, paved...

The Mixed Use District – A Flexible Approach to Use and Density

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Written by: Olaun Simmons, Esq. In 2021, Prince William County adopted a new zoning district entitled “Mixed Use District (MXD).” The new Mixed Use District seeks to provide a thoughtful approach to development because it allows for flexible land development, promotestransit-oriented development, and encourages a mix...

The Importance of A Guaranty.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Written by: Guy Jeffress The decision of the Supreme Court of Virginia in Grayson v. Westwood Buildings L.P., 300 Va. 25, 859 S.E.2d 651 (2021) highlights the need to confirm a tenant’s financial ability to pay the rent during the term of a lease and...

Abandoned Permits

Monday, May 16, 2022

Written by: Guy Jeffress On April 25, 2022, Prince William County Development Services, Building Development Division, issued Policy 1.03 entitled Abandoned Building Permits and Applications and is in the process of auditing and revoking “abandoned” permit applications and issued permits. In general, an issued permit...

Prince William County Ranked 6th Place Nationally

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Written by: Guy Jeffress In April 2022, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (aka “NAIOP”), released the results of their national Developer Approvals Index study. The results of the study ranked Prince William County, Virginia in sixth place nationally, with an overall weighted score of...

DON’T RISK YOUR BUSINESS BY IGNORING VIOLATION NOTICES.

Monday, March 14, 2022

Written by: Guy Jeffress In a January 2022 unpublished opinion, the Court of Appeals of Virginia upheld the immediate revocation of a certificate of occupancy for a hospitality venue located in Fairfax County, effectively closing the business. The revocation was based in part on a...

Reporting Requirements For “Non-Financed” Real Estate Transactions In The Works

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Written by: Guy Jeffress On Wednesday, December 8, 2021, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), a bureau of the U.S. Treasury that works to safeguard the U.S. financial system from illicit use and money laundering, and to promote national security, issued an advance notice of...

City of Manassas Approves Special Use Permit for Building Expansion

Friday, December 17, 2021

Written by: Olaun Simmons City of Manassas Approves Special Use Permit for Building Expansion Olaun Simmons of Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C. represented the Prince William Islamic Center in their pursuit of a special use permit to expand their place of worship located on Mathis...

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment – updated standard requirements

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Written by: Guy Jeffress Phase I Environmental Site Assessment – updated standard requirements On November 1, 2021, ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) approved revisions to the ASTM 1527 standard, more commonly known as a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report. Once...

Resources to Help Employers Respond to Workplace Issues From COVID-19 (Corona Virus)

Monday, March 23, 2020

By: Kristina Keech Spitler, Esquire FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE INFO, PLEASE VISIT OUR COVID-19 PAGE DOWNLOAD THE REPORT FOR PRINT Given the fast-paced and changing nature of the impacts of the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) pandemic, businesses are working to respond in the best...

Six Attorneys Named Legal Elite in 2019

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C. is proud to announce that six of its attorneys have been recognized by the Virginia Business Magazine as being among Virginia’s “Legal Elite” within their various practice categories. All of the attorneys named have been nominated as Legal Elite in the...

Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Tax reform legislation enacted in 2017 created the opportunity for significant new capital gains tax benefits for investors in qualified opportunity funds (QOFs). The primary purpose of the law is to create economic development as well as job creation in economically distressed communities. The Treasury,...

So What Did Change with the New Proffer Law?

Friday, July 19, 2019

In our first blog post on the 2019 Virginia proffer legislation, we told you what hasn’t changed with the new law. As promised, now we will address what has changed. Myth: Under the new law, localities have no liability exposure for unreasonable demands unless the...

Book Smarts…VF&N attorney, textbook contributor

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Pictured above: VF&N land use and zoning attorney, Karen Cohen, with legendary engineer, Sid Dewberry, PE, LS, Chairman Emeritus, Dewberry, Kat Grimsley, Director of the MS Real Estate Development program at George Mason University, and the team of book contributors, celebrating the publication of the...

Land use and zoning explained: Repurposing an established building through a special use permit

Thursday, May 2, 2019

The commercial real estate and property sector in Northern Virginia and Prince William County has experienced fluctuations in recent years which resulted in vacant buildings. For the owners of these properties, they’re left with a tough decision – let the property stay vacant or repurpose...

2019 Virginia Proffer Law Changes: Myths Unraveled

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

As attorneys and self-proclaimed Proffer Professors, we were concerned by what we were hearing from the industry on the recent proffer reform. Blanket statements like, “oh, it’s just a repeal of the 2016 law” or “proffer schedules are legal now”. In this post, we clear...

FINDING COMMON GROUND ON PROFFER REFORM IN VIRGINIA

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Since its controversial passage in 2016, Virginia’s Proffer Reform Law has continued to stir debate. Despite the rift between homebuilders and local governments over the law, efforts are underway to find common ground. Initially, opponents of the law sought either outright repeal or additional exemptions...

General Contractors Beware of New Maryland Law

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

by Guy R. Jeffress, Esq. The Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 853, which took effect on October 1, 2018, that added the following text to Section 3-507.2 of the Maryland Code, Labor & Employment: In an action brought under subsection (a) of this section,...

The Landing At Cannon Branch Moves Forward with Grants

Friday, August 25, 2017

On Wednesday, representatives from the City of Manassas came together with Governor Terry McAuliffe and Buchanan Partners to announce the receipt of grants permitting the construction of a new brewery and restaurant in the commercial development of the Gateway Center, now known as The Landing...