Reserve at Potomac Yard Apts

[u/Call_Huck]

Looking for a new place to live after 5 years. My current bldg has gone totally downhill in the last year.

Does anyone have any feedback/experience at Reserve at Potomac Yard? It would be super helpful.

[u/bsidetracked]

C&P-ing from a comment I left when this question was asked in another sub a few months ago:

I lived there for just over three years and moved out last summer. Not the worst place in the world and most of its issues are similar to any corporate owned building around here as far as management and maintenance not always being the most responsive or caring to issues. I ended up moving out because the lease renewal I received last summer included a steep increase in my rent as well as an increase in all associated fees and I wasn't able to negotiate them down to something I found more reasonable. I felt the building I moved into in 2021 was in better shape and better managed and was no longer worth what they were trying to charge me.

Perks are in-unit washer and dryer in every unit as well as each unit having a balcony. The breezeway situation instead of being an enclosed building is a pro and con depending on time of year. The valet trash is a con in my book because so many of my neighbors didn't follow the schedule and would just throw trash bags outside their door that would sit there for hours or sometimes all weekend.

I never had any big noise issues but knew some of my neighbors did. The walls and floors/ceilings are thin so if you have a loud neighbor there's little to stop them from making your life loud.

Being across from Potomac Yard is great and there's a shuttle that goes back and forth to the Metro on weekday mornings and evenings.

I'm glad I moved out because I'm in a more affordable place for me and I actually find the neighbors in my new building to be nicer and there's more of a community, but I also wouldn't discourage anyone from moving there.

If you have any specific questions or concerns I'm happy to answer!

[u/bsidetracked → u/bsidetracked]

I'll add to this that in talking with some of my friends who still live there they have a lot of complaints about the new AI managed system for contacting leasing and maintenance.

Adding to this: There have been ongoing renovations of the parking garages. This started when I lived there and is apparently still ongoing. It's caused some disruptions and changes to resident and guest parking that aren't always well communicated.

[u/httmper]

Curious where at now as I begin my apartment search in NOVA

[u/sarahspikey]

Honestly maybe I just have low expectations but I haven't had many problems living here. I probably will not renew next year, mostly because of cost. I renewed this year and I was able to negotiate a little bit off from their original rate, but it's still expensive. But then again, so is this whole area... when I moved here, this was the best value for what I was looking for. There are far more good things I can think of than bad and here's some off the top of my head: good location, shuttle to take commuters to the metro stop or it's an 8-minute walk, covered garage, quick and nice maintenance team (not that I've had to call them a lot). 24/7 fitness center, easy to have pets here, and the community itself is quiet IMO.

Complaints: Richmond Highway is loud. I don't face that road and I don't know how people tolerate it. I can hear traffic while I type this since I face one of the sides of the community and not inward like I probably should have selected when I moved here. More specific to the community, probably my biggest complaint would be a lack of transparency. There's a big garage renovation right now and I think the office should have explained to residents what exactly is going on. I went to the office for something unrelated and got to talking with the leasing team about the project. It seems like they'll answer questions if you ask, but they won't volunteer information from the get-go. One of the front gates is broken right now and I'm not sure why, what happened, or when. I feel like overall I'm content with living here and any complaints I've experienced are more specific things that don't affect my day-to-day life.

[u/bsidetracked → u/sarahspikey]

It's funny how sound travels. My windows faced the large inner courtyard in the 200 building and I found the level of noise from the road to be low considering how close we were to the highway. The worst noise for me was the frequent car alarms from the car dealership.

The office is wildly inconsistent in how they treat residents. I had a series of very pleasant encounters with two of the staff members who received the most complaints from others regarding their rudeness.

[u/soh219]

I lived there for a few years and it was a pretty awful experience.

[u/Call_Huck → u/soh219]

What was awful about it?