Ben focuses on office, data center, residential and mixed-use projects in Northern Virginia. He has experience in all aspects of zoning and permitting matters, particularly in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, and managing land development applications, including representing clients before public bodies and community groups.
Ben has worked on a range of residential, office, mixed use, retail, data center, entertainment, and telecommunications projects for clients including Brambleton Group, The Peterson Companies, Lerner Enterprises, The MITRE Corporation, Van Metre Homes, Miller and Smith, Boston Properties, Prologis, Inc., Hospital Corporation of America and Discovery Communications.
Significant Projects:
- Silver District West – Rezoning of 158 acres at the terminus of the Metrorail’s Silver Line to permit a mixed- use development containing 3,706 new homes, over one million square feet of commercial floor space, urban parks and public streets. The project also includes significant regional road improvements.
- The MITRE Corporation – Rezoning of MITRE’s 22-acre Tysons campus to permit an additional 1.2 million square feet of office space. The approval permits the development of six new office buildings, together with associated parking, public street connections, and urban park space.
- One Loudoun – Rezoning of 360-acres to permit the award-winning mixed-use community, including up to 1,569 residential units and over 4.4 million square feet of commercial floor space.
- Reston Hospital Center’s Freestanding Emergency Department – Special exception approval for a standalone emergency department in Tysons, which will be operated by Reston Hospital Center.
- Reston Spectrum Center – Zoning approvals to convert the 24-acre Spectrum Center into a mixed-use community through the addition of over 1,400 homes, commercial floor space, pedestrian plazas, public street improvements and pedestrian connections.
- Commonwealth Center – Rezoning and special exception approvals for the 158-acre commercial center, which includes office and retail floor space and the TopGolf and IFLY entertainment uses.
- Boston Properties – Comprehensive sign plan approval for Fairfax County’s Reston Town Center.
- Golf Course Overlook – Rezoning and final development Plan approval for the redevelopment of land in
Reston with a 9-story building containing up to 300 residential units and non-residential floor space. - Birchwood at Brambleton – Rezoning approval for Brambleton’s Birchwood active-adult community, comprising up to 1,502 residential units, a commercial center, community facilities and regional road improvements.
- Dulles Town Center – Comprehensive Sign Plan approval for Lerner’s 335-acre mixed-use center in Loudoun County, which includes the 1.4 million square foot Dulles Town Center super regional mall.
- Vine & Branches Church – Special exception approvals for a new church to accommodate 600 parishioners and an associated childcare facility for up to 250 children.
Prior to joining Curata, Ben was a senior urban planner with RPS Group, working from its Oxford office in England. While at RPS, Ben worked on a wide range of land use entitlement and environmental assessment projects across England.
Ben received his Master of Planning Studies degree from Oxford Brookes University, England, in 2005, and graduated with a BA Honors in City and Regional Planning from Oxford Brookes University in 1997.
Ben has been a member of the American Planning Association (APA) since 2004. He has served on the APA’s Virginia Chapter’s Board of Directors as its secretary and as Northern Virginia Section Director. He has also served the Reston community as a member of the Board of Directors of IPAR (Initiative for Public Art Reston).
Ben has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 2008.
Education:
Oxford Brookes University
MS, 2005
Oxford Brookes University
BA, 1997
Memberships & Affiliations:
American Planning Association
American Institute of Certified Planners
