Merrifield Town Center -- Northern Virginia Real Estate On The Rise

One of the areas to watch in Northern Virginia is that short stretch on Gallows Road between Dunn Loring Metrorail station and Arlington Boulevard -- referred to as Merrifield.  This is the point at which Vienna, Fairfax and Falls Church come together.  Merrifield was once a no-mans-land. The only attraction was a Multiplex theater that replaced the old drive-in.  Several residential neighborhoods have been built around Dunn Loring Metrorail station.  Now we are also seeing restaurants, shops and the Merrifield Town Center following closely behind.  It reminds me of Reston in a lot of way.  The two big differentiators are location and Metro.  Merrifield is conveniently located on the edge of Tysons Corner and a couple metro stops away from Arlington and DC.   Residents can jump right on 495 and I-66. 

There is a lot of talk about the Merrifield Town Center.  The first step was the development of Vantage Condominiums next door to Multiplex Cinemas.  Vantage condos are supposed to start delivery in February 2008 along with bottom-floor retail, which includes a giant fitness center, Panera Bread, Chipotle and FedEx Kinkos among others. This is just the start.  The goal is to evolve Merrifield into a pedestrian friendly, semi-urban environment. Plans for Merrifield Town Center include a 31-ace site assembled to establish a central gathering place.  There will be approximately 1.8 million square feet of community-serving retail, hotel, office and residential.  There will be a Festival Street and pedestrian-friendly Main Street for the community.  It is an exciting development and is sure to become one of Northern Virginia’s hot spots. 

The newest residential developments attract a following of buyers resembling the craze we saw in Arlington.  The Halstead at the Metro is the most popular of the condo buildings in Merrifield.  It is made up of two state-of-the-art buildings with all the luxuries and conveniences a semi-urban homeowner hopes to find.  The Halstead seems to have an active social buzz with a swimming pool, club room, sports pub and indoor basket ball courts to gather around.  The condo association finds lots of excuses to host social gatherings such as wine tastings, dinners sponsored by local restaurants and end of the season pool parties.  Location doesn’t get much better as The Halstead is only a few steps from Dunn Loring Metrorail station.  On occasion I have actually opted to take the Metro when meeting clients at The Halstead.  The residences were built in 2006 and have all the modern features including granite, stainless steel, large windows, open floorplans and large soaking tubs.  Some homeowners have upgraded to hardwood floors and purchased an extra parking space that deeds with the unit.  My recommendation is to buy a unit that faces the pool or courtyard so you are protected from development that is sure to continue over the next 5-10 years.  Prices for a nice size one-bedroom start in the low $300’s, which is about $75,000 less than you would pay for a similar condos in Arlington VA.  You can click here to view photos and info for properties currently for sale at The Halstead. 

-Adam Gallegos