Joy by Seven Reasons closes in Friendship Heights; contents to be auctioned off

Joy by Seven Reasons has closed at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. The contents of the restaurant will be auctioned off beginning on March 25, 2026. Conceived as a more-affordable spinoff of Seven Reasons in Washington, D.C. to better match the sinking median income level and stagnant economy of Friendship Heights, online reviewers noted that prices were still too high for their wallets, and that the restaurant was not exactly packing in the crowds. 

With empty storefronts ticking upward again at the Collection, and Saks Fifth Avenue departing by summer, property owner CCLC could look to reimagine this massive and prime site as a mixed-use "town center" development. As the Montgomery County Council damaged the area once known as "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive" by encouraging the very wealthy to flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, high-end retail and restaurants suddenly began vanishing in Friendship Heights. The collapse would give CCLC an argument to go big with a redevelopment plan, likely starting with the Saks end of the property.

Saks Fifth Avenue to close in Chevy Chase, opening potential major redevelopment opportunity

Saks Fifth Avenue will close its store at 5555 Wisconsin Avenue in the Friendship Heights area of Chevy Chase by the end of May. The high-end department store chain announced it will close 12 stores as part of its ongoing bankruptcy woes. This includes the Tysons location, as well as landmark stores on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, on Long Island, and at South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California. Saks' Chevy Chase outpost has been just such a landmark since it opened in 1964, as the grand department stores slowly realized the future - and their customers - were in the suburbs.

The departure of Saks will open a potentially huge redevelopment opportunity for property owner CCLC. With Amazon Fresh also having closed at the Collection at Chevy Chase development, the company is free to seriously consider knocking most or all of the retail and office structures down, and build a mixed use "town center" that would fall somewhere on the scale between their Chevy Chase Lake project and Federal Realty's Pike & Rose. The current Collection retail center was constructed at a time when community input and civic associations had a much greater role in development, leading to the low-density project that resulted.

Fast forward to 2026, and the zoning and density restrictions are wildly more liberal. Montgomery County government no longer listens to public input, civic associations, or even the once-decisive powers like Kenwood or the Columbia Country Club, having paid no price whatsoever at the ballot box for defying public or power-player opinion on matters like the Westbard sector plan, the Little Falls Parkway road diet and the Purple Line.

If you haven't noticed yet, the County has abandoned all of its "Smart Growth" propaganda pablum. Planners no longer regale attendees at community meetings with high-minded platitudes like "transit-oriented development," "quarter-to-half-a-mile from Metro," "eyes on the street," and "activate the streetscape." In 2014, the County said it just wanted the shopping centers for redevelopment. "We won't touch the neighborhoods." Ten years later, it announced it wouldn't just touch, but bulldoze the neighborhoods, with the County Council passage of Thrive Montgomery 2050. 

No more dancing around. No more apologies.

Yet, at the Collection, there is not only the land to do something big, but the property is literally at a Metro station. And thanks to the County Council driving the rich to move to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, Friendship Heights is in decline. As a result, CCLC would actually have a pretty solid basis upon which to argue for an ambitious revitalization project. It doesn't mean CCLC will do it. But the potential is there to go big, and ask for even bigger. It's not 2006 anymore, and the obstacles of public opinion and community that bedeviled developers then have been utterly vanquished over the succeeding two decades.

Chevy Chase Land Company rebrands as CCLC

After over 135 years of operation as The Chevy Chase Land Company, the local commercial real estate development firm has decided it is time for a change. As of yesterday, the company has rebranded as CCLC. The new logo references its long Chevy Chase history via interlocking “C”s. a nod to the company’s deep Chevy Chase roots, and its ongoing commitment to collaboration and community. A "modernized color palette, anchored by deep navy with vibrant green and blue accents, signals both stability and optimism," the company says. The underlying words "Real Estate Partners" are meant to reinforce the company’s role as a trusted partner with other entities in the region's commercial real estate sector, such as Bozzuto at the Chevy Chase Lake development.

“Our new name and visual identity reflect who we are today: a principled, dynamic team committed to creating long-term value for our tenants, investors, and communities,” CCLC CEO John Ziegenhein said in a statement yesterday. “We’ve always embraced growth, and this next chapter allows us to build on our legacy, while expanding the services and partnerships that will define our future.”

