Taking in the River View From River Place

Publish date: 2024-07-13

correction

A map in yesterday's Apartment Living section incorrectly located the River Place apartments. The complex, at 1011-1121 Arlington Blvd. in Rosslyn, is at the corner of North Pierce Street and Fairfax Drive. (Published 02/20/2000)

Convenience keeps River Place running. Thanks to a mix of students, first-jobbers and others who appreciate its location, the apartment complex's four eight-story buildings and about 1,700 units maintain a high occupancy rate despite the similarly high turnover rate, the sheer number of apartments and some relatively unusual management practices.

The complex, in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, in the shadow of the USA Today and Gannett twin towers and across the Key Bridge from Georgetown, opened in the early 1950s. Originally known as the Arlington Towers, the name of the complex was changed in 1983 when about half the units were sold to individuals or corporations as cooperative apartments.

The ownership remains distributed through numerous private individuals and corporations. The resident population, however, is made up almost entirely of tenants rather than owners.

The units vary in style and size, from 305 square feet for the smallest studio to 2,387 square feet for the largest three-bedroom units, of which there are only a few. All units share proximity and access to Metro's Blue and Orange lines, as well as a hair salon, a pharmacy, a weight room and a private on-site movie theater.

"It's very convenient," said Jim Milichich, 53, a research librarian who has lived in the complex for 13 years. Though his job routinely takes him to the Library of Congress, the National Institutes of Health, Tysons Corner and Falls Church, he says it's a "negative traffic flow."

Jobe Danganan, 23, said that convenience is what drew him to his apartment five months ago, when the Harvard University graduate took a job at the Justice Department.

"We have a dry cleaner and a pharmacy; I'm in a penthouse overlooking [the] Iwo Jima [memorial]," he said. "I can get on the Metro and go to work in 20 minutes, no problem. If I want to go to the clubs, I can just get a cab on the way back if I'm out past 1 a.m.," when the Metro stops running on weekends. "If you're young and want to be clubbing and part of the city, but not expensively, this place is a good deal."

Danganan, who lived in a group house in Georgetown during a 1998 summer internship, finds River Place "more like a community."

"I feel like I'm part of the city, but detached, too, which I like," Danganan said. "I sort of want a 'moment of silence,' I guess."

Hashmat Ali, a member of River Place's owners association and board of directors, leases 30 units in three of the four buildings. "The market is quite hot and the rents are reasonably good. It's a 40-year-old building, but we keep it up in very good condition."

Since the units are separately owned, each landlord "can run it their own way, either directly or through a rental agent or friend," Ali said

"It's a big range depending [on] who's furnished it," he said. "You can provide cable, phone and whatever style or furniture. That's how you provide perks to your tenants."

For example, Ali recently remodeled one of his efficiencies by converting what is usually a walk-in closet to a bedroom nook with French doors. Such touches, along with an apartment's size, view and duration of lease, are what determine rents throughout the complex. While the price range of Ali's units is $975 to $1,150 for a studio, $1,300 to $1,800 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,000 to $2,800 for a two-bedroom unit, other landlords charge more.

Despite such individual variances, the River Place board of directors maintains minimum standards for offerings, such as amenities. These include an outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, an indoor Jacuzzi and sauna, a health spa, table tennis and a pool table. Each of the four buildings has access to a party-meeting room, lobby concierge, mail room, pay telephone, bike room, storage bins and coin-operated laundry rooms and vending machines. In addition to the hair salon and dry cleaner, the property houses a convenience store and a gatehouse staffed 24 hours a day and equipped with a taxi hot line.

The Rosslyn business district's shops--supermarket, pharmacy, restaurants--also are within walking distance of the apartments. The Metro station is two blocks away and travelers can be at Reagan National Airport within 15 minutes.

"You can also walk, jog or bike to the Iwo Jima Memorial or Roosevelt Island, and we have storage for the bikes," Ali said. "Parking used to be tight, but not so much anymore," because many residents do not own cars.

Nicole Kossler, 20, is staying at River Place during a four-month internship at the U.S. Attorney General's Office. Kossler, a junior at Wittenberg College in Ohio, said her apartment is one of several owned by the Lutheran College Washington Consortium, which also sponsors the educational program for about 30 students.

"I'm on the top floor, so I have a good view. I can see the news buildings; some of the others can see the memorials. It's really nice, and close to where we need to be."

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Angie Lemke, 22, a student at Georgetown University, said she and several schoolmates also appreciate the location. "A lot of Georgetown students live here," she said. "There's a housing shortage, so along with villages A, B and C [on the campus], we call this Village D. There's a shuttle that goes between the Metro and Georgetown."

Even better than her previous apartments around Georgetown, Lemke said, River Place "is reasonably priced and pretty spacious." She said her two-bedroom unit has "good lighting and a huge, huge living room" and costs $1,300 a month, "which is good for the area."

While there are plenty of students and first-time job holders, the building attracts other types of residents, too.

"We have people from all over the world living here," Ali said. "There are employees of the World Bank and [International Monetary Fund], and since the fall of Russia we've had a lot of Russian people stay here."

Alexander Lazarev, 17, is among them. He, his mother and his younger brother moved in two months ago after arriving in the United States.

"We walked along the street and saw the building," the Lado International College student said, adding that the rent, shopping and entertainment are good. "I think maybe we'll stay."

RIVER PLACE

1011-1121 Arlington Blvd.

Arlington, Va. 22209

703-276-1900

* Application fee: $25

* Security deposit: One month's rent; $100 for cleaning deducted upon leaving

* Lease term: One year

* Utilities: All included

* Amenities: Free health club-entertainment center membership including outdoor pool, indoor-outdoor Jacuzzis, and movie theater (open Fridays through Sundays). Gatehouse security and taxi hotline (open 24 hours), lobby concierge (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.). On-site convenience store, hair salon, dry cleaning, aerobics.

* Parking: $70 to $85

* Pet policy: None allowed

APARTMENT SIZE QUANTITY MONTHLY RENTAL

EFFICIENCY 959 $625 to $725 unfurnished;

$875 to $1,300 furnished

1BR 626 $775 to $1,100 unfurnished;

$1,100 to $1,850 furnished

2BR 110 $1,350 to $2,200 unfurn.;

$1,800 to $2,500 furn.

3BR 7 All privately owned

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Taking in the River View From River Place