About Bridgeyard
Bridgeyard is a professionally managed community located in Old Town Alexandria that offers a blend of comfort, style, and convenience. It features a variety of attractive amenities and a welcoming atmosphere, making it an appealing choice for residents. The apartments are newly renovated and competitively priced, especially considering the highly desirable location, where similar homes can cost millions. Residents appreciate the safety of the area, which is known for its low crime rates and easy access to groceries, restaurants, and other services. Over the years, many residents have expressed satisfaction with their living experience, often renewing their leases. They enjoy well-maintained hallways, a fitness center, and laundry facilities, all cared for by a dedicated housekeeping staff. Trash and recycling areas are regularly cleared, and maintenance requests are typically addressed promptly and respectfully. The building, constructed in 1955, features solid cement walls that provide exceptional noise reduction, allowing residents to enjoy their peaceful living spaces without disturbances from neighbors. However, concerns about the elevators have emerged, with reports of residents getting stuck for extended periods. While the management is addressing various issues, such as improving the laundry service and maintaining the grounds, the elevator situation has caused frustration among some tenants. Despite these challenges, the overall sentiment remains positive, with residents appreciating the sense of community and the management's efforts to keep the property well-maintained. The improvements to the picnic area and pool, along with proactive management, suggest a commitment to providing a comfortable living environment. While there are minor drawbacks, Bridgeyard continues to be a strong choice for those seeking affordable living in a prime location.
Recently I let the folks at Bridgeyard know I would like to renew my lease when it expires later this year. The apartment suits me and has served me well for more than 13 years. My apartment is well above-ground and has a western exposure – it’s a lot like living in a tree house, with birds chattering as dawn breaks, and with awe-inspiring sunsets when the conditions are right. I’ve renewed my lease repeatedly over the years because management has consistently delivered first-rate residential services. The hallways, fitness center, laundry, and other common areas are policed daily, by a housekeeping staff whose members clearly take pride in their work. Trash areas and recycling locations are cleared every day, and if a pet owner fails to clean up after an indoor accident the staff promptly addresses the problem. On the rare occasion that I need maintenance in the apartment (like when a light fixture needs to be replaced), the staff attends to the matter promptly and respectfully. The building was built in 1955, the year I was born (so we’re both aging gracefully). What that means is the construction was not based on two by fours and wallboard – the walls, ceilings, and floors are cement-based, and are exceptionally noise-reducing. I have never heard my neighbors’ music or talk; I have never had to deal with roaches; I have never heard dogs barking after hours. While individual units do not have heating thermostatic controls, my place has been super cozy during the winter – the floors offer radiant heat, which is amazing during even the coldest parts of the winter. Three noteworthy events relating to the building: management has ended its relationship with a residential operator that is active in the DMV that is currently being sued for practices that could artificially increase rental rates. Ending that relationship was without question a benefit to the tenants living at the Bridgeyard, even though those benefits might not have been clear to most of the tenants. I’m living on a fixed retirement income now, and the threat of uncontrolled rent increases was a real concern, a concern that has now abated. Second, the laundry service provider has truly stepped up its game, with a new smartphone-based platform that reliably makes it easy to pay for washing and drying. We’ve had a smartphone-based approach for a few years, but the early phases were not working well. Management has taken a proactive approach and has made this a priority, leading to a successful improvement in its laundry facilities. The other priority concerns the three elevators that serve each of the two buildings. We understand that these elevators, Westinghouse models that probably are the original 1955 models, are scheduled to be replaced in the coming year. That suggests that management is taking its responsibilities seriously with respect to elevator upkeep. Equally important, to me at least, are the respectful and helpful responses I’ve gotten whenever I had to seek help from the residential managers. We had our share of snow this year, and without exception the maintenance staff cleared the parking lot and sidewalks within hours of the snowfall. That, and improvements to the picnic area and pool suggest a management approach that instills confidence, and makes it likely that I will continue to seek to renew my lease for the foreseeable future.
The Bridgeyard apartment community has been the right fit for me. I'm heading into my 11th year at Bridgeyard (which started out as the Hunting Point Apartments). Some of the essentials that warrant a five-star rating include: (1) excellent management staff. The folks at the front office have been respectful, helpful, and supportive. We residents can be a cranky bunch; the staff handled my recent issues with empathy and prompt attention. (2) excellent maintenance staff. The common areas, including elevators, stairways, and hallways, are cleaned daily; the trash rooms on each floor are emptied of the recyclables daily, and the exterior gardens are nicely maintained. The maintenance staff have been courteous, helpful, and responsive to every issue I've raised (and there have been few, indeed, over the years); (3) The eight-story structure (built in 1955, before the onslaught of cheap wallboard for wall structures) is framed in brick and concrete, which means (for me at least) the place is incredibly quiet. Only once in my ten years here has noise been an issue (and the Alexandria Police Department defused that one incident, never to be repeated in my building, to my knowledge). (4) The place is clean. The building's outside trash area is policed daily; bugs have never been an issue in my apartment (and we have exterminators to thank for that). (5) Amenities are generally being maintained - we have new gym equipment that would be totally out of budget for most of us, so having it available as part of the rent is worth a positive shout out. Downsides are slightly off - residents with dogs don't always mind their manners, particularly in the picnic area; and the picnic area itself risks being downgraded given the age of the picnic tables and grills, but management has promised to work on those issues before Memorial Day and picnic season. Also, management needs to provide a safe place for gig workers to park when delivering UberEats, Instacart, and DoorDash. Here's hoping that Greystar will figure out how its residents can benefit from gig workers' services without having to worry that the workers' cars are going to be towed (because if I were a gig worker and had my car towed within 30 seconds of parking in front of 1204 I would be furious). That happened recently, and I remain wary of putting gig workers at risk by ordering anything that might cause a driver's car to be towed. (It's not enough to post a sign in the front of the building warning not to park there, because USPS, FedEx, and UPS all park there all the time without risking being towed, but gig workers risk their livelihood by parking in the same place - it's heartbreaking when they are the ones whose cars are towed.)
The location is beautiful. The leasing office staff is wonderful and works very hard to accommodate the residents as much as possible!