Danna H.
Yelp
My husband and I have loved living here. We have lived here now about 2 1/2 years (having been the first to live in our apartment on the third floor). The building itself is truly nice (and the location is very walkable to the metro). Parking is gated and only resident accessible. Large and secure bike room with direct elevator access. Storage lockers on our floor, near the elevators. Other reviewers have mentioned the gym is a bit small but it does have everything you need - weights, treadmills, bicycles and ellipticals, 3 TVs that can be adjusted individually and fast, free wifi access. There is a large and comfortable community room that once in a while we just hang out in (TVs, pool table, fire place) and also have formally reserved for throwing my husband a birthday party - for which the staff was super helpful in setting up and making certain everything was perfect for him. An added benefit is the retail space on the first floor is starting to fill out, with a spa just opening and offering resident discounts.
The whole staff is wonderful (there were some issues with the original manager two years ago - not returning emails, not being very welcoming - but that all was quickly remedied). Christin, the current property manager, has been a blessing and solved every issue and question we have thrown at her from our (reserved) parking spot to our lease renewals. Out of the entire time we have been here, we have only had one short lived issue with noise, of which was quickly remedied by staff, who were quick to state (and reinforce with action) that having a quiet, peaceful building where everyone respects each other is extremely important to them. We have always felt that this is a quiet building and, despite the reputation of Clarendon, has never been a party building. Christin has also thrown various events like free breakfast (with custom omelettes, etc) or an ice cream social, which in addition to being a nice perk, are a way we have met other residents. It is true as other reviewers have mentioned that the fire alarm has been an issue in the past, but we have not had an issue for quite some time and Christin has worked hard to make sure it doesn't go off randomly (almost every time has been from damage to the sprinkler system in the garage/loading area). In contrast to the original property manager, Christin has been truly wonderful at communicating with building residents about issues like that and what staff is doing to prevent any future issues. With her, email communication increased, follow through has been perfect and they are always willing to chat about anything if we stop in the office.
Also, Frank, maintenance, is extremely friendly and has gone out of his way to make living here enjoyable. The battery in my car once died, and even though Frank had already left for the day, when management called him, he turned around and came back to the building. Despite my car being parked in a very inaccessible way (against the wall in the corner of the garage with another car upside of it), Frank managed to get the other car moved, started my car, and then waited to make sure everything was OK before going home for the night. Jumping resident cars is certainly not in Frank's job duties, but he was genuinely happy to help me. The building is great and well maintained; however, when have to move cross-country (for work) shortly, it is the staff that we will miss the most here!