“So I got quotes for the new apartments above whole foods on H st NE…”

Leeran

Hmm… I wonder if this comes with 2 months free on a 14 month lease or something like that. Seems high even for a luxury building in the area.

Petworth dude

“Seems high even for a luxury building in the area.”

Not really – all newly constructed buildings are more or less luxury (otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten to financing to be built in the first place). The newer high rises in Petworth tend to price studios/efficiencies in the $1700-$1900 range, so this is right in line with them
- Anon
  
  Can’t say I was particularly surprised by the prices either. They seem pretty standard (and Thank God I’m not renting anymore).
- Leeran
  
  It’s not out of this world or anything, but seems overpriced by a $100-200 a month.
  
  The tiers at Station House (opened last summer) each started around $100-150 less than this and came with 2 months free on a 14 month lease. I’d guess people would pay more for better Metro access, but maybe being mid-H like this one is a draw for some folks.

Formerly ParkViewRes

Jeeeeeez, man Toronto real estate is insane, but at least renting is still somewhat affordable.

stacksp

What is a convertible?

Anonymous

A type of car. Instead of an actual apartment they give you a 1989 Chrysler LeBaron and you park it by the Anacostia to sleep in at night. More economical that way.
- FridayGirl
  
  Hahaha.
- ET
  
  Could be a sofa…….
- mcd
  
  Haha- what ever happened to the old LeBaron- they discontinued the model at some point.
Liz

From what I found online, a convertible apartment “contains a space that is large enough to be walled off and used as a bedroom.” So it’s probably similar to “junior” apartments…I suppose?

AJ

Convertible might be a junior bedroom that has a large sliding door to conceal the space entirely or open it up into a more studio-like layout. I’ve seen those in a few buildings in this area.

ChapinSt

A convertible is a 1-bedroom/studio hybrid. Semi-private sleeping area but without a door or other physical partition.

wdc

See, that’s why I’d call an efficiency. But they’re using efficiency to mean studio, I bet.
- textdoc
  
  I thought the terms “efficiency” and “studio” were interchangeable. No?
  .
  The “1-bedroom/studio hybrid” sounds like what’s usually called a junior one-bedroom.
Northzax

Or they could be a separate room that doesn’t have a window. Without a second exit or window, it’s technically a really big closet. My building calls them ‘executive efficiencies’
anon

Convertibles are NOT jr. 1-bedrooms. A convertible is what used to be called an alcove studio – usually with a living area that is L-shaped, where the small part of the L is NOT a dining area connected to the kitchen, such that you can “convert” the area to a private bedroom area by installing doors or a curtain yourself.
.
There is no such real thing as a jr. one-bedroom – it is a usually studio someone has decided is not tiny.

FridayGirl

This is absurd. I thought my new-ish building was pretty bad (aside from the affordable housing units) but this is at least a couple hundred dollars worse.

Anon H St.

This sounds about right to me tbh, unless the apts suck or are really tiny. It’s a brand new building with a ton of amenities on top of a nice new grocery store. It’s probably less than a ten miunte walk to the union station metro and it’s near a ton of bars and restaurants. And I’m sure they have move-in specials and whatnot

Anon H St.

Also lol at the url. But isn’t it evil danny’s that was on that block?

ustreetneighbor

Convertibles are the JR 1BR’s, pretty much a large studio with a separate sleeping space. Perfect for a couple on a budget. Not bad $$!

Formerly ParkViewRes

Really? Is $2300 considered good for a couple on a budget?
- Anon
  
  If you’re having trouble coming up with $1150/month for rent you’re in the wrong city…
  - Formerly ParkViewRes
    
    Hmm, I know lots of people that pay less than $1150 in rent in DC. Point is, I don’t think a couple on a budget would consider $1150 each to be good. My wife and I have always paid no more than 1900 in DC and Toronto…and we’re not on a budget.
    - Anon
      
      Good point. I guess if you’re on a budget you should be looking at crappy basement apartments, not brand new luxury buildings (or rent outside the Beltway like my gf and I did).
    - HaileUnlikely
      
      If on a budget, there are tons of options that are not basements and are well inside the beltway for waaaay less than this.
    - couplebias
      
      I really hate that people are finding this reasonable on the assumption that two people would be paying rent. So many people in DC are single and it makes the market for safe, reasonable 1 bedrooms within the city ridiculously out of reach for many folks that are not just passing through the city but actually want to put down roots here. And don’t say they should get a roommate or live in a group house single people are adults.
    - FridayGirl
      
      Yup. Anon is delusional. My old one bedroom apartment was only $1600 and was about a 10 minute walk to Georgetown which isn’t bad at all, in my opinion. I mean, H St. is pretty much as far flung….
  - headoverheels14
    
    HA! That has got to be the most clueless statement I have ever heard. Do you have ANY idea how many people in this city cannot come up with $1150 fore rent a month?
    - Anon
      
      Ever heard of sarcasm? haha.

