Nan has been with the firm since 1984, specializing in land use and zoning law. Her practice focuses in all phases of the land use and zoning process in Northern Virginia, with extensive experience assisting clients in residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional projects in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. Nan has gained invaluable knowledge through her experience with hundreds of zoning cases involving diverse and complex issues, including affordable housing, transferred development rights, historic preservation, amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and the comprehensive plan, and business and tenant relocation.
A graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law, Nan worked as a legal assistant at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel. During law school, she served as a judicial clerk for the U.S. Superior Court, 21st Judicial District of North Carolina. Since joining The Land Lawyers, she has consistently been recognized by her clients and peers and is regularly named to the Best Lawyer in America® for Land Use and Zoning Law in Northern Virginia. She is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, and consistently ranks as one of the best lawyers in Chambers USA, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use-Northern Virginia. Nan was recently featured in a special legal supplement to the Wall Street Journal. Nan received a Community Leadership Award from Taste of Arlington and is a “power lunch reading mentor” with Everybody Wins! DC—a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children’s literacy and a love of learning through shared reading experiences. For the past 18 years, Nan and Art Walsh have hosted an annual golf tournament to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
“Nan Walsh is knowledgeable, well entrenched in the market, and experienced. Her practice is focused on Arlington County, where she is considered a go-to lawyer for any zoning need.” –Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
“Our Development team selected Nan Walsh of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C. and that proved to be a very wise decision. Nan’s strategic approach, negotiating skills, and fearless leadership were essential in an approval which occurred on a timely basis. Her performance exceeded our lofty expectations. In addition, Nan’s sense of humor and positive attitude actually made our difficult case enjoyable. We will have numerous applications in the future and will rely on Nan’s expertise and exceptional skills to guide us through the development process.” –Developer/Landowner for Rosslyn Project
“The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has the utmost respect for Nan as a litigator, person, and leader. Her work is, in its own right, an economic engine that has contributed greatly to the success of Arlington County. Without her, we would be a lesser community.” –President, Arlington Chamber of Commerce
“Nan understands and embraces the vision for Arlington’s commercial corridors to become places for people to live, work and shop. She has been a catalyst for bringing this vision to reality. As a result of her tireless efforts, Arlington’s tax-base is one of the most healthy and diversified revenue streams in the nation – and the Metro station areas in Arlington are recognized as some of the finest examples of responsible, smart-growth” –Commercial Real Estate Broker
Professional Memberships
American Bar Association
Virginia State Bar Association
Arlington County Bar Association
Representative Cases
Approval of major hospital campus renovations for Virginia Hospital Center (George Mason Drive, Arlington)
Approval for Arlington Square/Arna Valley garden apartments (South Glebe Road, Arlington)
Approval for Station Square with high-rise residential and retail (Clarendon, Arlington)
Approval of three phases of Market Common Clarendon with retail, residential, and office (Clarendon, Arlington)
Approval of 1515 North Courthouse Road with high-rise office building (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of 3000 Washington Boulevard with high-rise residential (Clarendon, Arlington)
Approval of 4301 & 4401 Wilson Boulevard with two high-rise office buildings for electric cooperative association (Ballston, Arlington)
Approval of 2121 15th Street North with office/retail building for Strayer University, Courthouse Metro Campus (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of 1611 Clarendon Boulevard with high-rise office and high/mid-rise residential and retail (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of Saul Center at 3030 Clarendon Boulevard, a two-block mixed-use high-rise office, residential, and retail redevelopment with two historic preservation buildings (Clarendon, Arlington)
Approval of 2102 North Westmoreland Street with mid-rise residential/retail (East Falls Church, Arlington)
Approval of 1800 Wilson Boulevard with mid-rise condominiums (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of Arlington Gateway high-rise condominiums with western entrance to Ballston Metro Station (Ballston, Arlington)
