River Place

Nice and affordable, little older and has controlled air, but overall it’s a good place to live. Short walk into Georgetown, easy metro access, nice front desk people.

The terrible and unhelpful nature of some of the concierge staff makes some days living here frustrating. This place has a lot of pros such as location and amenities.

This place is just ok. Lived there for three years in a studio, it is livable but prices are not comparable to the quality. No dishwasher, in unit and kitchen was tiny and without the door which I consider a downside because the whole place smells like food when I used to cook. Always had to keep windows wide open as well as the front door to let the place air out, otherwise air would not move. Had two fans on all the time since the air conditioner really sucked and it was not controllable.
So, if you want to live by the metro and don’t care about air circulation– definitely go for it;)

Fire drills. Every. Day. Working from home, this is an absolute nightmare. It just went off for the 8^th time today and it is only 11:30am. I actually hope a fire comes around and takes me so I don’t have to go through this again. If I end up with hearing damage, I will sue! The building is old, there’s no garbage disposal, there’s mold, the AC doesn’t turn on until 4 weeks after it’s been hot as hell, when the AC does finally turn on, you will wake up with a sore throat every morning, it’s poorly ventilated. This review is for the River Place North building. Do not move here. Save yourself!

So this is my first time living on my own right out of college, and I have to say I feel lucky to have been referred to River place by a work colleague, considering I had no clue what I was doing when it came to finding a place in the DC area. I live in a studio in the East building, and at a little less then 500 square feet, I feel that it is just the right amount of room for just me (definitely not for two people though in my opinion). All utilities except for internet and cable are included, which is nice not to have to deal with. The location is great; I’m a 4 or 5 minute walk from the Rosslyn metro, and also just a few stops away from downtown DC (and where I work). The gym, located in the South building, is nice and decently big. I’ve only once had to wait to use a machine I wanted.
My biggest gripe is with the management office. When I moved in, there was several things that did not work properly in the apt (an outlet did not work, my shower head sprayed water all over the painted walls, a cabinet was jammed). These are things that should of been fixed before I moved in, and not only that I had to call almost every day for a week to get this stuff fixed. Now, I’m having more problems with the shower area, and the head of the management office won’t even e-​mail me back about it. Very frustrating. Also, they told me that I could choose from either Comcast or Verizon; I chose Comcast, had it all installed, and then find out my apartment is only «Verizon capable», whatever that means. So watch out for that.
As far as cleanliness goes, my apt is not super upscale or anything of the sort; the kitchen is sorely dated as well as the rest of the place, but everything works fine and gets the job done. However the «kitchen» in the studio is more of a cubby hole with an extremely small sink and oven, its virtually unusable. Its not a big deal for me as I hate cooking, but if you don’t eat out every meal, this might become a huge hassle for you. I’ve read other reviews where people complained of bugs and the sort, but I’ve never experienced bugs or rodents at all (knock on wood), and I live across the hall from the trash chute.
Most importantly, I feel safe here. As a young female living on my own, I was super nervous to move to DC and make the walk home every night and just be on my own in general. However the path to the metro and back is a popular area, always filled with people, and I have never felt uncomfortable in the building itself and felt that other residents seem helpful and nice.
All in all though, I would recommend this place. Its affordable, safe, and has all the amenities you may need, just no frills or updating.

Been living here for about a year. About 5 min walk to the rosslyn metro. The staff are very kind and helpful.
Pros: close to metro, great price, concierge is great, has a pool
Cons: older building, management controlled heat/​AC, parking (anywhere from $ 100 to $ 140 per space)

I have been living here for 3+ years and really want to write something.
The pro: really good location, very close to metro and good price. Everything included! The front desk and the management office could be very helpful. The landlord replaced the broken stuff quickly.
The con:
The noise. It is very close to the airport, you should expect the plane anytime during the day and it was very noisy. There is a reason for the low price.
The building is old. It was built in the early 50s. If you dont mind the looking, it should be fine although they renovated the inside of the builiding once for a while.
The service of the landlord company becomes more and more disappointing. Several years before when I first lived here, the landlord was very helpful and the service at that time was great. But, now, it becomes more and more problematic. I signed a lease and got a key almost one week later from the starting date in the contract. HOWEVER, I still have to pay the rent for the whole week. The landlord basically had a «take it or leave it» attitude. Additionally, they just renovated the room and rent it immediately. So, the SMELL in the room was horrible. Besides, it is hard to get rid of the lease because they told you that «sublease is forbidden» although there was no such exact thing said so in the lease. Those who may have the chance to change a job or would like to relocate to a different place should have a second thought before signing a lease with them. Last, it is hard to get the deposit back. I thought the future tenant must be very carefully to avoid any possible ways to leave the deposit for the landlord.
Advice: Find a good company or landlord. If you are going to sign with a company, check its annual gross income and get an idea whether they can provide good service or would take your deposit in anyway.
If you are going to sign with an individual landlord, read the contract carefully and talk with the landlord to make s/​he is the person you can trust.

