Adaptive Reuse in Virginia: A Regulatory Framework for Reviving Retail Sites

By Eric S. Cavallo
Virginia Licensed Contractor (Commercial Building); Board Member, Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals; Advisor, Virginia DHCD – Single‑Stair Exit Reform Stakeholder Committee; International Code Council (ICC) Member; Founder & President, Earthly Infrastructure®

The decline of regional shopping malls across the Commonwealth has introduced a complex land use dilemma for municipalities, planners, and policymakers. Once considered cornerstones of suburban economic development, many of these properties now stand largely vacant, structurally outdated, and commercially obsolete. However, their location, scale, and infrastructure access position them as high-potential candidates for adaptive reuse—if approached through a framework of legal clarity, regulatory flexibility, and long-term community value.

Adaptive reuse, in this context, is not limited to architectural retrofitting. It encompasses the comprehensive reclassification of land use purpose, including the integration of mixed-income housing, municipal services, civic space, and environmentally resilient infrastructure within sites previously designated for single-use retail. Such conversions require thoughtful zoning interpretation, updated comprehensive planning language, and in many cases, negotiated variances to enable economically feasible and legally compliant redevelopment outcomes.

Virginia’s Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) and local zoning ordinances can either inhibit or facilitate these efforts depending on the jurisdiction’s posture toward reclassification, density allowances, and parking requirements. Municipalities seeking to lead in this area may consider adopting overlay zones or special exception pathways that support flexibility while preserving core safety, access, and land use compatibility standards. Additionally, state-level incentives—such as Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) grants—may offer valuable financial support when paired with public-private implementation agreements.

From a governance standpoint, transparency in permitting, clearly defined site plan review procedures, and early interdepartmental coordination are essential. Localities must balance the interests of economic development with long-term land use resilience, ensuring that reactivated mall sites serve broader public objectives. Successful projects are those that integrate transportation connectivity, code compliance, and meaningful community benefit—whether through affordable housing units, public space commitments, or green infrastructure performance.

Ultimately, the adaptive reuse of Virginia’s vacant malls is not simply a design challenge—it is a test of public leadership, legal adaptability, and professional resolve. As demographic patterns shift, greenfield development diminishes, and infrastructure costs escalate, the value of repurposing these properties becomes both practical and imperative. What becomes of these spaces will reflect not only local economic priorities, but also our collective capacity to govern with foresight. Communities that approach this process with legal precision, policy clarity, and long-term public interest in mind will not just reclaim space—they will redefine it for generations to come.

Foundations That Last: Helen Dragas and the Blueprint for Building in Coastal Virginia

By Eric S. Cavallo
Virginia Licensed Contractor (Commercial Building); Board Member, Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals; Advisor to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) on Single-Stair Exit Code Reform; International Code Council (ICC) Member; Founder & President, Earthly Infrastructure®

Few names in Hampton Roads residential development carry the weight of Helen Dragas. As President and CEO of The Dragas Companies, her influence has helped shape the region’s suburban landscape for decades. What distinguishes Dragas isn’t just her longevity—it’s her measured, community-centered approach to growth. Her legacy isn’t written in speculation or press releases, but in real neighborhoods, lasting craftsmanship, and homes that anchor families across Coastal Virginia.

Recognizing a Builder’s Legacy

On May 31, 2023, Earthly Infrastructure® proudly presented Helen Dragas with a Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her enduring contributions to the built environment, her commitment to ethical development, and her legacy of leadership across Coastal Virginia

I first met Helen years ago at the Dragas Companies’ annual Christmas party while working on her Spence Crossing development in Virginia Beach. Even in a festive setting, she carried herself with the commanding presence of a public official—measured, composed, and unmistakably in charge. She didn’t just walk into a room; she owned it. There was an air of confidence and competence about her that signaled leadership at every turn. It was immediately clear she was a builder who expected more—not just from the work, but from the people around her.

Her job sites were orderly, her expectations sharp, and her team deeply aligned with the regulatory process. For someone like me, now leading Earthly Infrastructure® and advocating for greater builder accountability statewide, that early exposure to her leadership shaped my view of what responsible development looks like.

Today, Helen Dragas continues to leave her mark—not only through legacy communities but through new projects rising in Chesapeake. Crestfield at Centerville is a forthcoming neighborhood of single-family homes on generous 10,000-square-foot lots, offering thoughtfully designed floorplans priced from the mid $500,000s. Just a few miles away, Grayson Commons is set to break ground in 2025—a mixed-use development that will include two- and three-bedroom townhomes, garages, and lakefront walking trails. These projects speak to the evolution of growth in Hampton Roads: compact, livable, and grounded in long-term neighborhood value.

What makes these projects especially relevant to today’s land use conversations is their procedural integrity. The approval process for Grayson Commons included careful coordination with Chesapeake City Council, addressing infrastructure conditions like turn-lane improvements and internal road connectivity. It’s this attention to transportation impact, drainage, and design that separates Dragas from many operating in today’s increasingly crowded development space. She builds with the future in mind—socially, physically, and civically.

Outside the private sector, Helen Dragas has been a visible force in Virginia’s civic and educational institutions. She served as a member—and eventually rector—of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, helping steer one of the Commonwealth’s flagship public universities through complex governance challenges. Her board service reflects a belief that leadership in housing must also be matched by stewardship in education, governance, and policy. Few regional developers can claim such a balanced presence across public and private life.

