Overview

Kyrus Lamont Freeman is a partner and LEED AP attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Holland & Knight. He is involved in numerous aspects of real estate development with a focus on land use, zoning and municipal law. Mr. Freeman advises property owners and residential, commercial, hotel and mixed-use developers in the regulatory review and approval processes. In addition, he represents clients before the Board of Zoning Adjustment, the Zoning Commission and the D.C. Council to obtain approvals for special exceptions, variances, planned unit developments, zoning map amendments, alley closings and street dedications. He also has experience preparing zoning opinion letters, as well as drafting and negotiating land disposition agreements, easements, covenants, and lot consolidation agreements.

Mr. Freeman also has experience representing clients in litigation matters, including appeals of Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment orders, and appeals of building permits and certificates of occupancy. 

Mr. Freeman has lectured extensively on zoning, land use and sustainable development issues. He is an adjunct professor at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. He also frequently speaks at programs designed to foster diversity in the legal profession and to enhance the career development of students and young attorneys.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Freeman was a litigation associate with a large firm in Philadelphia, Pa., where his practice included litigation of complex real estate, intellectual property and breach of contract disputes.

Representative Experience

  • Represented developer in securing zoning approvals for land disposed of by the District of Columbia for the development of approximately 110,000 square feet of floor area devoted to 104 residential units and ground floor retail 
  • Represented developers in securing (and defending) zoning approvals for a public-private partnership that includes the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) to redevelop the Bruce Monroe and Park Morton sites to include approximately 487,000 square feet of floor area devoted to 462 residential units and community service/retail space, the creation of two parks for public use, and the creation of new streets and alleys 
  • Represented development team in securing (and defending) zoning approvals for a public-private partnership that includes DMPED and DCHA to redevelop the 22-acre Barry Farm Dwellings site to include over 1.8 million square feet of development devoted to 1,400 residential units, approximately 55,500 square feet of retail/service uses, a substantial amount of open space and significant new public infrastructure, including roads and utility upgrades
  • Represented developer in securing (and defending) zoning approvals to allow the phased development of six new mixed-use buildings; upon completion the project will have more than 1 million square feet of floor area devoted to over 1,100 residential units, ground floor retail, office and hotel use

  • Represented multijurisdictional regional utility that provides drinking water and wastewater services to more than 600,000 residential, commercial and governmental customers in securing zoning approvals to allow development of a new headquarters office building, which will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Platinum and consists of approximately 161,000 square feet of floor area

  • Represented development team in securing zoning, historic preservation and permitting approvals for development of a 175,000-square-foot mixed-use building that includes the renovation and expansion of a church sanctuary, new affordable housing units, multipurpose and office space, and recreation and community space; the development was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of the Best Real Estate Deals in 2017 
  • Represented multiple developers in securing (and defending) zoning approvals for over 1.4 million square feet of new, mixed-use development across the District, that will result in the delivery of more than 1,400 residential units, approximately 100,000 square feet of retail and service uses (including a grocery store), and approximately 100,000 square feet of hotel use

Credentials

Education
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A.
  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • District of Columbia
  • Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Memberships
  • Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow, Class of 2020
  • National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc. Housing Management Corporation, former Board of Directors
  • AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation, former Board of Directors
  • Leadership Greater Washington, Class of 2015
  • African American Real Estate Professionals, former Executive Board Member
  • District of Columbia Bar Association, former Chair, Land Use Committee
  • District of Columbia Building Industry Association, Member
  • Urban Land Institute, Full Member; former Young Leader and Real Estate 101 Committee Co-Vice Chair
  • U.S. Green Building Council, National Capital Region Chapter, Member
  • Visitors’ Services Center, former Board Member
  • National Bar Association, former Chair of Real Estate Section
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Land Use and Zoning Law, 2018-2023
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, 2022, 2023
  • Top 100 Lawyers in the District of Colombia, The National Black Lawyers, 2019
  • Urban Land Institute Hines Competition, Judge, 2015, 2016
  • 40 Under 40, Urban Land magazine (Urban Land Institute), 2014
  • D.C. Rising Star, The National Law Journal, Land Use and Zoning Law, 2014
  • Prince George's County Social Innovation Fund, Forty Under 40, 2014
  • Lambda Alpha International Honorary Society
  • The Minority 40 Under 40, The National Law Journal, 2011

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News