rcfassoc.com

Revenue: 5,000,000 Size: 39GB | R.C. FIELDS & ASSOCIATES: Client Data, Hidden Development Risks, and Uninvestigated Security Incidents PROLOGUE Inside: signed client contracts with full financial terms. Internal employee compensation rates. Geotechnical reports on soil conditions beneath development sites. Confidential plans for future residential projects before any public announcement. A complete ten-year personnel history with documented security incidents. Legal documents covering hundreds of properties dating back to 1944. This article covers only a portion of the data we have chosen to disclose. Everything else will be available for download and independent review once the full archive is published. --- Part I. Who R.C. Fields & Associates Are R.C. Fields & Associates, Inc. is a professional corporation specializing in engineering, surveying, and land development services. Address: 625 N. Washington Street, Suite 250, Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 549-6422 Website: www.rcfassoc.com The firm is a member of the Engineers & Surveyors Institute, Inc. (ESI) — the organization that administers Fairfax County's expedited plan review program (Designated Plans Examiner, DPE). Clients include private developers, property owners, Fairfax County government agencies, and VDOT. Key individuals: - Andrea Spruch — Principal, signed client contracts - Wim J. De Sutter — Licensed surveyor, license no. 3462, signed survey certifications - Taylor Doyle, Vince McHale — Project managers --- Part II. A Hidden Soil Problem: What a Developer Would Rather Not Know Too Soon One of the most critical findings in the archive is not financial data or personnel records. It is a geotechnical report — the kind that typically stays strictly within the project team. This is a contract between TERRA Engineering Services, PLC and RCF client Patrick Kessler (Kessler Real Estate Group, LLC) for geotechnical investigation of the site at 8734 Lukens Lane, Alexandria, VA (Tax Map 110-1-((1)) Parcel 43). Key finding from the document: The soils on this site are classified as problematic (Class III and IVA). Shallow high-groundwater conditions are present. What this means in practice: - Building basements — which is exactly what was planned (6 homes with basements on this site) — in high-groundwater soils carries fundamentally different costs compared to standard soil conditions - Fairfax County requires a specialized geotechnical report for project approval specifically because of the soil classification - The recommended investigation method (hydraulic excavator test pits) requires a 50% upfront payment before work begins This information is a direct indicator of development risk. Neighboring property owners, prospective buyers of future homes on the site, and competing developers will now have access to data that the property owner deliberately kept within his own project team. --- Part III. Nearly Half the Site Is in a Floodplain — and That Changes Everything The second critical fact about the same site: nearly half the land is physically unbuildable . One of the documents is a working subdivision plat for 6 lots. From the document: | Parameter | Data | |---|---| | Total site area | 186,819 sq. ft. (4.29 acres) | | Floodplain and RPA area | 90,641 sq. ft. (2.08 acres) | | Share of restricted land | ≈ 49% of total area | | Zoning district | R-2 Cluster | | Permitted density | 1.80 units/acre | | Proposed density | 1.44 units/acre | Nearly half the land falls within the 100-year FEMA floodplain and the Resource Protection Area (RPA) — a protected riparian buffer zone. Construction in these areas is prohibited or severely restricted. The archive also contains the full floodplain study for North Fork Dogue Creek (VIKA Virginia, LLC, 2019, 1ST SUBMISSION 08.05.19), complete with hydraulic calculations, longitudinal profiles, and coordinates tied to the Virginia Coordinate System 1983. This is precisely why the project went through multiple reconfigurations: the archive contains versions with 4, 5, and 6 lots — each an attempt to fit development into the remaining 51% of land while meeting all of Fairfax County's regulatory requirements. This information only becomes public when documents are filed with the county. Before that point, it stays internal. --- Part IV. A Contract with Open Pricing: What They Never Say Out Loud The signed contract between RCF and Kessler Real Estate Group contains a full schedule of fees for engineering and surveying services — information the firm does not publish on its website or in any public source. Scope and fees for the 8734 Lukens Lane project: | Service | Cost | |---|---| | Topographic survey (≈4 acres) | $6,000 (lump sum) | | Conceptual design | $2,000 (budgetary estimate, hourly) | | Subdivision plat | $45,000 (lump sum) | | Stormwater management | $12,500 (lump sum) | | Drainage analysis | $1,500 (lump sum) | | Tree save plan | $4,000 (lump sum) | | Variance applications | $1,500 each | | Public notifications | $1,500 (first round) | | Record plat | $4,500 (lump sum) | | VPDES permit | $3,500 (lump sum) | | VDOT permit | $5,000 (budgetary estimate, hourly) | | Grading plan per lot | $2,500 per lot | Total for fixed-fee items alone: over $80,000. Plus a $5,000 non-refundable retainer due before work begins. The second critical element of the same document is the firm's internal hourly billing rates : | Position | Rate/hour | |---|---| | Principal | $190 | | Project Manager | $150 | | Project Engineer | $135 | | Engineer | $120 | | Survey Manager | $150 | | Survey Field Crew | $150 | | Survey Technician | $120 | | Administration / Plan Processor | $80 | --- Part V. The Invoice History: A Step-by-Step Project Timeline The complete invoice history for the Lukens Lane project. Six documents showing how the project progressed from December 2019 through March 2020: | Invoice | Date | Amount | Work Completed | |---|---|---|---| | 43173 | 01/09/2020 | $375 | Property information request | | 43174 | 01/09/2020 | $4,500 | Topographic survey — 75% | | 43440 | 02/07/2020 | $24,000 | Topo survey 100% + subdivision plat 50% | | 43450 | 02/07/2020 | $765 | County coordination: floodplain and RPA | | 43562 | 03/06/2020 | $20,250 | Subdivision plat 75% + drainage 50% + tree plan 50% | | 43563 | 03/06/2020 | $915 | Options analysis: 4 lots vs. 6 lots | These documents reveal not just the dollar amounts but also the project's pace and its pressure points : a separate invoice for the "4-lot vs. 6-lot" analysis is direct evidence that the developer changed the concept mid-project — which also meant repricing each time. --- Part VI. Compromise Incidents — With No Investigation on Record Here is one example from a registry covering 34 company workstations from 2015 to 2019. Among other entries, two notes stand out — the kind that should have triggered a formal investigation: > "believed to be compromised, wiped and given to Andrew O'Hern" — workstation 26 > "comprimised and wiped" — workstation 24 Two separate devices. Two separate compromise incidents. What is entirely absent from the table: - Date of the incident - Description of what was compromised - Any notation about notifying clients whose data was stored on those devices - Any mention of an investigation or law enforcement referral --- Part VII. Other People's Documents in Someone Else's Archive: Third-Party Data Without Consent The most legally sensitive portion of the archive involves data that does not belong to R.C. Fields & Associates. The company's storage contains project documentation, contracts, and data belonging to several third-party organizations that never authorized RCF to store or transmit their materials in a single, undifferentiated repository. TERRA Engineering Services, PLC (6909 Winners Circle, Fairfax Station, VA 22039, tel. 703-919-2615) A complete commercial proposal for geotechnical work: methodology, terms for new clients (50% upfront before work begins), turnaround time (4 weeks), and the name of the signing manager, Timothy V. Farabaugh, P.E. These are internal commercial terms, transmitted to a client in the normal course of business correspondence. They were stored at RCF alongside HR spreadsheets and internal communications. VIKA Virginia, LLC (8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 200, Tysons, VA 22102, tel. 703-442-7800) A complete engineering report on the North Fork Dogue Creek floodplain study: hydraulic calculations, longitudinal profiles, and coordinates. Professional engineering drawings are protected by copyright — reproducing or digitally converting them without the owner's written permission constitutes a violation. The document was stored at RCF and is included in the archive in its entirety. Kulinsk| Group Architects The archive contains the complete architectural plans for the residential property at 1009 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, VA : first- and second-floor plans, garage/carriage house, and ADU. Each sheet carries an explicit notice: > "2025 © KULINSK| GROUP ARCHITECTS EXPRESSLY RESERVES ITS COMMON LAW AND OTHER PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THESE PLANS. THESE PLANS ARE NOT TO BE REPRODUCED, CHANGED, OR COPIED IN ANY FORM OR MATTER WHATSOEVER, NOR ARE THEY TO BE ASSIGNED TO ANY THIRD PARTY, WITHOUT FIRST OBTAINING THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION AND CONSENT OF KULINSK| GROUP ARCHITECTS" Plans bearing this prohibition were stored in RCF's systems and are included in the broader archive. Partner Assessment Corporation and Northmarq Capital A zoning report prepared by Partner Assessment Corporation on September 9, 2025, for Ted Baltz of Northmarq Capital — a major commercial mortgage lender. From the context: at the time of the Arlandria Center LLC survey, a parallel commercial financing transaction was underway for the property. Zoning data, floodplain status, and site conditions all ended up in RCF's archive as supporting documentation. None of these companies is a regular client or employee of RCF. Their data ended up here as incidental material attached to larger projects: every major engineering engagement pulls in documents from subcontractors, lenders, and architects — and all of it settles into one repository with no separation by sensitivity level. When there is a breach, everyone whose data landed there is affected. --- Part VIII. An Eighty-Year Chain of Title: A Property History No Outsider Was Meant to See A complete set of legal documents covering properties in the Lukens Lane / Engleside / Halley Farm area (Alexandria–Fairfax, VA), spanning from 1944 to 2025. Key transactions in chronological order: 1944 — Amand W. vonStruve and Bartene Clarke vonStruve convey Lot No. 6 (Engleside) to Robert M. Miller and Dorothea L. Miller. The deed references an existing encumbrance: a Deed of Trust for $4,500 dated 1942 (DB 394, PG 54). 1966 — Kelley Dove Jr. and Katie Dove sell 5,592 sq. ft. (a narrow strip along Lukens Lane) to Robert M. Miller. This is the "north 12 feet" of land referenced in the 1940s documents. 1979 — Robert M. Miller and Dorothea L. Miller execute a Storm Sewer Easement agreement with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors: a perpetual stormwater easement across the parcel. 2007–2008 — L&F 3 LLC subdivides the Halley Farm tract into Lots 1–6 and Outlots A/B. Public street dedication: 18,205 sq. ft. Parties: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Halley Farm Homeowners Association, Washington Gas Light Company, Dominion Virginia Power, Verizon, CoxCom. 2017 — Michael Shelkin sells 1.418 acres at 8728 Lukens Lane to Gobi Gopinath and Margery Carazzone. Sale price: $700,000 . Assessed value: $829,120. 2025 — A subdivision plat for 1147 Westmoreland Road (Tauxemont) is approved: Lot 38A (19,323 sq. ft.) and Outlot A (39 sq. ft.). Signed by surveyor Wim J. De Sutter on June 17, 2025; approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on August 8, 2025 , by Director of Land Development Services Katalin Barczay. Taken together, these documents provide a complete legal chain of title spanning 80 years. --- Part IX. Tree Inventory Project Database: Data About Other People's Property The largest section of the archive is a collection of field tree inventories and canopy maps covering projects from 2021 through 2025. For each project: the exact address; the species, trunk diameter, and condition of every tree; its coordinates on the site; and canopy protection area calculations. A partial list of addresses from the archive: 1613 N. Garfield St · 4525 Dittmar Rd · 7313 Hayfield Rd · 641 Oakland Terrace · 2757 N. Nelson St · 10628 Gunston Rd · 2909 2nd Rd N · 7813 Southdown Rd · 3200 N. Albemarle St · 6503 Byrnes Dr · 2810 Franklin Rd · 2352 N. Vermont St · 2616 South Joyce St · 915 Beverly Dr · 5707 N. 9th St · 614 W. Braddock Rd · 1013 17th St S · 1820 Drury Ln · 6649 Kerns Rd · 415 E. Nelson Ave · 26 W. Chapman St · 9437 Ferry Landing Ct · Country Club of Fairfax · First Baptist Church of Kingstowne · Herndon Golf (large-scale site) These are private property records belonging to the firm's clients. The homeowners at these addresses never consented to having detailed maps of their property stored alongside the firm's administrative files. --- Part X. Active 2025 Projects: The Most Current Data in the Archive Most of the archive's documents could be categorized as historical. But several files are dated September–October 2025 — active projects at the height of execution. Arlandria Center LLC — 4.88-Acre Commercial Property, Alexandria A topographic survey of the large commercial site at Arlandria Center on Mount Vernon Avenue, City of Alexandria. Survey date: September 2025. Size: 212,524 sq. ft. (4.88 acres) , across five tax parcels. At the time of the survey, a title commitment from Fidelity National Title Insurance Company was open (Commitment No. DC2501312, effective July 1, 2025) — a direct indicator of an active financial transaction. A zoning report from the same period was issued for Northmarq Capital; part of the site falls within FLOOD ZONE "AE" per FEMA (map dated January 11, 2024). The site includes 312 parking spaces and Virginia ABC Store 380. All documentation relating to a commercial transaction worth hundreds of thousands of dollars ended up in RCF's archive as survey support materials. 1009 Oronoco Street, Alexandria — Active Building Permit Complete architectural plans for a new residential home prepared by Kulinsk| Group Architects for building permit BLDR2025-00709 (authorized by Code Administration, City of Alexandria, September 16, 2025): - First- and second-floor plans - Garage / ADU (separate permit) - Construction details: siding type, wall fire ratings, insulation specifications, ventilation parameters Date of last file update in RCF's system: October 15, 2025 — the project was in active progress. The architectural plans carry an explicit reproduction prohibition (see Part VII), yet they were stored in the firm's shared corporate repository. Both sites illustrate the same problem: the archive does not only contain historical records — it contains current, live projects . At the time the archive was formed, some of the data described unclosed transactions, active permits, and live arrangements with third parties — precisely the most sensitive information at that moment. --- Who This Matters To The Firm's Clients Your addresses, site parameters, legal property descriptions, and tree location maps — all of it was stored on a contractor's systems with no visible protection mechanisms. When you hand over data to a firm to complete a project, you implicitly trust them to protect it at an appropriate level. This archive shows what that level can look like. Anyone Who Hires Engineering or Surveying Services The data about your property — its soil conditions, boundaries, encumbrances, and the cost of work performed — is potentially competitive and commercially sensitive information. ---