Lori H. Schweller

Lori Schweller is a Virginia real estate and land use attorney who guides developers, businesses, and landowners through the full arc of real estate projects — from acquisition and land use entitlement to community formation and regulatory compliance, giving her a cross-discipline perspective that benefits clients at every stage of a project. Her practice spans a range of industries, including energy, wireless communications, and commercial and residential development.

Lori represents developers in all phases of commercial and residential projects, including zoning approvals and the drafting of restrictive covenants, and advises on land condominiums and new and conversion residential condominium developments, managing the registration process and preparing all necessary filings for submission to the Common Interest Community Board.

For over 20 years, Lori has served as trusted counsel to wireless communications providers and tower developers throughout Virginia. She routinely appears before local boards to secure zoning approvals and use permits and works collaboratively with local officials to advocate for ordinance updates that reflect the evolving needs of the industry. This long-standing focus has made her a go-to resource for clients navigating the intersection of telecommunications infrastructure and local land use regulation.

Clients rely on Lori to:

• Identify title, zoning, and other issues affecting project development
• Navigate complex zoning and entitlement processes efficiently and predictably
• Anticipate and mitigate approval, timing, and documentation risks
• Align land use strategy with financing, construction, and closing requirements
• Manage public process engagement to reduce uncertainty and avoid costly delays

How she helps clients

• Property acquisition, zoning approvals and entitlements for commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects, including rezonings, special use permits, and related land use approvals
• Entitlement and schedule risk management, aligning conditions, proffers, and documentation with lender, investor, and construction requirements to preserve project timelines and financing
• Condominium and common interest community development, including registration, documentation, and regulatory compliance for new and conversion projects
• Public process strategy, working with staff, neighbors, and decision-makers to proactively address issues that can impact approvals and project viability
• Wireless permitting and renewable energy siting, advising on projects where local regulation, community input, and procedural complexity directly affect deployment and timing

Industry focus

Commercial, residential, and mixed-use development; zoning and land use approvals; wireless and communications infrastructure; renewable energy siting; and common interest communities and condominium development.

Recognition and leadership

Lori is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law (2015 to present) and recognized by Virginia Business as “Legal Elite” (2021 and 2022). She is Past President of the Virginia State Bar Real Property Section and co-chair of its Land Use and Environmental Committee. Lori has served two terms on the Board of Directors of Greater Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity and is an alumna of the Leadership Charlottesville Class of 2009.

Lori earned her Master of Arts in English and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.