“We have enjoyed a strong partnership with CCLC and John Ziegenhein over the years – and specifically at our Chevy Chase Lake and 672 Flats communities,” Bozzuto President and CEO Toby Bozzuto said Monday. “We look forward to being a part of CCLC’s bold vision for the mixed-use landscape in our region.”

In addition to the new name and visual branding elements, CCLC has adopted new brand messaging, which focuses on four themes:

1. Collaborative – We foster a culture where knowledge sharing, teamwork, and trust drive results.
2. Committed – We bring dedication and professionalism to every partnership, honoring our legacy while building for the future.
3. Dynamic – We embrace innovation and approach each challenge with purpose and a forward-thinking mindset.
4. Principled – We act with transparency and integrity, always putting relationships first.

 Image courtesy CCLC

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar to open next week in Bethesda

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar will open next week at 7401 Woodmont Avenue in the 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower. The 6,547-square-foot Peruvian restaurant caps off a $25 million upgrade of the building by property owner The Chevy Chase Land Company, to reposition it for today's tough office market. “We are excited to welcome Pisco y Nazca to 2 Bethesda Metro, bringing an upscale and energetic dining amenity to the tower, as well as to neighboring office and retail,” Jason Winans, Executive Vice President, Asset Management at The Chevy Chase Land Company said in a statement yesterday. 6000 SF of retail space remains available for lease at the building.

First look: Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar in Bethesda (Photos)

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar at 7401 Woodmont Avenue in the 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower has blown past some previous opening dates, but now looks as if it might open any day now. The interior fit-out, just one of the major property upgrades made recently here by landlord The Chevy Chase Land Company, is complete. It looks like the interior design was worth the wait, but there is also outdoor seating, as the warmer temperatures of spring approach. Speaking of outdoors, the restaurant's exterior signage was installed yesterday, and was already lit after dark.

This ground floor corner was most recently home to Cesco Osteria, but is most likely remembered for its time as McCormick & Schmick's. Pisco y Nazca could find itself busy at several times of day, with its bowls and unique sushi rolls for lunch, its 4:00 - 7:00 PM Hora Loca, and a wide variety of authentic Peruvian entrees for dinner. Sushi? It's not that much of a stretch for a cuisine known for its deft and creative use of raw seafood. Stay tuned for an opening date!

2 Bethesda Metro Center

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar construction update (Photos)

Here's a look at the major progress on the interior fit-out of Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar, opening soon at 2 Bethesda Metro Center in downtown Bethesda. The interior design appears to be successfully splitting the difference between Peruvian architectural accents and high-end lounge aesthetics. If you dined at previous tenants McCormick & Schmick’s and Cesco Osteria, you know the place - but you likely won't recognize the space, which has been transformed once again as part of extensive and expensive updates to the office tower property by owner The Chevy Chase Land Company.

New tenants, new art continue revitalization of The Collection at Chevy Chase

A trio of new tenants has opened for business at The Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. Porsche Studio, Brooks Brothers, and Bright Horizons have joined the roster of retailers, restaurants, and services at this shopping destination, which has undergone a high-budget transformation to restore the luster to what was once called "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive." Most efforts to turn around the fortunes of Friendship Heights have been on the D.C. side of the border, but Collection owner The Chevy Chase Land Company and developer Donohoe are in an ongoing process of making major investments on the Maryland side.

The crown jewel of the Collection's additions is the Porsche Studio. A departure from traditional dealerships, this sleek and modern showroom is designed to immerse visitors in the world of Porsche. With its state-of-the-art touchpoints and immersive atmosphere, the Studio is more than just a place to buy a car; it's an experience. This is the German automaker's entry into the niche of showroom established by Tesla, where Elon Musk revolutionized a pivot from Spartan sales-desk warehouses and sprawling lots to an art gallery aesthetic, with placement in urban storefronts and suburban malls.

Porsche Studio is a sensory overload of sleek European lines, modernist furnishings, and polished chrome. It's like stepping into a Bond villain's lair, only without the henchmen and the world domination plot. A custom Maryland-themed mural will have auto enthusiasts looking around for the container of Old Bay. Porsche Studio is not a competitor to Porsche Bethesda up the Pike at Pike & Rose; they share an owner, Sonic Automotive, Inc.

