Courthouse

County puts equipment from Courthouse’s Rāko Coffee up for public auction

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Items from Rāko Coffee in Courthouse were put up for public auction by Arlington County tax authorities.

ARLnow reported last month that Rāko Coffee at 2016 Wilson Blvd had closed, though a sign claimed the closure was “temporary” and blamed a broken espresso machine.

Several readers had reached out to ARLnow asking if the closure was, in fact, permanent due to how long the sign had been up. A couple of days later, green seizure tags were seen placed on equipment and furniture at the shop, suggesting the coffee shop owed the county money.

Now those items are being sold. The Arlington County Treasurer’s Office announced yesterday a public online auction for equipment and supplies left at the cafe.

“By order of Arlington County Treasurer all equipment, furniture, and fixtures will be liquidated from this location,” reads the auction page. The sale will go towards paying the business’s tax bill to the county.

Items like an espresso machine, food dehydrator, commercial refrigerator, patio tables, and five-pound bags of coffee were on the block. The auction ended this morning, providing would-be commercial fridge owners less than 24 hours to get bids in.

The cafe’s La Marzocco espresso machine sold for $17,350, according to the auction page, which raises the question of whether it was ever actually broken.

Meanwhile, Rāko Coffee’s opening of a planned location at Amazon HQ2 is in doubt. Just over a year ago, Amazon trumpeted that Rāko Coffee and several other local businesses had signed leases to move into the retail space at its second headquarters in Pentagon City.

ARLnow has reached out to Rāko Coffee representatives via email and phone but has yet to hear back as of publication. Amazon also has not responded to several inquiries about what this could mean for Rāko’s planned location.

Rāko Coffee, which started as a Lorton-based coffee roaster, opened the Courthouse cafe — its first brick-and-mortar shop — in August 2021.

The company was founded by sisters Lisa and Melissa Gerben. Their LinkedIn profiles note that they ended their tenures at Rāko this past June and August, respectively.

UPDATED: Power outage in Courthouse area after reported transformer explosion

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) A swath of the Courthouse and Clarendon area is in the dark after reports of a possible transformer explosion.

The lights went out around 6:30 a.m. As of 7:30 a.m., 1,732 Dominion customers are still without power, according to the company’s website, though that number was down to around 1,100 as of 9 a.m.

“Arlington County is aware of a power outage in the Courthouse area,” the county earlier this morning in an Arlington Alert. “Use caution as street lights are out. Treat all intersections as a 4-way stop.”

Arlington firefighters were dispatched to the Avalon Courthouse Place apartment building at 1320 N. Veitch Street around 6:30 a.m. for a report of an underground transformer explosion and fire.

ACFD says the fire is out but there was “significant smoke in the parking garage requiring ventilation” and it expects the overhaul to be “an extended operation.” Some roads are closed in the area as a result of ongoing fire department activity.

On social media, below, one user posted a photo of a thick haze in the parking garage.

A lone detached home along Route 50 near Courthouse could become apartments

By Jo DeVoe
1/10

A new developer has reprised long-dormant plans to turn a house, a large tree and two surface parking lots near Courthouse into apartments.

D.C.-area developer Fortis Companies proposes building a 166-unit, 12-story apartment tower at 2025 Fairfax Drive, along a frontage road for Route 50 that dead-ends in front of a complex of historic brick apartment buildings. It also proposes an underground parking garage and an interior walkway between the nearby apartments and Fairfax Drive.

This application, filed in February and processed in October, takes over previously approved plans to build a 104-unit, 12-story building on the site.

The new building would be located on the southeast corner of Fairfax Drive on the same block as the existing, historic Wakefield Manor and Courthouse Manor garden apartment complexes. In 2011, the Arlington County Board guaranteed the preservation of these buildings when it approved the original site plan.

The approved development “was never constructed, for a variety of reasons,” says Andrew Painter, an attorney representing Fortis, in a presentation. “We believe the proposed building will, at long last, fulfill the county’s land use, density, height and diversity goals for the site, and deliver high quality architecture and a building within easy walking distance of many community amenities.”

Fortis Vice-President of Acquisitions Matt Bunch says a design team spent two years studying the site and the 11-year-old plans to come up with a new proposal.

