When Mary Lee Montfort and her husband, Rick, decided to buy a new home, they didn’t have to look far. Just two blocks from their townhouse in downtown McLean, Virginia, they watched the Lowell condominium rise on what had been a parking lot.
“We literally zeroed in on it the minute the fence went up for the construction,” she said. The Montforts focused on the nine-story Lowell (named for the street it’s on) because they loved the walkability of the neighborhood, where restaurants and groceries are just a few blocks away.
After their sons were grown, they downsized from a single-family house in Vienna to their townhouse in 2019. But they were finding even that was too large. And they wanted something brand new.
“We have never owned a new home. This is our first new build. It’s nice not to be looking at someone else’s wallpaper and have a place that’s all shiny and new,” said Montfort, a baker who published a dessert cookbook in 2021.
The Lowell has 44 two- and three-bedroom condos above a two-story lobby with a 24-hour concierge. About 60 percent of the units have been sold, including all the three-bedrooms.
“It’s a small community, so that gives it a very intimate, boutique feel,” said Miriam Fernandez, director of sales for McWilliams Ballard, which is selling the units. The Lowell was developed by Winthrop, a McLean-based firm.
There are four floor plans for the two-bedroom units, some with a den. All units have a balcony and parking, which can accommodate electric car charging. They all have walk-in closets that buyers can custom design before they move in.
The smaller two-bedroom, two-bath condos range from 1,500 to 1,565 square feet and are priced from $1.27 to $1.5 million. Units with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den are 1,674 square feet and range from $1.45 to $1.9 million. The largest two-bedroom-plus-den units have two bathrooms and a powder room, which is what the Montforts bought. These condos range from 1,708 to 2,032 square feet and cost $1.56 to $2 million.
Montfort particularly loves the kitchen even though she no longer runs a home baking business.
“The kitchen is beautiful with high-end Miehle appliances. I don’t even know how to pronounce it! I’m used to GE,” said Montfort of the white kitchen with a marble backsplash and built-in oven. Kitchens also have wine refrigerators.
The units all have wide-plank wood floors, and primary bathroom floors are heated. Some bathrooms have soaking tubs.
Storage is available on each floor. The Lowell has a club room and a fitness studio for residents. Outside, an oval public art sculpture with horizontal bands of greens, whites and earth tones called “Absence and Presence” is surrounded by a garden with benches and picnic tables.
“The vast majority of our owners are from McLean, and they’ve downsized from their larger single-family home. Many have another home in a vacation spot or somewhere else. What they like about living here is that it’s turnkey. They can leave it and go,” Fernandez said. “But when they’re here, one of the most important things is the walkability with everything so nearby. It’s Balducci’s. It’s Giant. There’s an organic butcher and all sorts of doctors’ offices. Everything you need right outside the door.”
Public schools: Sherman Elementary, Longfellow Middle and McLean High School.
Transit: The McLean Metro stop on the Silver Line is about 2.5 miles away.
- Address: 6718 Lowell Ave., McLean, Virginia 22101
- Builder: Winthrop
- Type of house: Condominium
- Number of units: 44
- Price: $1.27 to $2 million
- Bedrooms: 2 or 3
- Bathrooms: 2 full with the option of 1 powder room
- Square footage: 1,500 to 2,032
- Condo fee: $1,170 to $1,634 per month, depending on unit size
- Website: thelowellmclean.com
- Sales: Miriam Fernandez, McWilliams Ballard, (703) 535-5550
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