Brooks Brothers has been a familiar sight on this stretch of Wisconsin Avenue for many years. It has now made a short move across the street to the Collection, as its former location is being redeveloped into a mixed-use residential building by Donohoe. The new Brooks Brothers is a 5722-square-foot temple of traditional American style, transporting you back to an era when men wore suits with panache, and women dressed to impress. Being forced back to the office? It's time to go back to Brooks Brothers, a one-stop shop for those aspiring to the sartorial elite.

Bright Horizons is the most practical-minded of the new additions at the Collection. Its 11,638-square-foot space at 17 Wisconsin Circle offers full-day, full-year early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old at the care center. Amenities and security measures include an onsite outdoor playground, secure entryways, supported by extensive health and safety policies and procedures. Bright Horizons is not only targeted towards parents who live nearby, but also to the employees of the many offices that surround it.

"Our commitment has been to create a strategic mix of retail and services to accommodate the daily 'needs and wants' of shoppers, diners, visitors, neighbors, and office workers in a central location," John Ziegenhein, CEO of The Chevy Chase Land Company, said in a statement. "Adding Bright Horizons here is a benefit for parents seeking childcare near to where they work and live, and we’re proud to keep Brooks Brothers on the same block as they move from just across the street. We have the excitement of the Porsche Studio adding to the lineup of incredible restaurants and retail at The Collection."

Two other new additions augment the Collection's growing collections of public art. New murals adorn the building facade above Hunter's Hound, and above the new Dunkin' Donuts kiosk at 2 Wisconsin Circle. Artist Cory Bernat is a local muralist and veritable Renaissance woman who defines herself as "an original thinker and astute observer," and lists her resume bullet points as "designer, creative director, content strategist, professor, curator, food historian, and former disguise technician." The Dunkin' kiosk pictured above is the chain's first such walk-up-window-only store model in Maryland.

Photo credits: 1,2,3,7, courtesy Collection at Chevy Chase; 4,5,6 Robert Dyer

Chase Manor apartments property sold to Toll Brothers

The Chase Manor apartments property has been sold to Toll Brothers, original property owner Chevy Chase Land Company announced this morning. Toll Brothers plans to construct a 63-townhome community on the four acres of land, which will be called Chevy Chase Crossing. The site is in close proximity to the new Chevy Chase Lake development, the Capital Beltway, and the future Purple Line light rail station. Toll Brothers recently completed a similar project on the former WMAL transmission tower property in Bethesda, a much larger development called Amalyn.

“It’s somewhat bittersweet to sell the site of a former 72-year-old community that holds so much history for the many locals of Chevy Chase, but with an aging infrastructure and increasing demand to live in this area, it was time to allow for its redevelopment,” Chevy Chase Land Company CEO, John Ziegenhein said in a statement this morning. “We are pleased to have the history and quality of Toll Brothers to usher in the next generation of neighbors to a new development as we at The Chevy Chase Land Company continue expanding and improving our many nearby projects, including office, The Collection, and Chevy Chase Lake -- with plans for another dynamic project right across from that mixed-use neighborhood on Connecticut Avenue.”

Chevy Chase Land Co. takes another big swing at office market in Friendship Heights

The Chevy Chase Land Company is announcing completion of a second major repositioning of one of its office properties in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area. After winding up a $25 million set of upgrades to its iconic 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower this spring, the firm has now made several significant updates and additions to its 5425 Wisconsin Avenue office building in Friendship Heights. The building rises eight stories above the company's Collection at Chevy Chase development. Like 2 Bethesda Metro Center, it is also located steps from an entrance to a Red Line Metro station.

Bethesda-based GTM Architects designed a set of new amenities and reimagined spaces that CCLC believes will make the building much more competitive in the office market. Companies are seeking spaces that are inviting and engaging enough to lure workers back to the office, and create new settings and opportunities for employee collaboration. To these ends, 5425 Wisconsin has added a new tenant lounge space with a 60-person training and conference room, pub-style collaboration booths, Trackman golf simulator, shuffleboard table, arcade zone, catering kitchen and bar area. A separate set of post-pandemic-lockdown enhancements were made to the building's lobby in 2022.