LMatt_in_NE

LOL…This makes me so happy I bought in Deanwood just EOTR. I can bike to or uber to this building for about $6. I can’t believe it’s cheaper to own than it is to rent. Still boggles my mind.

Anon

We own a 3 bed house with a separate 1 bed apartment a block from here and the mortgage is about the same as a 1 bedroom apartment in this building. Of course, there is the down payment factor and maintenance costs, but the rental income offsets it and we still pay a fraction of what even a studio costs.
anonymous

Differences such as amenities. Plus where you live is a different world altogether (not that this is a wonderful area) compares to 14th Street

v

A convertible is probably like an alcove studio… you can construct a wall to make it a one bedroom if you want… when all the newly graduated kids moved to NYC when I came out of school, in order to be able to afford city life, we’d rent a one bedroom and build a wall to make it a two bedroom. Commonplace in NYC. This seems fine as per price. I paid $2400 for my one bedroom at the Camden Roosevelt when I moved from NYC back home to DC in 2006, so this seems pretty reasonable.

Anon

I remember visiting an older friend who’d moved to NYC when I was still in undergrad. She and her roommate shared a studio with a homemade separator, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever that she got to live in an apartment in NYC! Amazing how low our standards were back then. :)

2b3s

Whatever a convertible is it costs more per month than my mortgage.

Long-timeDC

There are nicer buildings (also new) in the same area going for these same prices. Doesn’t make sense to live here vs the others. Also I believe this was cheap wood stick construction instead of concrete.

H Street Joe

Nope. I live nearby and watched this get built. This is a concrete building.
- Long-timeDC
  
  Sorry but no. I remember it being built. A simple look at the historical imagery on google earth will confirm that the residential portion of this building was definitely made out of wood.
  - CRT
    
    LOL. No, it’s not a wood building. But you carry on with your memories. Clearly more relevant than all the people that literally watched it be built out of concrete.
kanon

While I can’t speak to the quality of this particular construction project, but wood construction can be just as “high-quality” as concrete/steel, and has many benefits, particularly if you’re life-cycle conscious, and the new engineered wood can be just as durable and safe. Building codes are not evolving as quickly as the technology, though. Tall wood buildings are a (slow) growing trend in Europe and there are two being built in the US right now. My point is that some stick construction can certainly be shoddy and cheap, but I wouldn’t automatically characterize all wood stick construction that way anymore.
- JohnH
  
  Get what you’re saying but bless your heart that a large apartment building developer in H Street built a building with concern about quality and soundproofness.
- bvc500
  
  The problem with wood construction, no matter what the developer says about noise abatement, is that you’ll hear your neighbors above you. Over time, it’ll only get worse.
mrbren

This is a concrete building.
Anon

This is definitely not stick/wood construction. I’m not sure what gave you that impression.
- Bruce
  
  He is bitter about the building for some reason
- Long-timeDC
  
  It is definitely wood. Look at google earth historical maps. Also this: http://www.cbgbuildingcompany.com/Portfolio/Project/77H
  
  “77H is a 303-unit, wood-framed apartment community….”
  - Joe H Street
    
    Yeah, you’re confused. That is the building with a Walmart at first and H NE.
shepherder

this is definitely not wood:
.
https://www.popville.com/2015/12/checking-on-the-whole-foods-coming-to-h-street-ne/
.
but there are plenty going up around town with the first floor concrete, then 3-4 stories with stick construction above. the building above the petworth safeway is stick construction, for example. everyone says this is the wave of the future, but i’d be curious to hear real life anecdotes of how effective noise abatement is. plus, we’ll find out in about 20 years if the durability is sufficient or if this was a horrible experiment.
- Long-timeDC
  
  That’s a different building…. H st NE not NW….
  - CRT
    
    Yes, H St NE. Just like this entire article is about…
  - Joe H Street
    
    I think you might be confused. This article, and the previous article mentioned above, are both about the Apollo project on the 600 block of H St NE. No one is talking about a wood building in NW. I’m also pretty sure there isn’t a wood building at 6th and H NW, but maybe somebody else can confirm.
  - Anon
    
    This is absolutely the same building. It’s the Apollo. I live a block away so I can confirm Shepherder is correct.

Thomas Anderson

Wow. What a great affordable city to live in.

HMan

It’s not out of line. I get 2k/mo for my (nice/legal w/ CofO), but very much a basement apt around the corner one block.

Anon

LOL…

H Street Joe

It looks like they have opened up their leasing office at 510 H Street. Haven’t been inside, but it looks cool from the street.

20002er

One can absolutely find much more affordable housing in this area, so long as they look outside of the realm of luxury apartments. This neighborhood is in fact characterized by beautiful houses (and to a lesser extent apartments, condos, and subunits). Sure, they do not come with the amenities of trendy new apartment buildings, but they have history and charm and are a heck of a lot cheaper. I myself pay under $1100 for my own (large) bedroom and bathroom in 2 bed/2 bath apartment that is just blocks away from Apollo/Whole Foods. (Mind you, it would be illegal to build the building I live in today (it is mixed use, but very small) given our current zoning laws, so I do consider myself pretty lucky.)

