Building a Reputation for Luxury
The Metropolitan at Reston Town Center is a new high-rise luxury apartment building with plenty of amenities and high-end finishes.
The chic interior design is enhanced by tasteful contemporary works by Washington area artists. The most striking feature is the rooftop — a combination of open-air pool and terrace, along with a 12,000-square-foot enclosed entertainment, fitness and lounge area.
The apartments are at the western end of the pedestrian-friendly Reston Town Center, a multi-block mixed-use development that includes an outdoor shopping mall, homes, offices and outdoor entertainment space. At the center of it all, an open-air plaza holds a large ice skating rink in winter and music and other events the rest of the year.
Rent at the Metropolitan starts at $1,350 for a 613-square-foot studio and tops out at $3,835 for a two-bedroom penthouse unit with den. The property contains studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Some have balconies, some dens. The 19th through 21st floors are all what the developer calls penthouse units, with higher ceilings, hardwood floors and upgraded fixtures.
Apartments on the first through eighth floors have high-grade laminate counters, while higher ones up have granite. All have stainless-steel appliances and Berber carpeting.
Kettler, the McLean real estate development firm that built the Metropolitan and runs it, took a risk that there would be a market for rents 80 cents per square foot per month more than competitors charge, but “based on feedback we’re getting from customers, there’s a demand for it,” said Karen Kossow, assistant vice president of sales and marketing. Pre-leasing started last summer; by early this month, the building was 22 percent occupied and 34 percent leased. Construction is expected to be complete by early summer.
Randy Butler was the first resident to move in, back in December. He relocated from a Metropolitan property in Herndon. In Reston, he’s closer to his job in downtown Washington. He takes the commuter bus from a stop a few blocks from the building to the West Falls Church Metro station and then takes Metro into the city. “If you can catch the 7 a.m. bus, you can be at your desk at 8 or 8:10,” Butler said.
When he’s not commuting downtown, he stays close to home. In the semi-urban Reston Town Center, he barely needs to get in his car. “If I take the bus all week, I can put less than five miles on my car,” he said.
Butler had considered living closer to the District but decided against it. “There’s just something about this Reston area. It has a homey feeling,” he explained. “I like the convenience of this area . . . the convenience of the town center . . . the restaurants, the entertainment, the convenience of shopping.”
On a recent weekend night, for example, he and a group of friends started the evening at Clyde’s, then went to Rio Grande for dinner and the Apollo for drinks. They wound up at Market Street in the Hyatt to see a band. They never strayed more than five blocks from his apartment.
Butler’s unit is a one-bedroom with two patios “with beautiful views to the north,” he said. But the really amazing views are from the roof — on the terrace or from inside through floor-to-ceiling windows — with the District to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. For truly amazing sunsets, take a seat at the bar in the “sunset-over-Reston room,” as the staff calls the part of the lounge with arced windows facing due west.
The rooftop offers more than views. For a high-rise workout, the treadmills in the fitness center are positioned in front of the windows facing the Blue Ridge. There is a television lounge and billiards room, and a cyber cafe with kitchen, all with big windows and amazing views. A separate lounge area has a two-sided fireplace that can be enjoyed both indoors and out. ……
source:http://www.washingtonpost.com
