Pearson Square Welcomes Pedestrians and Their Pets

Pearson Square, a new 230-unit, six-story apartment building, sits on Maple Avenue near the heart of Falls Church. It was originally constructed as a condominium, and its units have granite counters in kitchens and bathrooms, hardwood floors, and in some cases private terraces.

Resident Diane Cavanaugh said she wanted to live in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. "I was looking for a place that had some of the local walk-to atmosphere we have in Falls Church City," she said.

Her favorite neighborhood spots are no more than a 10-minute stroll from Pearson Square. She regularly walks to the Falls Church Farmers Market in the City Hall parking lot and businesses such as a new wine and cheese store on Washington Boulevard, coffee shops and other nearby restaurants. Those include Ireland's Four Provinces, Cosi, Dogwood Tavern and Panera.

Cavanaugh's walk to dinner could get shorter soon. Future occupants in the 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in Pearson Square may include a restaurant, property manager Stacy Lancaster said. Some still-undetermined art use is designated for 3,000 square feet. Residential move-ins began in January, and the property is about half occupied.

Pearson Square is next to Falls Church's Cavalier Trail Park. For this reason and because the building accepts dogs of all sizes, many pet lovers have been attracted to the property.

"The park's great," said Cavanaugh, who owns a friendly 110-pound Bouvier, George.

"I was looking for a place near [work] that would accommodate a dog," she said. "George is like the assistant concierge. People don't know me; they know him."

On a recent morning, Michele Brooks walked her two smallish dogs, Mojo and Raven, through one of the property's two courtyards. The dogs greeted two neighbors, an enthusiastic pair of Pyrenees Mountain dogs, through the larger dogs' sliding glass door.

"We were attracted to Pearson Square because it is a dog-friendly community," Brooks said.

The Brooks family moved to Pearson Square in April. They have readjusted quickly to U.S. life after three years in Central America. Michele's husband, Russell, is a foreign service officer. "We really liked Falls Church," Michele said. "The school system is beyond compare."

Their two children, Ashley, 11, and Brandon, 13, attend Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and George Mason High School.

The school system also attracted Charlie and Laura Dixon, who moved to the area from Cleveland last year. The two Dixon children, Annie, 13, and Drew, 15, attend George Mason.

"If Pearson Square had been open and available when we first moved to Falls Church, that's where we would have lived," Charlie Dixon said. "We'd had our eye on Pearson Square when it was supposed to be condos. When it was converted to apartments, we were the first to tour it. Stacy broke out her hard hats for us. The building wasn't even complete."

The family has a three-bedroom unit with den -- "with all the amenities of luxury," Dixon said.

The building is one of many around the region that converted to rentals when the condo market turned south in the past couple of years. Its high-end finishes, meant to lure buyers, are more elaborate than those common in buildings designed for tenants.

There are three types of finishes for counters, cabinets and floors. Counters are granite in shades of greenish gray, black or light gray. Cabinets are birch, wheat-colored maple or cherry wood, and the hardwood floors are the same color as the cabinets. These finishes are throughout the community, not confined to a certain floor or price level.

The public living areas of each unit have hardwood floors; bedrooms have beige carpet. Bathrooms have double sinks and granite counters. Sixteen units on the fifth and sixth floors have private terraces with plenty of room for patio furniture and a grill. The terraces look out over one of the two courtyards of the building: one with a pool, the other with park and benches.

"We're really happy with Pearson Square," Dixon said. "It's our first experience in apartment living and we couldn't be happier."