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Scott Adams

Scott E. Adams Partner

Tysons T +1 703 712 5461 F fax +1 703 712 5278
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Scott advises and guides developers and landowners through complex land use entitlements, including rezonings, special exceptions, special permits, variances, and comprehensive plan amendments. Clients trust Scott with high‑profile, complex matters because of his thoughtful approach and deep local knowledge, which he brings to every stage of the development lifecycle in Northern Virginia’s dynamic jurisdictions.

Scott’s practice emphasizes creative, practical solutions that align entitlement strategy with business objectives, helping maximize development potential and adapt approvals to evolving market conditions while efficiently navigating local processes. In Northern Virginia, he regularly leads teams on rezonings and special approvals for residential, mixed‑use, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure‑adjacent projects, drawing on the firm’s integrated land use platform anchored in the region. He maintains active leadership and advisory ties within the local development community, including roles with NAIOP and the Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate that inform his insights on entitlement pathways and stakeholder engagement.

Scott also has significant experience obtaining entitlements for data centers, renewable energy projects, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the firm’s data center team and counsels electric utilities and renewable energy providers statewide on land use approvals and siting strategies, including coordination with local and regional policy priorities. His data center entitlement work benefits from McGuireWoods’ prominent Northern Virginia land use bench and national energy platform, enabling integrated solutions for zoning, infrastructure, and environmental considerations across Virginia locales. Drawing on the firm’s deep renewables and storage capabilities, Scott’s project experience includes navigating approvals for solar and BESS facilities—aligning local permitting with grid, resiliency, and community objectives.

Experience
  • Representation of a regional developer in a rezoning effort in Fairfax County, Virginia resulting in approval of a 2,000 unit multifamily development.
  • Representation of a national developer in redevelopment and repositioning a 700+ unit mixed-use residential/office/retail development in Fairfax County, Virginia through the innovative use of County zoning regulations to achieve additional density.
  • Representation of a regional developer to innovatively use Fairfax County density bonus provisions to triple the density of an existing office building site.
  • Representation of various regional developers on infill housing development in Northern Virginia.

Events

Insights

  • Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use: Northern Virginia, Chambers USA, 2024, 2025
  • Named NAIOP Northern Virginia “Member of the Year,” 2020

Spotlight

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