“The amenities we have now incorporated into 5425 Wisconsin are literally a ‘game changer’ for our tenants,” Chevy Chase Land Co. EVP of Asset Management Jason Winans said in a statement. “We’re providing a relaxing club-like space for tenants to escape the confines of the desk so they can interact for both meetings and social time in an immediately accessible game room, as well as conference area.”

Tenants of 5425 Wisconsin will join those of 2 Bethesda Metro Center in the CCLC's branded Ascend amenity program. Occupants of one participating building are able to take advantage of on-site amenities at the other buildings in the program. All of the current Ascend properties are located in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area, and connected by transit.

Photos courtesy Chevy Chase Land Co.

2 Bethesda Metro Center celebrates completion of major updates, repositioning of property

A major, $25 million update to the iconic 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower in downtown Bethesda is complete, and owner Chevy Chase Land Co. will be celebrating the repositioning of the property in a challenging office market this week. Major changes and improvements included the relocation of the main entrance, a new building facade, a new amenity pavilion behind the building that can be reached via an all-weather covered walkway, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga studio, locker rooms, and a 20-person-capacity conference center with a tenant lounge, kitchen and pool table.

2 Bethesda Metro Center now also provides tenants with access to Chevy Chase Land Co.'s branded shared-amenity program, Ascend. The program gives tenants access to a wide range of services, events, and networking opportunities across multiple properties across the Washington, D.C. metro area. Ascend offers physical and social amenities that used to be offsite-only, or that required advance planning.

"As our team has been committed to providing a customized worklife experience for our tenants, we are now launching The Chevy Chase Land Company’s exclusive shared amenity program, Ascend, across our office portfolio," Chevy Chase Land Co. CEO John Ziegenhein said in a statement. "Plugging this into the day-to-day work rhythm empowers employees because it promotes creativity, wellness, and collaboration. Every aspect of Ascend spaces are crafted to elevate performance and satisfaction. With our hospitality-driven concierge staff, much of this is managed for our tenants – a win-win for everyone."

"It’s a new day at 2 Bethesda Metro," said Jason Winans, Executive Vice-President of Asset Management, The Chevy Chase Land Company. "We have significantly reimagined this property from the relocated entrance to the state-of-the-art amenity pavilion, inclusive of an expansive rooftop deck, 20-person conference room, tenant lounge with pool table, and fitness center. Not to mention our outdoor tiered plaza that is perfect for morning coffee meetings, noon lunches, and evening gatherings."

Peter Rosan, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, said the property upgrades and amenities have positioned 2 Bethesda Metro Center to appeal to potential tenants needing large or small office spaces.  "This location, just steps away from Bethesda Row, is unparalleled for both the local employee who wants to walk, bike, or take a short drive to the office, as well as Metro commuters who can enjoy the door-to-door benefit of arriving undercover directly into 2 Bethesda Metro," Rosan noted.

Chevy Chase Land Co. will officially unveil the property improvements at an event tomorrow, April 24, 2024.

Photos courtesy Chevy Chase Land Co.

Giorgetti opening soon at The Collection at Chevy Chase

I have an update on the arrival of fine Italian furniture retailer Giorgetti at The Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. A spokesperson for property owner Chevy Chase Land Co. says their showroom opening should be in a few weeks. They have leased 3000-square-feet on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the development. Salus Homes is bringing the brand to Chevy Chase.

Whether in the fields of fashion, automobiles or furniture, design is the internationally-recognized thread that runs through all sectors Italy dominates. Giorgetti represents more than 126 years of expert craftsmanship in Brianza, Italy. Carlo Colombo, Roberto Lazzaroni, and Dante Bernini are among the premier designers to be associated with the firm during its history. Salus Homes is a local design firm and retailer that enjoys exclusive partnerships with several iconic Italian brands, including Giorgetti.

“The Giorgetti brand resonates perfectly with both The Chevy Chase Land Company and the community it will serve here in the Greater Washington Region,” Chevy Chase Land Company CEO John Ziegenhein said in a statement. “Like our company, Giorgetti has a history going back over a century, yet is committed to innovation – which is palpable in their iconic designs. That aesthetic across living areas, dining and kitchen, home office and bedroom is what we feel will be compelling to the homeowners here in both the city and suburbs, homes and condominiums.”

Top photo: Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row
Middle/bottom photos: Giorgetti