It’s great if you want to live in an luxury apartment building and can afford to do so. But if you can’t, there is a plentitude of other options. Rent in DC is expensive no matter what, but there IS the option to save $500+ a month (as compared to the aforementioned prices) and still live very comfortably.

mdtodc

What do they think this is? 14th st area?

anonymous

Seriously!
6th&L

In 5 years it will be.
- oh2dc
  
  They said that 5 years ago.
  - anon
    
    Yeah, but 5 years ago 14th St. looked more like H St. does today. So they were right then and probably again now. I heard Ivy City was the new H St.

anonymous

Whole foods or not, area is absolutely not worth that type of rent. H Street is so 2015!

Anon

oh yeah great point

Joe H Street

New buildings are always the most expensive in there market. I don’t see why everyone is in a tizzy over the prices. This isn’t supposed to be an average, affordable place to live. If you want that, you can easily find something older and with less amenities. The great thing about a city is the diversity of choices that are available.

I also think they have affordable units for people making less than 75 or 80 percent of median income, which covers a lot of people.

FridayGirl

The issue with affordable units is that there is also a *minimum* income limit, as well, so actually a very narrow range of incomes are usually eligible for those apartments. For example, in my building for a studio or one-bedroom, total income has to be in the low $40,000s — no higher, no lower. So it’s still not really a fair shake for people who have just entered the workforce and are earning in the $30,000s (much less anyone working minimum wage jobs). If the limit for these apartments is 75 or 80 percent AMI, that likely means the few “affordable units” are limited to people making high-$50,000s to mid-$60,000s — which actually doesn’t cover a lot of people, since anyone below that could be excluded.
.
[Note: This is based on my assumption that these units are indeed “affordable units” (ADU) rather than inclusionary zoning units which I know less about.]

Joe on H

This is a new building, so I assume it’s IZ. I could be wrong, but I believe the categories do not have minimums. So whether the apartment is 30%, 50%, or 80% of AMI, anyone below that income can apply. You would obviously not have enough income to pay for the 80% unit if you only make 30% AMI, but in principle I don’t think DC excludes lower income people from the program.

rctran

Nah, IZ has minimums, too (around $55K to qualify for an 80% AMI for a one bedroom in NW). Zoning Commission recently voted, though to have new units at 60% AMI (rather than how 80% AMI folks are usually targeted), so there’s some (rather slow) movement. Only applies to new units, though, so of course folks already in 80% AMI units are already grandfathered in.
- Joe on H
  
  Good info, thanks!
- FridayGirl
  
  thanks, rctran.

Anon

I don’t see how it would make sense to rent at those prices. You could buy home in that area and pay a comparable monthly mortgage, even including taxes and insurance.

anon

some people don’t know that they’ll be in dc long enough to make buying worth it. some people don’t want the hassle of owning. this might make sense for them.
Anon

You would also need tens of thousand of dollars for a down payment, which many people don’t have saved. This factor alone is what keeps many people in apartments vs. owning. Its a vicious cycle: high rents make saving hard, but you need the savings to be able to buy so that you can have a cheaper mortgage.
- anon
  
  If someone is struggling to save up for a down payment, a luxury apartment probably isn’t an appropriate place for them to live. But that’s okay! Owning isn’t actually that great and having amenities is nice. Dunno why anyone is so resentful about there being options in the world.
  - PettyShabazz
    
    You’re confused. Saving for a downpayment in today’s market is incredibly difficult. Many people struggle with it at all income levels. This is the state of the DC/US housing/mortgage market. That said, DC has some great programs (DC Opens Doors) that allows people to take advantage of FHA lending programs and not have to pay any portion of the downpayment.

Karin

At least the streetcar will be free for the foreseeable future.

John M

At that price point, just rent at City Market @ O. At least it’s better connected to the rest of the city and has a Metro nearby.

anon

Except prices at City Market might’ve gone up the second this post did.
Anon

Because being near a metro is the only thing that matters?
HaileUnlikely

Too many shootings too close to there. Pass.
el

Is being a 10 min walk from Metro really that far? I live on this block and walk to Metro daily, it’s nothing. It’s a convenient location with a lot of amenities, but not as crazed as other popular areas.
- Anon
  
  Like you, I’m a 10 minute walk from the metro (which also give you access to Circulators and other useful transit) and even closer to the 90 bus which goes everywhere. I don’t know why no one criticizes my neighborhood (Eastern Market) for being inaccessible if yours supposedly is. Sometimes I wish I lived closer to H Street because it’s a much shorter walk or Uber ride to Chinatown, Shaw, Logan Circle, etc.

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