Ballenger Rd area in Alexandria (for sale, apartments, lofts)

[Henry's Mom]

Looking for info on this area in Alexandria, especially a townhome community called Carlyle City Residences. There is a townhome there available for sale that we may be interested in. Can anyone tell me about the area around Ballenger Rd. It appears to be open space by the overhead map. Why is that? Is this a safe area? Does anyone know anything about the townhome community itself? Any and all info would be appreciated.

[alexandrian]

Pretty much everything in that area has been built within the last few years, so depending on what overhead map you're looking at it may seem like just a big construction site, but there's plenty of stuff there now. I've lived in that area for two years and overall I would recommend it.

The area is very safe--it's a little deserted at night because it's mostly office buildings, apartments, and condos, with most of the buisnesses catering to the office lunch crowd--but I haven't really heard of any crime. The location is good for both walking (5 mins to King Street Metro, 10 mins to Old Town) and driving (close to beltway, GW parkway, Duke and King Streets, and Eisenhower Ave which can be a good back route to the south and west). Not much nightlife or attractive dining in the immediate area, but like I said it's close to plenty of options in Old Town, and also the nearby Hoffman Town Center on Eisenhower Ave has a big movie theater and restaurants.

This is definitely a better area than the Braddock Road Metro area in terms of safety and things to do.

[Henry's Mom]

thanks for your quick response. If you can find out anything about this particular group of townhomes and pass it on, we would be most appreciative. We live in CT and are anticipating a move. We really like Old Town, and have been looking on and off since last Sept. We really want a townhouse with a 2 car garage. Everything that we have seen so far has been either too close to the water (not interested in being flooded) or too close to potentially unsafe areas (not interested in not being able to walk the dog past 9pm at night). One community we looked at had all the bells and whistles but unfortunately most of the porches were sagging off of the back of the homes! (we noticed this right after the realtor told us that the builder had been one of the most prestigious in the area)! Needless to say, both time and money are at a premium so I am looking for all the info that I can get prior to another trip.

[alexandrian]

FWIW, live.com has a decent aerial shot of what the area looks like now:

Web browser and Live Maps are incompatible

[Henry's Mom]

thanks so much...the shot was much more detailed. Obviously the area is really much more built up than we thought. The townhome that we might be looking at faces Ballenger. Does anyone know what is to be done with the empty lot across Ballenger and up one block?

[pcity]

If you're talking about the lot on the corner of Ballenger and John Carlyle, it's going to be another office building with retail on the first floor.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with this area if you can afford it. Great convenience and very safe.

[Henry's Mom]

Thanks again.

[LauraH831]

This is predominately the office area for the US Patent and Trademark Office. The are is very nice and safe but can be busy. If you would like a big townhome with a two car garage about 3 miles from there is the Stonegate Subdivision off of Braddock Road. It is a very nice neighborhood with many young families and children. It is close to 395 and not too far from Old Town. Home prices run from the 600K on up.

[Henry's Mom]

Well, we bid on the townhome on Ballenger, and the owner did not cooperate so onward with the search. Our realtor is trying to interest us in some townhomes called Braddock Lofts. In a reply to my original post, someone mentioned that the Braddock St. Metro area is not a good area. We get the Alexandria police crime reports and the stats seem to bear this out. However, I would like to hear confirmation (or not). Comments about the area?