Making Togetherness A Strong Selling Point

"Go in on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe the TV is on, but nothing else is going on," Patnaik said. "That's not inviting. That doesn't foster a sense of community. Nobody wants to spend time in a ghost town. Developers don't often create spaces where people want to spend any time. People don't congregate just for the sake of congregating. They do things because they have to. That's what developers have to remember and have to tap into when adding common areas."

The best way to foster community spirit in a multifamily development is to create accidental communities, Patnaik said. Such communities spring up naturally when like-minded people gather in an area that offers activities that they either like to do or have to do.

A good example are suburban condominium or apartment developments that thread safe running paths through their grounds. Residents who enjoy jogging are likely to meet neighbors with the same interest. Condo developments alongside golf courses naturally attract fans of the sport, who can congregate in the clubhouses they often offer.

This is just the beginning. Patnaik has studied a loft development in San Francisco that, for whatever reason, has become popular among artists. The developers of the loft put a potter's wheel in the basement, creating a space where residents are inclined to gather. A generic clubhouse with TVs and pool tables probably would not have proven as successful in gathering crowds, Patnaik said.

The key, Patnaik said, is for developers and owners to remember exactly who their customers are.

Buildings filled with young families might provide onsite daycare centers as a way to build a sense of community. This way, parents can meet other parents of young children. Fitness centers are also a draw for renters. Eventually, residents who work out at the same times day after day may create running groups or other fitness-based clubs.

"There is a natural human desire to be around people who are looking for the same things that you are looking for," Patnaik said.

Don't forget the power of four-legged friends, either. Pet owners will naturally congregate with other pet owners.

At the Avalon at Cameron Court, a community of townhouses and apartments in Alexandria, resident pet owners join together each year for a free doggie swim. The event takes place in the project's pool, one day after the pool officially closes for the season. The community also has its own dog walk where pet owners naturally congregate.

"The dog swim is a huge hit," said Dirk Herman, chief marketing officer for Alexandria-based AvalonBay Communities. "People with dogs raved about it. Even better, they got to know one another."

The dog walk and pooch swim are not the only ways in which AvalonBay works to build community in its multifamily projects, Herman said.

At all the company's complexes, including many scattered across the D.C. area, developers include workout facilities and resident lounges. Arlington Square, an Avalon apartment community in Arlington, features not only a workout room and coffee center, but also a business center and conference room. These two latter features are important, Herman said, because more residents work either part- or full-time from home offices. When they gather to send faxes or hold brief meetings in the business center, they also spend a few moments chatting about their careers and how often they work from home.