Well I have lived here when I was a kid but I remember it very well because I lived here for at least 7 years when my parents bought their apartment back in the 80’s. I see that not much has changed from the outside but I do not know about the inside but from the looks of the reviews and the outside it looks like nothing has changed and the buildings need an update or need to be demolished and built up pronto. Back then the best thing about it was it’s proximity to Georgetown, the metro, the shops, rossyln, etc Another thing is that the neighbors pretty much are quiet and kept to themselves so there was no problem with them. At another apartment in South Arlington we moved to a pedophile lived next door to me!
Anyway back to the apartments they have roaches and a lot of roaches. Of course this is the norm in America since it is known for it’s high humidity even in winter. And once a roach gets in anywhere it refuses to leave. Another thing is that the rent comes with a parking space and access to pool and gym. There is a restaurant and hair salon on site but the apartments are very small in size. A 1 or 2 bedroom apartment felt very small and studio like. It was fit for just 1 person not a couple. The apartment gets very very hot in the summer and winter but on the upside it has access to some of the better schools in the area like key school, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Rosslyn is also safe and there is a cvs pharmacy nearby. Lot of memories here but I don’t think I miss it.

I just completed living at River Place for a duration of 8 months, August 2011 — March 2012. I was on the 11^th floor. The place worked out great for me!
My location was in the East building
The Pro’s:
1. Location to Rosslyn Metro
2. Location to walk over the bridge to Georgetown
3. You can get a parking spot. I had one in the garage which was great in the winter.
4. The front desk staff was incredibly helpful and the hours they kept were great too, weekends and all. They kept track of packages and signed for them when needed.
5. My unit was fully furnished and had everything I needed
6. It was nice to know that the security team was there 24 X 7
7. Trash chute on the floor made it easy to take out the trash easily.
The cons’
1. HVAC. Heater would be running or not running. Not a major deal for me because I am always cold, so heat was great for me.
2. Not easy to drive up, drop off a bunch of stuff and then park the car. The security team keep the «Fire Lane» nice and clean and will boot or in extreme cases tow a car. Don’t push your luck to just «run in» without having a pass.
3. I like aviation, but keep in mind, it is right in the flight path.
In response to some of the other reviews:
1. I never had an issue with the laundry room. I liked the card that could be used and refilled on site
2. I did not use the pool, hot tub, but it looked fun and plenty of space for all.
I would definitely live there again.
Thanks to all at River Place that got me through the last 8 months.

I’ve now lived in River Place units for nearly a year and a half (started in the North building with a roommate, moved to a studio in the East). This is absolutely the best apartment I could get for what I can afford in the location I wanted. Something to keep in mind is that it’s a co-​op, so your apartment is owned and has big maintenance (new stoves, carpets cleaned, etc) done by the owner, not the building manager– so unit quality can vary a LOT depending on who owns your unit. Rent also varies depending on the owner, so definitely keep an eye on variations in price.
Major pros: utilities are included, easy walking distance to metro, Georgetown, Clarendon, and Roosevelt Island, free gym, free pool, dry cleaning, hair salon, and convenience store on site, and incredibly friendly front desk staff (in both North and East buildings). I haven’t had to have maintenance done but I hear great things from my neighbors. Common areas like the lobby and stairwells are cleaned regularly and those crews are also really nice.
Cons: as can be expected in an old building, the ventilation isn’t great, so you sometimes smell food in the hall. As others have mentioned, management controls the heat/​AC, but I don’t find this to be a big problem– it’s easily managed by opening a window or utilizing a small fan. (For those who have lived in college dorms– if you survived that, this is a cakewalk.) I also wish there were bigger laundry facilities.

I don’t like leaving poor reviews, but River Place definitly deserves only 1 star. I have lived in several apartment buildings in the DC area, and River Place was my first. I picked it because it was easy to move in on sort notice, and because of its location (which is the only reason it even gets one star).
The East building is old, there units are always blazing hot (even in the middle of winter) because there are no individual thermostats, and the elevators were forever malfunctioning. In addition, the staff members at the front desk were not helpful and the fire alarm went off regularly.
If you are thinking about moving to DC and looking at renting someone’s unit in River Place, there are tons of better options at better prices.

Not a bad place, but I have a corner apartment so I don’t have to deal with some of the stuff others do.
The experience here is really going to depend on who the owner of your individual unit is. This place is a co-​op, not an apartment complex with one owner. Some apartments are really nice, almost luxury. Others, like mine, are not quite so nice, but livable.
Can’t really beat this place for convenience, close to the metro, the grocery, downtown, etc.
Just wish the pool was open longer.