“We’re very excited to bring this project to fruition in a way that satisfies the existing residents’ parking needs, improves project overall viability and addresses the county’s planning guidance,” he said in the same presentation. “We believe this underutilized site is an excellent opportunity to provide new, smart-growth housing within the county that is easily walkable to the Courthouse Metro station.”

A parking garage accessible from N. Troy Street will have 30 parking spaces set aside for Courthouse Manor and Wakefield Manor residents.

The site is less than half a mile from the Metro station as well as bus stops along 15th Street N. Also a half-mile away is the Inn of Rosslyn, which is also slated for redevelopment.

The 1.8-acre site is bordered by the Woodbury Heights Condominiums to the north, Taft Towers condominiums to the east, Arlington Boulevard to the south and the Arlington Court Suites hotel to the west.

“The site is subject to the Fort Myer Heights North Plan (2004), which seeks to balance preservation and redevelopment with an emphasis on affordable housing, historic buildings, open space, significant trees and neighborhood scale,” the county says in a virtual walking tour of the site. “The building façade will be comprised of brick and metal panels with stone and pre-cast concrete accents.”

Wakefield Manor and Courthouse Manor were later preserved from future development through a transfer of development rights involving the old Wendy’s site in Courthouse.

“Courthouse Manor (1940) and Wakefield Manor (1943) were designed by notable architect, Mihran Mesrobian,” according to the county. “Both buildings are known for blending Art Deco and Moderne styles with traditional Classical Revival characteristics. They are recognized as unique garden-apartment buildings and identified as ‘Essential’ properties on the Historic Resources Inventory.”

Mesrobian also designed the Calvert Manor apartments in Arlington as well as some prominent hotels and residential buildings in D.C.

A stretching studio expects to open soon in Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
StretchLab in Courthouse (photo courtesy of StretchLab)

A stretching studio is opening in Courthouse later this month.

Los Angeles-based StretchLab is stretching itself to open by late December at 2200 Wilson Blvd, at the corner with N. Wayne Street. It will be in the same building in Courthouse as Sweet Leaf Cafe.

Founded in 2015 in Venice, California, StretchLab calls itself “the industry leader in offering one-on-one assisted stretching.”

There are nearly 300 locations nationwide, per a company spokesperson, but this would be the first StretchLab in the D.C. area. There are plans for additional expansion locally, we’re told.

“StretchLab has gathered a team of experts already certified in an array of related fields — physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, yoga, Pilates, and more — and brought in the world’s leading authority on stretching and flexibility to deliver on the promise of having the finest team of stretching professionals gathered anywhere,” reads a statement provided to ARLnow.

The studio offers memberships, one-on-one instruction, and group classes.

Construction is nearly finished on the space, a spokesperson said. Next week, on Monday, Dec. 12, the studio will be open for a preview and “free demonstration stretches.” The studio is set to fully open to the public later in December.

Woman groped one block from police HQ in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1300 block of N. Troy Street (via Google Maps)

Arlington County police are investigating a sexual battery incident just a block from their headquarters in Courthouse.

It happened Monday night around 10:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of N. Troy Street, as a woman was walking her dog.

From an ACPD crime report:

SEXUAL BATTERY, 2022-11280277, 1300 block of N. Troy Street. At approximately 10:38 p.m. on November 28, police were dispatched to the report of a sexual battery. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was walking in the area when the unknown male suspect approached her from behind, lifted her jacket and touched her inappropriately. The victim screamed and the suspect fled the scene. The suspect is described as a younger, unknown race male, approximately 5’6″ – 5’7″ tall with a skinny build and wearing dark clothing. The investigation is ongoing.

The victim posted on Reddit about the incident to warn other women in the area and ask whether anyone got a better look at the suspect. She noted that “I’ve never felt scared to walk alone in Arlington before.”

From the post:

This is half PSA and half plea for information.

Last night at 10:35 I was walking my little 12 lb dog up North Troy street by the Palatine apartment building when a man came up behind me, lifted up my jacket, and grabbed my crotch and pulled at my pants. I immediately shrieked and he went running south back down Troy. It all happened so fast I didn’t get a good look at the guy. He had a black hoodie on with the hood up and black sweatpants. I didn’t see his face. My best guess is that he’s between 5’6″ and 5’8 and probably young-ish based on light build and his swift speed.

