Opinions on East Falls Church (Arlington, Reston: sublet, apartment, renters)

[SteelCityRising]

So I've done a bit more research, and the two dense mixed-use projects I referenced along Route 29/Lee Highway right at the Falls Church/Arlington border are as follows:

1.) The Westlee: 128 Luxury Condos built in 2006, with an average value of over $500,000 each. Sold out. Home to Bear Rock Cafe, Entree Vous, WestLee Hair Studio, and WestLee Dry Cleaners and Custom Tailoring on the street level.

http://www.silverwoodcompanies.com/development/westlee.php (broken link)

Bummer. I was hoping these were rentals.

2.) The Crescent: 214 luxury 1-BR and 2-BR apartments on six floors. I have an inquiry in to the management company in regards to pricing/availability. The website was very impressive, and I really liked this complex from what I saw of it while walking past it today on the W&OD (it's the newer mid-rise building visible from I-66 at East Falls Church).

Luxury Apartments Arlington VA | New Apartments - Crescent


I have a feeling #2 will be mega-$$$, but hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

[bmwguydc]

I was just going to post that Westlee was a condo project. The Crescent is a tad expensive. The 2BRs are a little under $3k-$4.5k, and I think the 1BRs start just above $2k. A friend of mine lives in the area, and keeps tabs on what's happening with rent/sales prices, and they did mention the rentals being built, so I think it's the same building, if it's the "green" building.

And, given that the redevelopment of the parking lot into mixed-use is a battle in the making, the area will be under construction for a couple of years if/when approvals are granted for the project.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

I was just going to post that Westlee was a condo project. The Crescent is a tad expensive. The 2BRs are a little under $3k-$4.5k, and I think the 1BRs start just above $2k. A friend of mine lives in the area, and keeps tabs on what's happening with rent/sales prices, and they did mention the rentals being built, so I think it's the same building, if it's the "green" building.

And, given that the redevelopment of the parking lot into mixed-use is a battle in the making, the area will be under construction for a couple of years if/when approvals are granted for the project.

$2,000+/month for a 1-BR? $3,000+/month for a 2-BR? (Sigh). That's no "discount" over the Ballston/Rosslyn Corridor at all for the extra distance. Looks like it's up to CraigsList to pull through for me with a private rental option.

I really don't mind construction headaches in the short-term if the end result is a much better neighborhood. The construction mess in Tysons Corner doesn't faze me as I commute through it daily to my office because I know eventually Tysons Corner will become a decent place when all is said and done.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Also, Smithy77 (or anyone for that matter), can you give me some insight into the intersection of Washington Blvd. & N. McKinley Rd. in Westover? I haven't been through this area yet in person, but I'm looking at it via satellite imagery online and see that it appears there are a few small shopping centers clustered here. What sorts of stores are available? Any good restaurants there? Given their small size I'm assuming most or all would be independent places (a plus in my book). It also looks like there's a newer building on the northwest corner of this intersection, but it's still under construction per the imaging. Anybody know what building this is? (School? Community Center? YMCA? Church?)

In this general vicinity there also appear to be several middle-aged "garden-style" apartment complexes. Anybody know anything about these? They look like they may actually be within my price range---nothing too fancy and just far enough removed from the Metro station to not have the rents jacked up sky-high.

Anything else about Westover would be greatly appreciated.

I just switched over to Google Maps, which lists the businesses shown in the aerial imagery as:

7/11
Arax Coffee
Ayers ACE Hardware
Forrest Inn
Lebanese Taverna Restaurant
Lost Dog Cafe
Luna Park Grille
Rite-Aid
Toby's Homemade Ice Cream & Coffee
U.S. Post Office
Wachovia Bank
Westover Barbershop
Westover Florist
Westover Market

It appears the nearest grocery stores would be the Harris Teeters on Lee Highway in Yorktown or Glebe Road in Ballston, neither of which seem to be within walking distance.

[weezycom]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the transfer Orange/Silver line station is going to be at the West Falls Church station.

[cdmurphy]

If you haven't seen these already:

CommuterPage.com: Westover
CommuterPage.com: Williamsburg (http://www.commuterpage.com/ART/villages/leehwy.htm#Williamsburg - broken link)

Wikipedia: Westover

Westover is cute, but the shopping area is small. Lost Dog Cafe is really good (I used to work with some guys who moonlighted there).

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by weezycom

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the transfer Orange/Silver line station is going to be at the West Falls Church station.

No - RR is right - it's at East Falls Church. The Silver Line tracks branch off to the north just before West Falls Church.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

If you haven't seen these already:

CommuterPage.com: Westover
CommuterPage.com: Williamsburg (http://www.commuterpage.com/ART/villages/leehwy.htm#Williamsburg - broken link)

Wikipedia: Westover

Westover is cute, but the shopping area is small. Lost Dog Cafe is really good (I used to work with some guys who moonlighted there).

Actually, I hadn't visited these links, CDMurphy, so I really appreciate you bringing them to my attention. They were quite helpful, and now I think I may have decided to zero in on Westover as my primary target for a neighborhood, followed by East Falls Church, then Williamsburg, and then maybe Yorktown. I keep hearing rave reviews over this "Lost Dog Cafe." I'm going to have to explore it sometime.

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

No - RR is right - it's at East Falls Church. The Silver Line tracks branch off to the north just before West Falls Church.

I thought so. Thanks for the clarification. It would just avoid the hassle of having to keep transfering between the Orange and Silver Lines if I lived within a mile's walk of the station where the junction is. I'll be bringing my car along with me, of course, especially since it doesn't appear as if these neighborhoods have a full-service grocery store within walking distance, but part of my desire to live in Arlington is to use it much less. I purchased my car a year-and-a-half ago. I put 30,000 miles on it in that timeframe (20,000 miles per year). I want to really reduce that because at this rate by the time my car is paid off in a few years I'll only be able to enjoy it a few more years before having to get something newer again.

With that being said I just found my DREAM PLACE in Westover. It's probably about $50/month-$100/month more than I was ideally looking to pay for a small 1-BR basement apartment, but it does include all utilities. It's a shame I'm not looking to move until Spring 2011. I just hope there's a place similar to this one around by then. P.S. The homeowner did a bang-up job "selling" me on Westover and the link within the CraigsList ad has tons of very well-done photos. I'm surprised it's had over 2,000 hits and still hasn't been rented. http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/1958554124.html (broken link)

[OrangeFish]

A work colleague of mine lives in Falls Church City on E Maple St (near the new Pizzeria Orso) and he is now carless-by-choice and takes the bus to Metro. Might be something to investigate as I would think the rents would be cheaper due to not being that close to Metro.

[Alicia Bradley]

Mine! You can't have it - I already called dibs.

Seriously, though.. that's exactly where I'm house-shopping now. (EFC Arlington, that is.. with a slightly less intense focus on Westover, etc.) Since all my SO and I will be able to afford is a veritable 1000 sq. ft. box, I have plans to train myself in DIY-ing skylights and fans and such in attics with 3 ft. ceilings. Fun.