Approval of 3901 North Fairfax Drive with high-rise office building, retail, black box theatre, and park (Virginia Square, Arlington)
Approval of 1812 North Moore Street with high-rise LEED Platinum office building (Rosslyn, Arlington)
Approval of 2201 North Pershing Drive at Arlington Boulevard with mid-rise apartments and retail (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of 800-900 North Glebe Road with two high-rise office buildings (one for Virginia Tech Foundation), AHC affordable housing building, and townhouses (Ballston, Arlington)
Approval of redevelopment of Bergmann’s Dry Cleaning site, 2145 Lee Highway, with 202 multi-family units, including high-rise apartments, row houses, and an organic grocer (Courthouse Area, Arlington)
Approval of 650 North Glebe Road with a 6-story, 163-unit LEED Silver residential building, with ground floor retail (Ballston, Arlington)
Approval of 3440 Fairfax Drive with 540 residential units in two buildings with ground floor retail (Virginia Square, Arlington)
Approval of 1401 Wilson Boulevard/1400 Key Boulevard for development of a 273 unit, 28-story residential tower and a 524,135 square foot, 24-story office building with a full service grocery store and one acre of public open space/gardens (Rosslyn, Arlington)
Approval of 2401 Wilson Boulevard with a 161 room, 8 story, Hyatt hotel (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of 2000 Clarendon Boulevard with a 90 unit, 14 story, condominium (Courthouse, Arlington)
Approval of a major expansion of Virginia Hospital Center including a 245,428 square foot outpatient center, associated parking structure, and major renovations to the existing campus (George Mason Drive, Arlington)
Approval of redevelopment of former “Iwo Jima” Best Western hotel in Rosslyn and neighboring Ellis Arms apartment building with a 160 room, 12-story hotel and 48 unit, 10-story residential building (Rosslyn, Arlington)
Approval of redevelopment of the Rosslyn Holiday Inn with 784,415 square foot, mixed use building containing two buildings of 26 and 38 stories with 502 residential rental units, 375 hotel rooms, event/conference space and ground floor retail (Rosslyn, Arlington)
Approval of new development at Crystal Houses to add 819 new residential units in four new residential buildings ranging from 6 to 11 stories in height and three sticks of townhouse style multifamily units (Crystal City, Arlington)
Approval of two new mixed-use office buildings at Metropolitan Park with ground floor retail and associated uses for a total of 2,082,564 square feet of office gross floor area plus 69,545 square feet of ground floor uses for a total of 2,152,111 square feet of new development (Pentagon City, Arlington)
Approval of renovation and redevelopment of the Key Bridge Marriott property with an extensive renovation of the existing hotel, resulting in a renovated 445 room hotel, construction of a new 300 unit apartment building on the western portion of the property over the existing parking deck, and the construction of two new condominium buildings on the eastern portion of the property with a total of 151 units (Rosslyn, Arlington)
Professional Recognition
Named a “Top Attorney,” Land Use/Zoning, Arlington Magazine, 2021
Rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell in Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, 2009–2019
Named to U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America®, 2007–2019
Named to Best Lawyers in Washington D.C. for Land Use & Zoning Law, 2006–19
Ranked in Chambers USA – Band 1 – Real Estate Attorney: Zoning/Land Use-Northern Virginia, 2015–2019
Recognized by Virginia Lawyers Weekly magazine in its selection of Influential Women of Law, 2019.
Recognized by Washingtonian magazine in its selection of Top Lawyers List, 2016–2019
Recognized by Virginia Living magazine in its selection of
Top Women in the Law, 2017–2018
Recognized by Virginia Business magazine in its selection of Legal Elite, 2016
Featured as one of the “Top Rated Lawyers” in Washington, D.C. & Baltimore’s Legal Leaders in a special supplement to the Wall Street Journal, 2015
Best Attorneys in Washington, DC and Baltimore, 2013–2015
Best Attorneys in Virginia, 2011–2014
Top Rated Lawyer in Land Use & Zoning, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell, 2013–2014
Named in Best Lawyers Annual Guide to Land Use and Zoning Law, 2011
Named to ALM’s Woman Leaders In The Law and featured in The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, and The National Law Journal, 2019-2021
Community Involvement
Community Leadership Award, Taste of Arlington
Host of the firm’s an annual golf tournament, which has raised over $1.1 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Major Fundraiser, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington
Reading mentor with Everybody Wins! DC—a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children’s literacy and a love of learning through shared reading experiences.