Eric J. DeBear

Member

Recent News:

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 250 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in Best Lawyers in America 2026 Edition

Best Lawyers selected more than 250 Cozen O'Connor lawyers from 26 of the firm's US offices for inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Eric advises clients in land use and zoning matters throughout all phases of residential and commercial real estate development projects. A Washington, D.C., resident for more than a decade, Eric brings to his practice a deep familiarity with the particularities of real estate within the District, focusing primarily on assisting clients with zoning entitlements.

Eric frequently drafts and handles entitlement applications, including as first-chair during agency hearings. He presents applications and advocates on behalf of clients to the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment, D.C. Zoning Commission, D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board, local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and District government agencies. Additionally, through creative and succinct briefing, Eric has assisted in the successful defense of a number of zoning approvals before the D.C. Court of Appeals.

Eric brings to each representation an appropriate mix of practicality and creativity to help his clients reach their goals in the most efficient manner possible given their unique circumstances. In addition to zoning due diligence and entitlements, Eric has experience in various other real estate matters, such as defending building permits before the Office of Administrative Hearings, real estate-based litigation in D.C. Superior Court, and condominium formation through the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.

Eric earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America — Columbus School of Law and his B.A. in government from Connecticut College.

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Experience

Represented a national developer in obtaining Zoning Commission approval of a planned unit development and related map amendment for construction of a 12-story, 101,000 sq. ft. building with 115 all-affordable units and ground floor retail in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, D.C.


Represented a national developer in obtaining Zoning Commission approval for voluntary design review and related zoning relief on a unique site with complex WMATA encumbrances in order to construct a nine-story building with 109 dwelling units.


Obtained zoning relief on behalf of a client who was able to benefit from new penthouse regulations that allow for special exception relief to operate a penthouse restaurant above a 97-room hotel in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.


Represented a developer to obtain D.C. Court of Appeals affirmance of approval by the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) of a 36-unit memory care facility in a low-density residential zone that will serve individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, despite substantial opposition from a large group of nearby homeowners.


Represented a regional developer in obtaining zoning relief from the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a 66,000 sq. ft., 11-story hotel in Mount Vernon Square. 


Represented the D.C. Department of General Services in obtaining zoning relief and successfully defending appeals to the D.C. Court of Appeals for the construction of the Ward 3 and Ward 5 Short-Term Family Housing Buildings. 


Represented a regional developer in obtaining Zoning Commission approval of a planned unit development and related map amendment for a 59,000 sq. ft., 70-unit apartment building in the Fort Totten neighborhood. 


Represented a national real estate investment firm in opposing a map amendment of its parcel and defending two zoning appeals as well as advice on zoning entitlements and permitting for a 71,000 sq. ft. self-storage facility. 


Represented a developer in obtaining zoning and historic preservation approvals for a 195,000 sq. ft. mixed-use development, including 240 units, 5,500 sq. ft. of office and 24,000 sq. ft. of retail in the U Street neighborhood.


Conducted zoning due diligence on D.C. properties for an international investment firm as part of a large equity investment in a hotel chain. 


Advised a national developer on zoning and permitting matters in connection with a by-right development of an 8-story, 288,000 sq. ft. mixed-use building.


Represented an affordable housing developer to obtain zoning relief from the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a mixed-use project with 24 residential units, 6,300 sq. ft. of retail and 3,000 sq. ft. of office space in Truxton Circle. 


News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 250 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in Best Lawyers in America 2026 Edition

August 21, 2025

Best Lawyers selected more than 250 Cozen O'Connor lawyers from 26 of the firm's US offices for inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

August 15, 2024

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 230 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Cozen O'Connor Promotes 29 Attorneys to Member

March 20, 2023

Cozen O'Connor is proud to announce the promotion of 29 attorneys to member.

More Than 200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch

August 22, 2022

210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Publications

Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis

September 10, 2024

Eric DeBear and Madeline Shay Williams co-authored a Law360 article on the significance of financial incentives as a government tool to address affordable housing.

Deal for Wizards and Capitals is a Major Win for Downtown D.C. [Get The Dirt Blog]

April 04, 2024

Last week, downtown D.C. received another huge boost when it was announced that Mayor Bowser and Monumental Sports entered into a non-binding agreement that will keep the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals playing in Capital One Arena for decades to come.  The announcement came only weeks...

Mayor Bowser Announces Tax Abatement Program to Spur Downtown Residential Conversions [Get The Dirt Blog]

March 26, 2024

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the writing has been on the wall that downtown D.C. could use a breath of fresh air. With office vacancy rates skyrocketing, the Bowser administration has made no secret of its desire to resuscitate downtown D.C. as a livelier mixed-use neighborhood. One of the...

Major Shake Up in the Department of Buildings’ Zoning Division [Get The Dirt Blog]

January 03, 2023

It is a New Year for D.C. zoning and we are all wondering what 2023 will bring given the recent changes at the Department of Buildings. As of October 2022, the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) was officially dissolved and split into two new agencies – the Department of...

D.C. Council Considers Changes to Condominium Warranty Adjudication Process [Get The Dirt Blog]

September 28, 2020

If the COVID-19 pandemic was not already difficult enough on the D.C. real estate development community, recent proposed legislation by the D.C. Council might make developing condominiums in the city more challenging. On September 17, 2020, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Housing and...

Events & Seminars

Past Events

Education

  • Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D., 2012
  • Connecticut College, B.A., 2007

Awards & Honors

Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2021-2026

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland