This Week's D.C. Deal Sheet

A veteran of the General Services Administration who served in three presidential administrations is decamping to the private sector.

Darren Blue will resign from his second stint as regional commissioner of the public buildings service for the GSA's National Capital Region to accept a position at CBRE.

In his new role, Blue will lead the team delivering services to the federal government through CBRE's Global Workplace Solutions division.

“Darren’s deep and diverse track record in government operations and procurement processes will greatly enhance our ability to bring the full power of CBRE to government clients seeking to strategically plan, manage capital projects, and improve cross-portfolio operations,” Darcy Mackay, sector president for infrastructure and public enterprise at CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions, said in a statement.  

Blue was responsible for much of the U.S. government's portfolio in the D.C. region in his latest role and will bring that expertise to CBRE. He also served as director of policy and plans and as acting chief of the office of emergency response and recovery at the GSA, the Washington Business Journal reported.

LEASES

Cava announced it will relocate its headquarters to the City Ridge development, WBJ first reported. Currently based in Chinatown, the fast-casual Mediterranean chain plans to lease the top floor of Roadside Development’s 14 Ridge Square. The site of the former Fannie Mae headquarters, Roadside’s City Ridge will also house The International Baccalaureate’s Global Centre for the Americas across 97K SF. Other tenants serving the development’s 690 residential units include D.C.'s first Wegmans, Equinox fitness club and KinderCare daycare center.   

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Aldi opened a 21K SF grocery store in North Bethesda’s White Flint Plaza, Bethesda Magazine reported Thursday. The location at 5222 Nicholson Lane takes over the site of a now-closed Shoppers grocery store, which took up 60K SF until its closure in 2020. HomeGoods, PetSmart and Advance Auto all neighbor the new Aldi at the Combined Properties-owned shopping plaza.

Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic is opening a 25K SF location at Monday Properties' Shirlington Gateway building at 2800 Shirlington Road in Arlington, the firm announced this week. The clinic, scheduled to open in October, is expected to serve over 35,000 patients annually and will feature X-ray machines and board-certified physicians. Monday Properties Senior Vice President of Leasing John Wharton and Director of Leasing Andrew Thau represented the landlord, as well as Cushman & Wakefield's Josh Masi and Ellison Cook. McBride Real Estate Services' Josh Cramer represented Anderson Clinic. 

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Starr Restaurants, the Philadelphia-based restaurant group behind Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, announced plans to open an outpost of New York City’s iconic bistro Pastis in Union Market, Eater first reported. The restaurant will take over a former two-story warehouse building and will open with a kitchen/back of house boasting over 3K SF, with a 250-seat dining area to match. The location at 1323 Fourth St. NE will also feature two patios and stay open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., according to a filing with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.

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W.C. & A.N. Miller Development Co. is reopening its Atrium Building in Old Town Alexandria with a raft of new leases. Bartoli Cain Wason PLLC will take on roughly 3K SF in the renovated building, alongside other leases totaling 5K SF, WBJ reported. The $5M, 18-month renovations produced an upgraded lounge, bike room and rooftop event space, among other amenities. Some 85K SF remain available at the building, leased by Avison Young’s Nick Gregorios, Wesley Preuss and Chuck Kusbit.

CONSTRUCTION MILESTONES

Whole Foods reopened its Glover Park store on Wednesday. The 21K SF location was revamped and now includes Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which allows customers to use their phone to scan in and out of the store and pay for groceries using their Amazon account, skipping the checkout line. The Whole Foods on 2323 Wisconsin Ave. NW originally closed due to a rodent infestation, but as it remained shuttered for months, residents complained about the loss of an important grocer. Whole Foods’ announcement in 2020 that the store would reopen after more than three years prompted excitement from neighbors and local leaders.

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Mayor Muriel Bowser will join Dantes Partners and other local leaders to celebrate a groundbreaking Saturday at Parcel 42, the long-dormant site at 1707 Seventh St. NW. Dantes Partners closed on the site late last year and plans to construct 108 affordable units on the property with a unit mix that will include studios to two-bedrooms. The mixed-use site across from the Shaw-Howard U Metro stop will also feature more than 8K SF of retail.