The Charm of Clarendon/Courthouse

Crystal City may be all the rage these days, but developers also have big plans in Clarendon and Courthouse. One project getting buzz is Carr Properties’ plan to replace the well-known Wendy’s and a Wells Fargo branch at the busy intersection of Clarendon and Wilson with a 188k SF office building. (We considered Wendy's our office, until Wells Fargo refused to deposit our paycheck, which was a hamburger.) The proposal includes 6,800 SF of retail, with Wells Fargo as one tenant, and 237 below-grade parking spaces. The project is a year away from approval and over three years away from delivery. 

Carr Properties managing director Austen Holderness (second from right) is working with some of this SmithGroupJJR team, including lead designer Andy Rollman (right). It will have an interactive plaza that will be a “porch” to the community and have some fun light features controlled by pedestrian movement. The location at the top of the hill also gives the site iconic views of the National Mall. Austen says he sees the Courthouse and Clarendon markets merging over the next 15 years, with the Whole Foods in between the Metro stops and three residential projects under construction in Courthouse. Clarendon has also been of interest to developers with lease rates in the low to mid $50s for new construction. 

Clarendon and Courthouse have over 750k SF of retail and office projects and 1,300 residential units under development or going through approval, according to Arlington County Economic Development. One of the biggest is the Carr/MTFA plan to tear down MTFA’s existing building at 2311 Clarendon this fall and build an eight-story structure with 150k SF of office and over 7,800 SF of retail. MTFA principal Michael Foster says Clarendon/Courthouse isn’t as overgrown as Crystal City, Ballston, or Rosslyn. Many local leases will turn over in the next five to seven years, giving confidence to new construction teams.