Making Togetherness A Strong Selling Point

Design, Amenities Improve Interaction Between Residents

Reade Palmer wanted to meet his neighbors.

That's not unusual, except for one thing: Palmer lives in a downtown apartment building.

Palmer knows the stereotype of the typical urban apartment dweller: They shut their doors, turn on their TV sets and shut out their neighbors. They hit the downtown hot spots, coming back to their apartments only to sleep and eat. No one knows the folks living across the hall. People move in and out without ever saying more than good morning to the renter next door.

Palmer did not want to live that way. And he doesn't, thanks largely to the common areas in his building, the three-year-old Post Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest Washington, named for Atlanta-based owner Post Properties.

"My lease was up in October and I decided to renew because I enjoy living here and taking advantage of the amenities. I could justify one more year before buying a home," Palmer said. "I've made a lot of friends here, friends that I go out and socialize with. The direct neighbor is someone I met and is now a friend."

For Palmer, the best common area is his building's rooftop pool. Sitting 15 floors up, the pool offers views of the Washington Monument, the Capitol and many other D.C. landmarks. It is also a place where residents gather to take a dip or cook a quick lunch on one of the barbecue grills dotting the rooftop deck.

"It's like a mini-vacation when I can't get out of the city," Palmer said. "And it's a great place to sit and talk to your neighbors in the summer." In colder weather, residents can also use a community room with a flat-screen television, fireplace and pool table; an eating area with complimentary continental breakfast served Mondays through Fridays; and a fitness center.

Building real communities in apartment buildings and condominium developments -- communities in which people recognize one another, know one another's names and become friends -- has long been a challenge for developers. Common spaces -- lounges, gardens, rooftop decks, fitness centers and even Wi-Fi-equipped cyber cafes -- are one way to address this issue. Although the concept of community may sound touchy-feely, there are business reasons for designing such spaces. Developers in hot markets, and the Washington area qualifies, must offer such amenities to keep up with the competition and protect their profits. Renters and condo dwellers, like those who purchase traditional single-family houses, are increasingly expecting more than just a decent unit in a clean and safe building.

"Building community into housing developments has become more than just a nice neighborhood feature," said James Chung, president of Reach Advisors, a strategy and marketing firm in Belmont, Mass. "Some developers have realized that it's going to be a fundamental way to differentiate themselves from their competitors that will create a preference among consumers who are shopping for apartments or condos. That's worth money."

Developers agree. "The amenities used to be fairly modest, but that's changing. Now we're offering fitness centers, club rooms, game rooms," said Marc Fairbrother, vice president with the D.C. office of developer RTKL Associates, which runs several apartment buildings loaded with common areas. "Developers are catering to a younger, active adult lifestyle. It's something we have to do to keep people in place for as long as possible."

Dev Patnaik, a professor at Stanford University and founder of the research firm Jump Associates, has studied the best ways to create common areas in residential developments that actually achieve the goal of fostering a sense of community among residents. And after studying the issue, he said, he has discovered that most developers fail in this mission.

To see this, Patnaik said, just walk into the community rooms or clubhouse rooms common in many new multifamily developments. You will see televisions, pool tables, fireplaces, even catering kitchens. The odds are good, though, that you will not see many people.