Renovation, expansion under way at Monticello apartments in Falls Church

Big changes are under way at the Monticello apartment complex in Falls Church. A hundred new units are being added, a new club house is under construction, and existing units are being renovated. The rents are going up, too.

The Monticello has about 736 one and two-bedroom garden apartments. It’s located behind Loehmann’s Plaza and the Thomas Jefferson Library on Arlington Boulevard.

The 8,000-square foot clubhouse is scheduled to open this spring, says construction manager Kevin Aiken of Virginia Management Inc. It will have a fitness center, bathhouse for the new pool,  club room with a fireplace for movies and social gatherings, management and leasing offices, and an outdoor grilling area. The new pool, with swimming lanes and a children’s pool, is expected to open on Memorial Day weekend.

The new club house.

About 60 of the new units will be no-bedroom studio apartments, ranging in size from 400 to 600 square feet. Rents for those units haven’t been finalized but will probably be about $1,100 a month, said Aiken.

The Monticello is adding efficiency units because, “we wanted to increase the options available on the property,” said Aiken. “Based on conversations with prospective tenants, people want more affordable and diverse units.”

Another 40 of the new apartments will be three-bedroom units, with rents starting at $2,200.

Other than the clubhouse, there won’t be any additional buildings on the property. All of the new units are being carved out of space in existing buildings currently used for laundry rooms and storage. The buildings will still have laundry rooms, but they will be smaller.

Rents for one-bedroom apartments are currently $1,160. After renovation, they will start at $1,345. Two-bedroom-unit rents will increase from the current rate of $1,545 to $1,640 to $1,690, depending on size.

The renovation includes new kitchen layouts with new cabinets and appliances, refinished floors, upgraded HVAC systems with new fan coil conductors, and new finishes in the bathrooms. The lobby areas in each building are being refurbished, too. Current renters are being temporarily relocated to vacant apartments during the work.

About a quarter of the existing units have been renovated already. All of the units are expected to be completed by fall 2015.

Most tenants are staying and will move into renovated units, Aiken said. Virginia Management is paying their moving costs if they stay on the property. If they leave Monticello, he said, the company will help them find another apartment they can afford elsewhere. The company manages six other apartment complexes in the area, including Southern Towers on Seminary Road.

In a major policy change, tenants will be allowed to have dogs, Aiken said. Currently, only cats and other small animals are allowed.

Children who live at the Monticello attend Westlawn Elementary School, Luther Jackson Middle School, and Falls Church High School.