diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/app/GossipApplicationStore.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/app/GossipApplicationStore.java
index c9a36a3..936cf4e 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/app/GossipApplicationStore.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/app/GossipApplicationStore.java
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 
 import com.google.common.base.Charsets;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
-
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Activate;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Component;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Deactivate;
@@ -43,12 +42,12 @@
 import org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging.ClusterMessage;
 import org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging.ClusterMessageHandler;
 import org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging.MessageSubject;
-import org.onosproject.store.service.MultiValuedTimestamp;
 import org.onosproject.store.serializers.KryoNamespaces;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.EventuallyConsistentMap;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.EventuallyConsistentMapEvent;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.EventuallyConsistentMapListener;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.LogicalClockService;
+import org.onosproject.store.service.MultiValuedTimestamp;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.StorageService;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
@@ -63,15 +62,10 @@
 
 import static com.google.common.io.ByteStreams.toByteArray;
 import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS;
+import static org.onlab.util.Tools.delay;
 import static org.onlab.util.Tools.groupedThreads;
-import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.APP_ACTIVATED;
-import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.APP_DEACTIVATED;
-import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.APP_INSTALLED;
-import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.APP_PERMISSIONS_CHANGED;
-import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.APP_UNINSTALLED;
-import static org.onosproject.store.app.GossipApplicationStore.InternalState.ACTIVATED;
-import static org.onosproject.store.app.GossipApplicationStore.InternalState.DEACTIVATED;
-import static org.onosproject.store.app.GossipApplicationStore.InternalState.INSTALLED;
+import static org.onosproject.app.ApplicationEvent.Type.*;
+import static org.onosproject.store.app.GossipApplicationStore.InternalState.*;
 import static org.onosproject.store.service.EventuallyConsistentMapEvent.Type.PUT;
 import static org.onosproject.store.service.EventuallyConsistentMapEvent.Type.REMOVE;
 import static org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger;
@@ -85,12 +79,13 @@
 public class GossipApplicationStore extends ApplicationArchive
         implements ApplicationStore {
 
-    private static final int MAX_LOAD_RETRIES = 3;
-
     private final Logger log = getLogger(getClass());
 
     private static final MessageSubject APP_BITS_REQUEST = new MessageSubject("app-bits-request");
 
+    private static final int MAX_LOAD_RETRIES = 3;
+    private static final int RETRY_DELAY_MS = 2_000;
+
     private static final int FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
     private static final int LOAD_TIMEOUT_MS = 5_000;
 
@@ -174,6 +169,7 @@
                     }
                 } catch (Exception e) {
                     log.warn("Unable to load application {} from disk; retrying", name);
+                    delay(RETRY_DELAY_MS);  // FIXME: This is a deliberate hack; fix in Drake
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -372,21 +368,21 @@
                 continue;
             }
             clusterCommunicator.sendAndReceive(app.id().name(),
-                                    APP_BITS_REQUEST,
-                                    s -> s.getBytes(Charsets.UTF_8),
-                                    Function.identity(),
-                                    node.id())
-                               .whenCompleteAsync((bits, error) -> {
-                                   if (error == null && latch.getCount() > 0) {
-                                       saveApplication(new ByteArrayInputStream(bits));
-                                       log.info("Downloaded bits for application {} from node {}",
-                                               app.id().name(), node.id());
-                                       latch.countDown();
-                                   } else if (error != null) {
-                                       log.warn("Unable to fetch bits for application {} from node {}",
-                                               app.id().name(), node.id());
-                                   }
-                               }, executor);
+                                               APP_BITS_REQUEST,
+                                               s -> s.getBytes(Charsets.UTF_8),
+                                               Function.identity(),
+                                               node.id())
+                    .whenCompleteAsync((bits, error) -> {
+                        if (error == null && latch.getCount() > 0) {
+                            saveApplication(new ByteArrayInputStream(bits));
+                            log.info("Downloaded bits for application {} from node {}",
+                                     app.id().name(), node.id());
+                            latch.countDown();
+                        } else if (error != null) {
+                            log.warn("Unable to fetch bits for application {} from node {}",
+                                     app.id().name(), node.id());
+                        }
+                    }, executor);
         }
 
         try {
@@ -412,6 +408,7 @@
             }
         }
     }
+
     /**
      * Prunes applications which are not in the map, but are on disk.
      */
diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/core/impl/ConsistentIdBlockStore.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/core/impl/ConsistentIdBlockStore.java
index 1c9e44d..a421459 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/core/impl/ConsistentIdBlockStore.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/core/impl/ConsistentIdBlockStore.java
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 package org.onosproject.store.core.impl;
 
-import static org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger;
-
-import java.util.Map;
-
+import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Activate;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Component;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Deactivate;
@@ -17,7 +14,10 @@
 import org.onosproject.store.service.StorageService;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
-import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import static org.onlab.util.Tools.delay;
+import static org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger;
 
 /**
  * Implementation of {@code IdBlockStore} using {@code AtomicCounter}.
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 public class ConsistentIdBlockStore implements IdBlockStore {
 
     private static final int MAX_TRIES = 3;
+    private static final int RETRY_DELAY_MS = 2_000;
 
     private final Logger log = getLogger(getClass());
     private final Map<String, AtomicCounter> topicCounters = Maps.newConcurrentMap();
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@
                 log.warn("Unable to allocate ID block due to {}; retrying...",
                          e.getMessage());
                 exc = e;
+                delay(RETRY_DELAY_MS); // FIXME: This is a deliberate hack; fix in Drake
             }
         }
         throw new IllegalStateException("Unable to allocate ID block", exc);