I called the police (the police station is literally half a block away from where this happened) and they were very kind and professional but I’m just so frustrated I couldn’t really give them any info about this guy. So, if you live in the area and think you saw anything (I screamed really [expletive] loud – maybe somebody looked out the window and saw what shoes he was wearing or something?), please let me know.

Also, ladies, please keep an eye out. This guy appeared out of nowhere – my best guess is he was hiding in some shrubs – and it seems like he’s done this before and I would guess will do it again. I usually do this walk with my husband but he’s sick right now so last night I was out by myself for the first time in a while. I’m so sad. I’ve never felt scared to walk alone in Arlington before.

Photo via Google Maps

Bollards may be on the menu after Ireland’s Four Courts crash

By Jo DeVoe
Ireland’s Four Courts boarded up on 9/15/22 (staff photo)

The following article was supported by the ARLnow Press Club. Join today to help us do more in-depth local reporting.

Storefront safety is now top-of-mind for Ireland’s Four Courts after a rideshare driver plowed into the pub and sparked a fire, seriously injuring several people.

While those injured were inside the restaurant, safety advocates say this crash demonstrates why many have concerns about outdoor dining and nightlife, as well as traffic configurations that rely on everyone driving perfectly. For Four Courts, the crash is a chance to rebuild with a greater focus on safety.

“Since the accident, storefront and patio safety is most definitely our highest priority as we plan our reopening,” Managing Partner Dave Cahill said. “I think installing safety bollards in the front of business locations like ours would eliminate the risk of vehicles crashing into buildings and pedestrians.”

Arlington County is more than a year into an initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. But because storefront crashes like this one are so rare, they aren’t the focus of Vision Zero efforts, according to the county. Instead, this initiative to eliminate traffic serious injuries and fatalities focuses on locations within Arlington’s High Injury Network.

“These types of crashes are often high-profile, but are uncommon,” says Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien.

Since 2017, 0.25% of total critical crashes, or 32 out of 13,035, involved a driver hitting a building. Two of these crashes — excluding the Courthouse crash — involved a visible, but not severe, injury, while the remainder resulted in property damage only.

Still, it has restaurateur David Guas, of Bayou Bakery, who watched the crash happen, thinking more about safety as well.

“Witnessing it first hand, I had a flash in the pan thought, ‘someone could’ve come down N. Veitch and into Bayou,'” he said. “Technically, it could happen, especially if this is a freak medical emergency.”

Police announced last month that the rideshare driver who drove straight in to the long-time pub likely suffered a medical emergency and will not face charges.

Risk factors

There are a lot of factors that put people at risk near storefronts, according to Storefront Safety Council cofounder Rob Reiter.

“Outdoor dining is inherently more risky,” says Reiter. “Speeds are up everywhere and… you’re always one drunk away from someone accelerating into a crowd.”

Nationally, based on statistics the council has compiled from news reports, court records and studies, the most common reasons are operator error and pedal confusion, followed by drunk driving.

Storefront crash causes (via Storefront Safety Council)

In Arlington, of the serious crashes into a building, almost 30% involved a drunk driver, O’Brien said.

A driver suffering a “medical event” in a crash, as is believed to have happened with Four Courts, is fairly common, Reiter says. Council data indicate medical events make up 9% of storefront crashes.

The bigger issue here, Reiter said, is that the pub sits at a “T” intersection.

These are common in Arlington, in areas of low speed limits and multiple traffic signals and traffic signs, O’Brien said. The intersection ending in Ireland’s Four Courts “was and is being looked at for redesign, as is standard,” she added.

Another hairy traffic configuration is when perpendicular parking abuts the entrance to a store, said another Storefront Safety Council cofounder, Mark Wright, who was hit 14 years ago by a woman who rolled through a parking spot and into the 7-Eleven he was exiting.

While it is convenient, Wright said, “it’s a very risky parking arrangement and obviously parking is a critical component of any thriving, successful shopping center.”

Per Storefront Safety Council data, 23% of crashes involved retail stores and 19% involved restaurants.