She has also supported initiatives related to housing access, workforce development, and regional economic competitiveness—often without seeking the spotlight. In doing so, she has helped shape not only the built environment, but the broader social infrastructure that makes a city livable. Helen Dragas embodies the idea that true development is as much about people as it is about parcels—and her work continues to influence how Coastal Virginia grows, adapts, and thrives.

In a time when the word “developer” is often used without regard to licensure, liability, or policy fluency, Helen Dragas remains a model of what the title should demand. Her work respects the code. Her teams understand the stakes. And her communities are proof that quality homebuilding and responsible policy alignment are not mutually exclusive. As Virginia continues to confront growth, affordability, and regulatory reform, builders like Helen will be essential to getting it right.

Chesapeake Bay by the Book: What ESC and SWPPP Really Protect

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, environmental compliance in construction is not a symbolic gesture — it is a legal obligation. Among the most critical regulatory instruments governing land disturbance are erosion and sediment control (ESC) plans and stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs). These protocols form the operational foundation for safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay, a nationally protected watershed subject to overlapping federal, state, and local regulations.

Within this framework, construction activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed must comply with statutory requirements set forth under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Law, the Virginia Stormwater Management Act, and the Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP). These laws establish mandatory practices for minimizing runoff, controlling sediment transport, and ensuring pollutants do not enter navigable waters, wetlands, or environmentally sensitive receiving channels. Noncompliance may result in formal enforcement actions, civil penalties, stop-work orders, or permit revocation — reflecting the seriousness with which the Commonwealth enforces its environmental code.

ESC and SWPPP best practices are designed to address risk proactively at the site level. These include early stabilization of disturbed areas, phased clearing and grading operations to minimize exposed soils, preservation of vegetated buffers, and strategic installation of structural controls such as diversion dikes, sediment traps, inlet protection, and compost filter socks. Site-specific SWPPP documentation must outline pollution prevention strategies, delineate responsible parties, and provide inspection and maintenance schedules — all conforming to approved design standards and rainfall frequency data as required under the US EPA’s NPDES permitting system.

Eric S. Cavallo, Founder and President of Earthly Infrastructure® Building and Infrastructure Development Inc., has made regulatory compliance a cornerstone of his professional and public service agenda. A licensed Commercial Building Contractor in Virginia, Mr. Cavallo is an active member of the International Code Council (ICC) and currently serves on the City of Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals, where he helps interpret land use decisions with environmental and code-based implications. In 2024, he was appointed to the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Stakeholder Advisory Committee on building code reform, where he contributes to the Commonwealth’s deliberations on construction safety, site planning, and code modernization.

Through these roles, Mr. Cavallo has continually advocated for stronger industry adherence to ESC and SWPPP obligations — not only as technical requirements, but as enforceable ethical standards that shape the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay. He is currently seeking further appointments to Virginia’s regulatory boards and policy committees where his background in construction law, environmental compliance, and code enforcement can support the Commonwealth’s mission to uphold lawful development across sensitive watersheds.

The Chesapeake Bay is more than a scenic asset. It is one of the most complex and monitored estuarine systems in the United States — and the subject of comprehensive protections that require full cooperation from the building industry. At a time when unchecked runoff and overdevelopment continue to threaten water quality, those charged with constructing Virginia’s future must embrace the tools that exist to protect it. ESC and SWPPP plans are not just regulatory artifacts. They are the technical and legal embodiment of responsible building — and for those who work in proximity to the Bay, compliance is not a suggestion. It is a duty.

Code Meets Context: Virginia’s Deliberation on Single-Stair Exit Design

Across Virginia and beyond, the relationship between housing affordability, code reform, and construction safety is evolving. One of the most consequential—and technical—questions under review today is whether certain multi-family residential buildings should be permitted to use a single stairwell for means of egress.

This question is now before Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) as part of the state’s formal implementation process for Senate Bill 195 (SB195), which calls for evaluation of single-stair R-2 occupancy structures. The Stakeholder Advisory Committee, reconvening June 24, 2025, was established to assess whether such a design could be safely, lawfully, and effectively incorporated into the Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC).

Eric S. Cavallo, founder and president of Earthly Infrastructure® Building and Infrastructure Development Inc., was appointed to the DHCD advisory committee in Fall 2024. He serves in a personal capacity, drawing on his background as a Virginia-licensed Commercial Building Contractor, member of the International Code Council (ICC), and sitting board member on the Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals.

The committee’s legislative sponsor and policy lead is Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, whose commitment to housing innovation and public safety helped bring this issue forward through the 2024 General Assembly. His continued involvement ensures that technical expertise and legislative intent remain aligned as the advisory group works toward a proposed code update.

“It is an honor to represent Virginia’s licensed contractors at this table,” said Cavallo. “As we explore design alternatives, we must maintain a clear view of our legal and ethical responsibility to protect life safety through enforceable, code-compliant solutions.”

Proponents of single-stair buildings cite cost savings, spatial efficiency, and architectural flexibility—particularly in constrained infill lots. However, challenges remain, including travel distance limitations, vertical egress concerns, and fire department access protocols. The discussion now underway must account for both the design benefits and the life-safety risks associated with this building typology.

Earthly Infrastructure® is not a participant on the advisory committee as a company, but we fully support our founder’s role in contributing to this process. Our firm operates with a core commitment to lawful construction, code accountability, and regulatory transparency. Any reform to the USBC must be guided by measurable outcomes, not marketing narratives.

The next phase of this code evaluation begins June 24. As Virginia shapes the future of its building standards, we are proud to be part of a professional community that understands: progress is not the absence of regulation—it is the presence of responsibility.