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Once it was cutting edge; a few decades later, it was obsolete. Now, Crystal City has a golden opportunity to reinvent itself yet again — as National Landing — after Amazon chose the urban neighborhood in Arlington County as one of its two new headquarters.

“It’s a decision that I think will be a benchmark and a case study for many years to come,” says Uwe Brandes, faculty director of the Georgetown University Master’s program in Urban & Regional Planning.

Here, Brandes talks with Glenn Williamson, faculty director of the Master’s in Real Estate program, about the decision’s impact on Northern Virginia and the entire Washington, D.C. region.

Crystal City developer JBG Smith “had a portfolio of buildings that were obsolete, and they were like ugly ducklings,” Williamson said. “And what they’ve managed to do now with this property is to turn it into a beautiful swan.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=j0tZY-e2wfw

By Criminal Defense Attorney Jo-Anna Nieves of The Nieves Law Firm

In 2018 California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that will abolish the cash bail requirement in California’s justice system.

It is something that Brown has been fighting for since 1979 and that gained momentum after a California appellate court deemed the court’s cash bail system to be unconstitutional. While cash bail will still be a part of the court system for the next year, it will be a thing of the past beginning in October 2019.

The new law has been named the California Money Bail Reform Act. Under the Act, individuals charged with a crime will no longer have to post cash bail in order to be released. Instead, the courts will determine if someone is eligible for release, or if they need to remain in custody.

Each jurisdiction will be responsible for creating their own formula to be used when making those decisions. That formula will include a number of different elements of each individual case. The courts will determine the likelihood of a defendant appearing for future court appearances, the severity of the crime and how likely the accused is to reoffend if released.

When the courts decide that someone could be released, that release may come with some conditions. Some individuals may have to agree to be monitored via GPS, while others may have to regularly meet with an officer.

“The bail system has been in need of reform and the new law took a step in the right direction in eliminating disparities in income when it comes to release” says Jo-Anna Nieves of The Nieves Law Firm.

“In the past only the rich have been able to pay for their freedom while those with financial challenges had to remain in custody. SB10 landed a blow to the cash bail system but the continuing concern is that it does not provide for presumptive release; instead, it allows judges to have subjective discretion to err on the side of preventative detention with the burden on the defense to prove otherwise.”

The new California law is similar to a cashless bail system in Washington, D.C., but there are differences between the two. In Washington, D.C., the majority of defendants can be released without cash bail. Prior to their release however, they must provide a signature bond, which is an agreement that they will appear for all future court hearings.

As in California, other conditions may also be attached to that release including meeting with a Pre-Trial Services worker, random drug testing, or orders to stay away from certain individuals.

Other defendants in Washington, D.C. however, are not so lucky. When the crime committed is considered to be serious, the defendant may still be required to post cash bail before being released.

It is this difference that truly separates the recent change in California law from the law in the nation’s capital, and makes California the first state to completely abolish cash bail altogether.

While therapy is known to help the attendees, it’s less common for that experience to have a direct impact on the local community. Kennedy Counseling Collective (KCC), located on Kennedy Street in the Petworth-Brightwood neighborhood, seeks to change that.

Founded on the belief that everyone should have access to quality therapy, KCC dedicates time to provide pro bono therapy to individuals of need at The Kennedy family shelter.

“Unlike traditional private practices, our clients not only receive top notch mental health support, but they can feel good knowing they contribute to that same great care being offered to those who normally would not have access to a private practice,” said Heidi Vanderwerff, co-owner.

Cofounders Heidi Vanderwerff and Marjorie Strachman Miller said they chose Kennedy Street because of a lack of available therapy services and the connection they felt to the area.

KCC makes going to therapy convenient and comfortable in your own neighborhood for all ages and family configurations.

Kennedy Counseling Collective’s team of therapists offers:

• Play therapy for children (2-and-up)
• Family therapy with adolescents
• Couples counseling
• Support for individuals seeking to feel and perform their best
• Therapy for identity formation
• Therapy for those who find themselves in the caregiving role for children and aging parents
• Virtual sessions

Kennedy Counseling Collective is located at 508 Kennedy St., NW, Suite 300, convenient to street parking, bus routes, and Capital Bikeshare in DC and Maryland.

Visit www.kennedycounselingcollective.com to learn more and book an appointment.

This column is written by Metro DC Houses, a local real estate team serving DC, MD, VA made up of Colin Johnson, the immediate past President for the D.C. Association of Realtors and Christopher Suranna, the current President for the D.C. Association of Realtors.

How does a real estate agent start their 2019?

Well, by shooting themselves in the foot; not really. It shouldn’t be a surprise to many that when it comes to selling one’s property, it turns into a little bit of a chest-beating moment.

You’ve probably heard people say they received “this” amount over list price or “that” many offers; yadda, yadda, at the end of the day it only takes two parties to tango, but how you get there is the dance. We were recently at a listing appointment and a potential seller asked if we could sell their property off market and we said sure but, WHY?

Now I’m sure people, especially agents, would love to jump at this chance. But I asked, what is the concern? Is it people having access to your home, time constraints or are you afraid that if you list your property for sale someone or, even worse, no one is going to like it?

I once had a much wiser mentor say to me “sales is like dating.” Now I’ll spare you the details, but let’s put it this way: you’re NOT likely going to the courthouse with the first person that catches your eye and in today’s market with the amount of eyes on a limited number of properties just think of all the potential catches that are available.

Now don’t chew my head off, I am sure a whole group of agents and buyers have purchased properties off plans (when building is pre-construction). Even then, others may be competing for a particular property and the seller is very commonly heavily directing pricing; usually the seller is more than knowledgeable on real estate conditions.

There are also lots of examples of 1031 exchanges, family exchanges, etc… but we wanted to look at the numbers for a traditional resale sale.

Is there a clear winner when an off-market property sale takes place? NO. We looked at 3 zip codes in D.C. — 20003, 20010 and 20011. We wanted an even mix of condo/coop sales, fee-simple (house) sales and enough data to really see if it matters, so we looked at all of the transactions in the past 60 days.

Now remember our blog is only 500 words and if you made it this far you’ve likely read more than 80% of our readers, high five, so I am going to keep it too the point.

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