(more…)

Courthouse’s Rāko still shuttered, citing ‘out of order’ espresso machine

By Matt Blitz
1/5

Rāko at 2016 Wilson Blvd remains closed due to what a sign says is an “out of order” espresso machine.

The Courthouse coffee shop has reportedly been closed since at least early this month. A handwritten sign remains outside of the store noting it is “temporarily closed” and that the “espresso machine [is] out of order… we are sorry for the inconvenience.”

The cafe’s interior appears to be unchanged, with furniture set up and the suspect espresso machine still sitting on the counter.

A number of readers have written to ARLnow asking if the closure is permanent due to how long it’s been closed.

“Hi! I am desperate to know what happened to Rako coffee shop in Courthouse. They have had a sign up that their espresso machine is getting fixed for about three weeks?” read one email. “Seems like a bad sign. No phone number or notice on Google/their website. I love their business and it fills a much needed local coffee gap around here!”

ARLnow has reached out to the company and a spokesperson multiple times but has yet to hear back.

Lorton-based Rāko Coffee opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in August 2021. A year ago, the coffee shop signed a lease to open a new location at Amazon’s HQ2.

The row of shops and restaurants along the 2000 block of Wilson Blvd will be dealing with a notable challenge for the next couple of years: construction activity on the former Wendy’s lot, at the top of the block, potentially driving away some customers.

George Ishak, owner of Burger District at 2024 Wilson Blvd, told ARLnow this week that some safety measures are hurting business.

“There’s a new construction starting in the adjacent plot of land but the thing is that they have put a fence in front of my store and also fenced around the tree pit that is exactly in from of my store entrance,” he said. “I filed a complaint with Arlington County requesting to remove the fence in front of my store and around the tree pit since this is negatively impacting my small business.”

Update on 11/19/22 — It appears that the business may owe money to Arlington County, as seen in the photos below.

Employees at the Courthouse Starbucks have unionized

By Matt Blitz
1/2

(Updated, 5:30 p.m.) Yesterday was an election day as well for employees at the Starbucks in Courthouse Plaza, who voted to become the second D.C.-area location of the coffee giant to unionize.

Workers at a local Starbucks won their election to form a union, as first reported by Washington Post reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley. The employees are organizing with and joining Starbucks Workers United.

Arlington Democrats congratulated employees at the Starbucks in Courthouse at 2200 Clarendon Blvd for winning their union election.

Samuel Dukore, a member of the union and a shift supervisor at the Courthouse Starbucks, told ARLnow that he and his colleagues unionized for better pay, more consistent hours, and uniformly enforced rules and regulations.

This marks the 260th Starbucks nationwide to unionize but only the second one in the D.C. area. The other unionized Starbucks is on P Street in the District, which just voted to form its union last month.

As for what’s next, Dukore he would like to see Starbucks come to the bargaining table to “negotiate in good faith” with the union for a contract.

Over the summer, employees at Union Kitchen in Ballston also voted to form a union joining others at Union Kitchen locations across the region. The National Labor Board determined that Union Kitchen management violated a number of labor laws and engaged in illegal union-busting tactics while workers sought to unionize, as DCist first reported earlier today.

Construction activity starts on the vacant Wendy’s lot in Courthouse

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Early site work appears to have started at the long-vacant former Wendy’s lot in Courthouse.

Greystar Real Estate Partners is building an apartment building at 2025 Clarendon Blvd, about a block from the Courthouse Metro station, where the fast food spot and a bank used to be.

And this week, people nearby have observed that a fence has gone up and digging has started.

This June, Greystar has applied for permits for sheeting and shoring work as well as for construction of a two-level underground parking garage and the 16-story apartment building with an in-ground, rooftop pool, according to Arlington County permit records.

Those plans are still being reviewed.

Permits for 2025 Clarendon Blvd (via Arlington County)

Representatives from Greystar were not able to respond by deadline to comment with a construction timeline.

Greystar will turn the 0.57-acre lot into a 16-story apartment building with 231 residential units and 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Residents will have 75 vehicle parking spaces and one bike parking spot for every unit.

