Lyle Blanchard is a seasoned attorney with a deep understanding of the real estate regulatory landscape in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region. He has practiced real estate law for more than 25 years, building on a strong foundation of 15 years in D.C. government. This experience gives him a nuanced understanding of the District’s regulatory frameworks and inner workings.
Lyle guides clients through the complex processes of the region’s many regulatory and governmental bodies, including the D.C. Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA), Zoning Commission, Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), Public Space Committee (PSC), Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), Real Property Tax Appeals Commission (RPTAC), as well as matters before the D.C. Council and the D.C. Superior Court.
Property and business owners, developers, managers, and real estate service providers rely on Lyle for his ability to navigate a wide range of legal and regulatory issues in the Washington, D.C. market. His services include:
- Zoning relief matters, including variances, special exceptions, and text and map amendments
- Permit issues
- Housing and building code issues
- Planned unit developments (PUDs)
- Historic preservation
- Municipal regulation violations
- Alcoholic beverage control licensing
- Business and professional license appeals
- Commercial real property tax assessment and classification disputes
- Property tax relief
- Street and alley closings
- Legislative matters
- Vacant and blighted building property notices and determinations
Lyle is also an active thought leader on real estate law. He regularly writes on industry issues and co-authored the D.C. Practice Manual chapter on Zoning and Historic Preservation. In addition, he serves as a trustee of the D.C. Retirement Board and as a member of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue’s Tax Advisory Board.
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Representative Matters
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Noteworthy
- Prosecuted the first PUD case before the D.C. Zoning Commission using inclusionary zoning requirements to provide 62 affordable housing units in a 130-unit mixed-use development, winning reduction in real property assessments for a combined property in appeals before OTR and RPTAC.
- Won substantial reductions in real property taxes as the result of real property tax reclassification appeals of vacant property before OTR and RPTAC.
- Represented property owners in successfully opposing a large-scale addition on an adjoining mixed-use property.
- Represented a consortium of non-profit and for-profit organizations located on a commercial corridor in opposition to a permit to convert a retail storefront into a cannabis dispensary, successfully negotiating a series of stringent controls, requirements, and limitations on the applicant.
Mr. Blanchard is credentialed as a LEED Green Associate. Mr. Blanchard served on D.C. Bar Association panels on both ABC and business licensing issues. Mr. Blanchard and GDL shareholder Jacques DePuy co-authored articles for the Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS® on zoning issues and for DCBIA on business licensing issues. Mr. Blanchard is a trustee on the D.C. Retirement Board and was legislative director for several D.C. Council committees (Finance and Revenue, Judiciary, Public Services and Government Operations) for D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans and former D.C. Councilmember James Nathanson. Mr. Blanchard was also legislative advisor for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) where he advised the ABC Board and the Building Code Advisory Committee. Mr. Blanchard is the 2010 recipient of the John Philip Sousa Distinguished Service Award from The Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery and is the recipient of a 2011 Volunteer Award from AOBA. He was elected in 2011 to the Steering Committee of the D.C. Bar D.C. Affairs Section and served as its D.C. Practice Manual Coordinator and as a member of its Litigation Committee. In 2015, Mr. Blanchard was elected to the D.C. Bar Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Sector. He co-authored the D.C. Practice Manual chapter on Zoning and Historic Preservation (2016 edition).
