McLean | Fairfax County Revitalization

Palladium Complex Close to Capacity
Only Five Units Remain Unsold in Luxury Condominium Building in McLean
From the Connection Newspapers
By Aranya Tomseth
Nov. 2, 2005

Denise Shehadeh's mother always told her that if a retail establishment had a nice restroom, it was probably a quality business.

" This is my crown jewel," said Shehadeh as she led the way to the restroom of StarNut Gourmet, the European-style gourmet gift boutique and patisserie she co-owns with her husband Joe Shehadeh.

Shehadeh enthusiastically revealed the restroom, which was occupied by an artist putting on the finishing touches of his hand-painted design
.
" This is meant to be European drapery," said Shehadeh pointing to the ceiling and walls of the bathroom. "Actually, the whole place is hand painted."
Shehadeh and her husband recently moved their specialty food and gift store from Old Dominion Drive into the corner of the newly built Palladium luxury condominium complex off of Chain Bridge Road in downtown McLean. Waterford Development, based in Reston, designed the mixed-use building.

" It's a great addition to the building and it is appealing to the residents," said Niki Piersall, Director of Sales and Marketing for Waterford Development.
As the new location offers more space and the probable patronage of the entire building, the Shehadeh's decided to expand their store to include a cafe and patisserie service. The European styled cafe will feature gourmet gift arrangements, gelato, coffee, pastries and outdoor seating with a selection of international and local newspapers.

" It's the best spot, the best building and the best developers," said Shehadeh. "Our location is wonderful because you can look out on the garden and the fountain."

THIS IS PRECISELY THE type of lifestyle that Reston-based Waterford Development had in mind when it created The Palladium. The building, which features 69 luxury condominiums, 10,000 square feet of commercial office space and 12,500 square feet of retail space, was created in conjunction with the goals of the revitalization of downtown McLean.

" We wanted to create an area that is more urban- and pedestrian-friendly with plenty of green space," said Beth Sarfatti, General Manager of The Palladium. "The idea is to get more people out of their cars and walking around."

Subsequently, the building features a common terrace and an outdoor park area with various places to sit and a water sculpture designed by Baltimore artist Rodney Carroll. Waterford Development commissioned Carroll to create the water sculpture as a gift to the community.

" It's meant to be an oasis with the water and the trees and the sculpture," said Jane Carter, a public relations account executive with The Bomstein Agency. "It's designed to be a place for the community to come even when there's not an event."

Sarfatti plans to utilize the public space to showcase 24 artists annually.

" My goal is to have a concert next spring and that will be our welcome to the community event," said Sarfatti. "I intend for this concert to be spectacular."

ACCORDING TO DOUGLAS SCHNEIDERMAN, Vice President of Madison Homes, 64 of the 69 two-bedroom apartments have been sold, and seven residents are already living in the building. The apartments initially went on sale in March 2003.

" It was targeted at empty-nesters, and we have had a lot of buyers from Great Falls and McLean because people like the area and want to stay in the same neighborhood because their doctor is here, they are familiar with it, that kind of thing," said Schneiderman. "It definitely filled a void in McLean — there is nothing else like it here."

The residences range from 1500-2700 square feet in size and the units remaining to be sold are priced between $1.3-$1.7 million. The building also features a gym and a common sitting area complete with a bar, pool table, meeting room and fireplace.

According to Schneiderman, a 5,000-square-foot office space is still available for lease.

" Right now we are in negotiations with a bunch of retail end users for the other spaces," said Schneiderman.

StarNut Gourmet is wrapping up some final details, but hopes to open its doors sometime in November. "We'll definitely be open for the holidays," said Shehadeh.