As part of the project, Greystar is adding a public plaza at the tip of western edge of the site — in a prominent location a block from the Metro station, where N. Courthouse Road and Wilson and Clarendon Blvd intersect — as well as an alley along the eastern edge.

Before and after Greystar removed columns on the ground to open up the plaza proposed for 2025 Clarendon Blvd (via Arlington County)

The planned building will be taller than what plans for the neighborhood recommend. Greystar was able to nearly double the number of units and increase the building height by six stories by transferring development rights from Wakefield Manor, a small garden-apartment complex deemed to be historic, less than a half-mile away.

The Wendy’s and bank were torn down and initially set to be replaced with a 12-story office building, which was never built because the developer, Carr Properties, couldn’t find a tenant.

For years, the lot sat vacant. It most recently was used as a staging area for 2000 Clarendon, a condo project across the street, while Greystar bought the site and worked up apartment plans.

Meanwhile, construction continues across the street at “The Commodore” apartments. Construction crews officially broke ground on the project in October 2021 and has been adding floors at a relatively quick pace as of late.

“The Commodore” replaces low-slung brick commercial buildings that housed Jerry’s Subs, Cosi, Boston Market and Summers Restaurant. Completion of the 20-story, 423-unit building is expected next fall, Greystar previously said in a press release.

The Commodore’s ground floor retail space is close to being leased out, according to CBRE. Five businesses have struck preliminary agreements to move into the building, while one retail space is still available for leasing.

The real estate company says it’s focused on attracting “a mix of local and regional food & beverage offerings as well as daily goods & service offerings, from conveniences to luxuries, for the [Courthouse] and Clarendon communities.”

The project, located in the “Landmark Block” in Courthouse, is poised to realize a significant portion of a 2015 vision to redevelop a portion of the neighborhood dubbed “Courthouse Square” and centered around the county’s surface parking lot.

NEW: Driver who plowed into Four Courts will not face charges

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) The rideshare driver who plowed into Ireland’s Four Courts in August, seriously injuring several people, will not face charges.

Arlington County police reiterated this morning that the driver most likely suffered a medical emergency while driving up N. Courthouse Road and speeding into the front of the pub during a Friday happy hour.

“The comprehensive investigation, which included an extensive review of evidence, supported the conclusion the driver experienced a medical emergency prior to the crash,” ACPD said today in a brief update. “Following consultation with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, criminal charges will not be sought against the driver.”

All three pub-goers who were hospitalized with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries were out of the hospital as of one month ago. One patient was still in critical condition and two others were in stable condition within a week of the crash.

Four Courts’ managing partner told ARLnow today that the cleanup will start soon, now that police and private investigations have wrapped up, though no reopening date has been set. The pub suffered extensive fire damage after the car burst into flames.

“Uber investigators finished their investigation yesterday and we can now finally start the demolition process,” said Dave Cahill. “Once this is done we will know the extent of the damage. We are very grateful for the all the support from all community and from Arlington County as we start this process. We hoping to start the rebuild in a couple of months.”

NEW: Police searching for man with gun who said he needed help but then drove off

By ARLnow.com
Police activity outside of the Arlington County courthouse and police headquarters in Courthouse (file photo)

Police are searching for an armed man who told law enforcement he needed help but then drove off.

The incident happened shortly after 9 a.m. in front of the Arlington County courthouse, near police headquarters, in the Courthouse neighborhood.

“A subject in a vehicle stopped in the crosswalk in the 1400 block of N. Courthouse Road and flagged down sheriff’s deputies for assistance,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “When they approached, they observed the subject to be in possession of a firearm.”

“The subject then drove away from the area and the deputies entered their vehicle and followed to investigate,” Savage continued. “The driver stopped at N. Veitch Street and 14th Street N. and the deputies again attempted to make contact with the subject who had stated he was in need of help.”

At that point, the man suddenly took off in the direction of Route 50.

“The subject then drove off, struck a parked vehicle in the 1200 block of N. Courthouse Road and fled the area,” Savage said. “Police remain on scene investigating the incident.”

The suspect’s vehicle was described as a silver Honda Civic, according to police radio traffic.

Update at 12:25 a.m. — The suspect in this incident has been arrested after he allegedly fired shots at Arlington County police and led them on a chase into Fairfax County.

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