I was looking for a place to stay temporarily so I got in touch with
, which are units within River Place. The woman who is in charge was not friendly at all. As a potential client, I felt I wasn’t treated with basic manners. When I asked to view the place to have a better feel of the apartments, I was rudely rejected. The units in the pictures looked amazing but the contact person was very unprofessional.

Riverplace is a very convenient apartment complex. It’s an easy walk to the Rosslyn Metro, giving you 2 different lines and frequent trains. It’s easy to get into D.C. or to any of the fun areas of Arlington. It’s also easy to hop on the GW Parkway and I-​66. Couldn’t be more convenient, and this is one of the most affordable areas to rent from in the area.
Having the pool and hot tub on site is fantastic during the summer. The facilities in the gym are nice as well and include pool tables and ping pong. Maintenance staff very helpful. There is also a dry cleaner, hair salon, and market in the complex for any last minute /​quick items you may need. It’s a pretty self-​sufficient location.
Biggest complaints:
1) the security staff. They have parked in my assigned parking spot on multiple occaisions, and don’t move their car until I threaten to tow it.
2) Our apartment is small and the kitchen is the size of some people’s walk in closet. Clearly, I knew this coming in but am still happy to be in a place this affordable and convenient. Even the larger one bedroom apartments still have tiny kitchens.

Riverplace gets a bad rap. In my opinion, expectations need to fit the facts. It’s a very old building. It’s a co-​op were individual owners handle each unit, with regulations on the bldg as a whole. It is not a luxury bldg.
Loud, smelly neighbors are a risk with most any apartment building and this one is no different. It is also quite a multi-​cultural environment so cooking smells vary and do happen.
Pros: 1) close to metro, mt vernon trail, walk to monuments, walk to Clarendon, walk to Georgetown.
2) amazing gym
3) two pools (one play, one lap with 5 or so lanes and a hot tub)
4) excellent and responsive maintenance staff (in north bldg)
5) amazing opportunity to meet professionals, families, and academics; many of whom are international.
6) I have never felt my safety or wellbeing was threatened or in danger.
7) Rosslyn more or less dies after 7pm and on the weekends. it’s a great oasis.
Cons:
1) the mgmt can be difficult to get a hold of in order to receive the excellent maintenance staff’s assistance.
2) the old bldg has old ventillation systems (one big column thru the bldg with vents in the bathroom and kitchen. you will hear occasional discussions of other neighbors (not every discussion, just the loud ones and only when you’re near the vent)
3) the heat and air are not controlled in the individual unit. I’ve lived here for over 5 years and never had an unbearable night of hot or cold.
4) more students are coming in and doubling/​tripling up which has negatively impacted the utilities (more folks using the laundry facilities = more wear and tear and maintenance. same with the elevators and building maintenance in general).
All in all, I love living here and the pros most definitely outweigh the cons. I could live a quarter-​mile futher out for about the same price, in a newer building but the pool and gym wouldn’t be as nice and I wouldn’t be AS close.

My husband and I have lived at this apartment since the fall of 2010 — approximately 6 – 7 months so I feel that it’s given us enough time to get to know the place and its ins & outs.
Here is the breakdown of my review:
The biggest pro? The proximity of the Rosslyn metro. It takes about 10 – 12 minutes depending on how fast you walk.
Another semi-​pro: utilities are included. Why is that is a semi-​pro? Well, because the heating and cooling are controlled by the facility managers. In October, there were several days where we hit temperatures in the 70s and 80s. It was hot as h*ll in our apartment b/​c the air was already turned off for the season. In March and April, we also had some hot days. And you guessed it, no air.
During the winter months, if the temperatures hit below freezing, you *must* turn you fan aka heater on so that the pipes won’t freeze, which means that even if you aren’t cold, the heater is running. We’ve spent many days and nights with the heater running at the lowest temperature possible and the windows opened to let out the hot air — yes, in the middle of December and January.
The units themselves are outdated. The kitchens don’t have fans so if a neighbor makes spicy food, you can smell it down the hall. The hallways have pale pink wallpapers that remind you of not-​so-​classy hotels. The walls are thin and the people there aren’t too friendly. They aren’t mean but they aren’t outgoing. They just kind of exist lol.
If you have a car, you have two options: you can either rent a unit that comes with a reserved parking spot or you can browse the listings in the lobby to see if anyone is leasing their parking spot. There are parking spots throughout the community so although you might be living in the south building, you might end up parking on the other side of the east building — it’s the luck of the draw. I have seen prices for parking spaces range from $ 75 to $ 125 per month.
If you have kids, you might want to reconsider. There are several cars, taxis, and workers (the newsstation people have a parking lot right outside the complex) that zip on by. There really aren’t any green areas for kids to play so you will often see kids riding their tricycles in the lobby.
I am thinking I sound like a grouch but I wanted to be honest. I need my individually controlled air!