Shirlington:
It's Not a Close Secret

By Louie Estrada
Washington Post Staff Writer
December 11, 1993

The Arlington County community of Shirlington, with its village shops and residential units, was first developed in 1943 to take advantage of a convenient location off of Shirley Memorial Highway connecting Richmond and Washington. Today, convenience to the District, along with a second generation of stores, continues to be the main appeal for Shirlington's residents.

"It's unquestionably a great location," said Tammy Turner, 23, a marketing assistant with the American Defense Preparedness Association. Turner, a native of the Washington area, spent a year in Japan before moving three months ago to Shirlington Village Apartments, the newest of eight residential developments in Shirlington. "There's always lots of activity going on within Shirlington."

The centerpiece of the community is the Village at Shirlington, a string of 31 businesses grouped on a one-block main street built in 1940s-style red brick.

"The village was designed to give the feel of a small-town atmosphere, quaint, and provide all that you need," said John O'Leary, property manager for Trammell Crow, which operates the Village at Shirlington. O'Leary, who also lives in Shirlington, said the shops date to the first development of the neighborhood and constitute one of the earliest outdoor malls to open in Virginia.

The village shops underwent renovation in 1987 under the direction of the Oliver Carr Co. But Carr lost the property through foreclosure to the mortgage holder, Connecticut General Life Insurance Co., which in turn named Trammell Crow property manager.

Mill End Shop, a fabric store, opened March 1, 1948, and is the village's oldest tenant. More recently there has been an entertainment focus in developing a plan for the village shops. "We've been very fortunate," O'Leary said. "Several of the shops here have been doing outstanding business."

The village is anchored by a Best retail outlet and strengthened by such popular restaurants as the Carlyle Grand Cafe, Bistro Bistro and Charlie Chiang's. The Cineplex Odeon Shirlington theaters also attract crowds. Crown Books is the latest tenant.

"The village shops are a good selling point for the neighboring developments," said Peggy Parker, a real estate agent who sells and rents units in Shirlington. "I was looking at the residential properties here for some buyers when Windgate I first opened in 1981 and decided then and there that this was a great place for me to live. I bought here for two reasons: Number one, it was new, and number two, it's close to the city. I'm an impulse buyer."

Parker owns a three-level town home in Windgate I, which has a total of 225 all-brick units ranging in price from $170,000 to $230,000. Windgate II, with 172 units, was built in 1982. That was followed by Windgate III, which is made up of 12 town homes and 140 garden-style condominiums.

The oldest development in Shirlington, which is bounded by Shirley Highway, South Arlington Mill Drive and South Walter Reed Drive, is the 518-unit condominium building called the Arlington. The apartments were built in the 1950s and converted to condominium units in the 1980s.

The other developments are Heatherlea and Courtbridge, made up of condo town houses, and the Shirlington House and Park Shirlington apartment buildings.

The Shirlington area has mostly attracted young professionals and young married couples without children, said Jo Marsh, an agent with Long & Foster Real Estate. "The whole condominium market in Arlington has been soft in recent years. However, I think it's firming up. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. But what I think sells people on this area is that it's well maintained, clean, and {has} accessibility to major roadways."

Low interest rates have generally spurred an increase in the number of first-time home buyers, which is bad news for upscale apartment buildings such as Shirlington Village Apartments. Monthly rents for a one-bedroom apartment range from $795 to $955, while a three-bedroom apartment costs $1,235 to $1,460, said Ray Hutchinson, a manager for the 404-apartment complex.

"The number one reason we find people are moving out is because of the strong market for buying a home," he said. "Tenants who would generally move up to an upscale apartment are instead entering the housing market."

It's a trend he said he doesn't expect to continue for very long.

Hutchinson reports that Shirlington Village Apartments is 90 percent filled and boasts a health club and a four-level garage. The apartment complex has begun programs providing its residents with discounts at the village shops.

"Everything you could need is here or within walking distance," said Hutchinson, who has an apartment there.

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