R.J.'s practice includes zoning, land use and environmental law, municipal corporations, commercial development, real estate investments and annexations. R.J. is chairman of the Zoning and Land Use Practice Group at Troutman Sanders.
Representative Experience
Represented one of the nation's largest banks in the financing of a 55MW utility-scale solar facility (approximately $250MM in value) in New Mexico. The bank provided the construction financing and will provide the long-term financing.
Represented Town Center Associates in obtaining the necessary rezoning and text amendments to the City Zoning and Site Plan Ordinances to facilitate the $100,000,000 Town Center project in Virginia Beach consisting of high rise office buildings, 300,000 square feet of retail, a 13-story luxury apartment building, a hotel and other land uses.
Represents APM Terminals of Virginia (Maersk Sealand) to obtain local approvals and text amendments to accommodate an $800,000,000 port facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, which will be the largest privately owned and operated terminal in the United States.
Represented Sentara Health Systems, Inc. to obtain rezonings, conditional use permits and text amendments to accommodate a $100,000,000 hospital and office park facility in Virginia Beach.
Represented many of the leading hotel developers that are in the process of developing approximately $150,000,000 in the hotel and mixed use projects.
Represented Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. in annexation of property from one municipal corporation to another to accommodate the development of the largest marina and golf resort development in Eastern Virginia.
Represented AT&T Wireless, Inc. in deployment of telecommunication devices throughout Southeastern Virginia.
Represented McCale Development in the first large residential development in Virginia designed by Stephen Fuller & Associates of Atlanta.
Represents a wide variety of commercial businesses, national retailers and developers for a retail, mixed use and redevelopment projects throughout Southeastern Virginia.
Represented The Goodman Company of Florida on $100,000,000 mixed use shopping center in Virginia Beach.
Represented Hotel and Motel Association in protecting industry from proposed Base Realignment & Closure (BRAC) regulations.
Represents Goodman Company from West Palm Beach, Florida, for development of Landstown Commons Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, and two other shopping centers in Hampton Roads.
Presentations and Speaking Engagements
Presenter, 2011 Association of Defense Communities Annual Conference, Norfolk, Virginia on Post-Brac/Joint Land Use Study Implementation. July, 2011.
Past speaker on land use and environmental law for the American Planning Association, the Virginia Municipal League, Virginia Association of Zoning Officials and for CLE accreditation for attorneys, Local Government Attorneys Association in areas of Land Use Law and Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Boards.
2010- Speaker at Association of Defense Communities annual conference, San Francisco, California on Balancing private sector property rights while protecting local and regional military installations.
2008- Speaker at annual meeting of local Government Attorneys Association on urban development areas.
2009- Speaker at ULI of Hampton Roads program on Growth Opportunities.
2009- Speaker and host of state-wide meeting of Virginia Association of Zoning Officials.
2009- Speaker at Association of Defense Communities annual conference, Boston, Massachusetts on Encroachment Issues and Land Use Law.
2009- Speaker at annual conference of Local Government Association on the use of Tax Incremental Financing to structure new deals.
Public Service
Sandler Center Foundation Board of Directors, 2009-2011
Base Realignment & Closure (BRAC) Citizen Advisory Panel, 2005
Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates, Inc., Board of Directors 2006-2007
ULI Advisory Panel Member for Loudoun County, 2005
Board of Directors, Virginia Beach Visions, 2002-2004
Member of Urban Land Institute, 1990-2004
Board of Directors for the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia, 1998-2002
Chairman, Zoning Subcommittee, Resort Area Advisory Commission, 1986-1991
Member of Large Retail Task Force for the Virginia Beach City Council 2002
Revise and monitor ordinances regulating the commercial and retail industry
Assistant City Attorney of Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1979-1984
Member, Association of Defense Communities, 2009-2011
Other Distinctions
Named the Best Lawyers' 2012 Norfolk Land Use & Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year.
Named to Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" in Real Estate/Construction (2004) and Real Estate/Land Use (2007-2011).
Selected for inclusion in the May/June 2010 Law & Politics' Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition.
Named to the 2006 Super Lawyers list in Real Estate/Eminent Domain Law and the 2007-2011 lists for Land Use & Zoning.
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Land Use & Zoning Law and Real Estate Law in the (2007-2012).
Memberships
· Virginia Beach Bar Association
· Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association