Case Studies

A modest 11,000 sf former neighborhood restaurant in Montgomery County, MD was purchased with the intent of renovating for the owner’s corporate headquarters. The changing market and economy necessitated a new strategy. What to do with a dilapidated, oddly shaped structure with no prospective tenants?

Gathering architects, leasing agents and specialty contractors, Chris led the effort to reposition this challenging asset. Successful negotiations and aggressive scheduling placed Chipotle and Five Guys on the first floor, a highly respected tailor on the lower level and a sought-after hair salon on the second level.

Facing numerous obstacles from poor access, burdensome permitting restrictions, challenging layouts, a crumbling structure and obsolete infrastructure, the team persevered. Chris collaborated with the design-build teams to blend as-built conditions with tenant requirements. After presentations at community meetings and multiple discussions with the jurisdiction, the atypical signage was approved. Persistence with PEPCO delivered the larger power requirements needed by the restaurants. Despite tight timelines and slim budgets, the building was successfully reconstructed and achieved high benchmarks on rental revenue. The building was sold to a 1031 purchaser at a lower than expected cap rate on the high rental revenue, allowing the owner to gracefully exit the acquisition.  

Olney Town Center (now Fair Hill) was a 20-year old strip shopping center located in Montgomery County, Maryland, anchored by a neighborhood eight-screen theatre. The owners had to develop a new program to ensure the long-term viability of the center. Anything from total demolition and replacement to a minor façade renovation was considered. As Vice President of Development and Construction, Chris led efforts to finalize programming. Working closely with the leasing and marketing teams, and bringing together zoning professionals with design and build teams, Chris re-anchored the center with a solid and upscale grocer, Harris Teeter. The grocer, along with a new mix of national and neighborhood tenants, were embraced by the community. Pocket parks, seating areas and graphics all blended with the building architecture. Harris Teeter continues to reference the center as one of its best performing locations.

The shopping center transformed from a nearly blighted condition to one of the affluent community’s most valuable assets. The tenants consistently out pace typical sales numbers, which sets the table for maximizing rental income and value for the owners. The pocket parks serve as open gathering spaces, branding the center as a beloved community gem. 

Crystal City needed a re-boot. It had to reinvent itself. As the Vice President and leading manager of the Smith/Vornado development and construction team, Chris lead the efforts to revitalize the city. His three-prong plan reconfigured the transportation network to a more traditional two-way street grid to promote pedestrian use; developed a builidng by building improvement program to enhance outdoor spaces, lobbies and visibility; and turn retail and restaurant storefronts inside out. This helped rebrand the city from silent underground to an active and competitive mixed-use community. It encompasses an urban hipster marketing campaign and an evolving plan to begin ripping down some of its oldest structures.

Chris was able to communicate and collaborate with leasing and marketing teams, and the program and renovations were the lynch pin in landing tenants such as PBS and Boeing. Crystal Drive, part of a network of one-way streets that has long frustrated visitors, is now rerouted for two-way traffic to make the area more accessible. The area moved from stagnation to active enhancing the value of the singularly owned development.