Emerging trend depicts residents choosing overall community ambiance and openness over immediate availability of walkable amenities

Zelda Heller makes it her business to be an expert on the high-end luxury condominium market throughout the suburban Maryland and Washington, D.C. region. After all, as a senior partner of the Heller Coley Reed team of Long & Foster Real Estate, she sells these units for a living. David Kanter, an attorney with offices on Wisconsin Avenue, could make visual contact with the condominium where he formally lived, from his work desk in Chevy Chase. Both cited similar reasons for recently exchanging their condominium units, contained within urban environments with walkable amenities, for ones situated in a suburban setting that emphasizes an attachment with the outdoors.

“While living in Parc Somerset with shops and dining literally steps away, everyone I knew always took their cars to access these amenities, so this immediate proximity never truly materialized into a real-life advantage,” explained Zelda Heller, who brokered the sale of a unit in this community for $8.6 million two years ago. “Over time, my husband and I realized that a highly-dense residential environment did not suit our lifestyle after years living in suburbia where we had more indoor and outdoor space. We started to yearn for a less-dense residential community, with an emphasis on ambiance and outdoor living.”

David Kanter traded his one minute work commute from Chase Point to a four-mile, fifteen minute commute to his new condominium at Quarry Springs in Bethesda and is perfectly happy about this new situation. “My wife is an artist and we both wanted to bring the feeling of the outside to the inside,” he explained. Our first-floor location with a large outside terrace and vistas to the exterior surroundings made us feel like we were still living in a home without the upkeep and responsibilities of owning a home. We tried urban living for ten years and enjoyed our proximity to the city, including the Metro, however, we missed connecting with nature and the peacefulness and stillness of what we found at Quarry Springs. This was the right move for us.”

The recent trend of millennials and empty-nesters moving from suburbia to the cities might now be shifting to reverse due to several factors in play. And, according to the results of a survey that appeared on NBC News last year, more than fifty-four percent of prospective homebuyers in America “still favor the suburbs or countryside” and “only eight percent said they would rather live in the heart of a major American city.” The story includes comments from Jed Kolko, former chief economist and vice president of analytics at Trulia that indicated “suburbs offer advantages that many American want … like outdoor space.”

Zelda Heller exchanged a condominium community with more than 330 units for one at Quarry Springs that is designed to accommodate less than 100. David Kanter traded his high-rise urban building location to glimpses of waterfalls, lush landscaping, nature, extensive amenities and services. “This represented a lifestyle rather than a condominium change,” Kanter said. “The aesthetics of seeing and interacting with the outdoors, especially with my wife being an artist, was a powerful pull. We have more amenities than before, and an environment that appeals to our senses.”

“People are not used to finding luxury condominium product outside of the urban environment and feel that, when they sell their large suburban houses, have to now move to the city,” Heller explained. “But, when we analyze this, they also don’t want to stray too far from their comfort zone including their friends and where they socialize at their country clubs. What they really desire is a change in lifestyle, rather than location.”

Heller found the best of all worlds at Quarry Springs, an “estate condominium community” that lives like a resort featuring units ranging from 2,200 to 4,500 square feet of space among two separate buildings at 8101 River Road in the Bethesda section of Montgomery County. 1788 Holdings, LLC and IHP Capital Partners are co-developing the project and sales are being exclusively handled by The Mayhood Company.

“After living at Parc Somerset for sixteen years, I initially thought I was going to be far away from everything when I moved to Quarry Springs,” Heller said, “but the location is phenomenal. I am extremely close to the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 and feel like I am in the center of everything. No more maneuvering through clogged streets at the outset. I am traveling on the highway immediately.”

The presence of a 24/7 security and concierge services at Quarry Springs adds to the resort-like environment and availability of “fingertip-closeness” amenities. “The concierge brings services right to your doorstep. My husband and I also intend to take regular advantage of the clubhouse, which includes a fitness center, steam rooms and saunas, a large bar area, a yoga room and a grand salon where we can entertain guests,” she added.

“The landscaping package incorporated at Quarry Springs was the key element that drove me to accept this position,” explained LaTonya Young-Clayborne, General Manager of Quarry Springs. “A flower is planted in virtually every spot in which a stone or paver isn’t placed. I knew this attention to detail would be recognized by our target audiences. The waterfall, complete with pathways that run through it, is a particularly beautiful and serene amenity that is not replicated at other communities.”

“Our target buyers have embraced the Quarry Springs resort-style environment, complete with expansive living areas that replicate the space contained in their single-family homes, in addition to 24/7 conveniences and amenities that are typically associated with country clubs. This product category targets the discerning buyer that seeks maintenance-free living but is also not ready to downsize.”

Special design elements of the condominium homes include separate elevators that enable residents to move privately from the garage to the foyer area, standard ten foot ceiling heights, hardwood flooring, state-of-the-art Wolf and Sub-Zero kitchen appliances including a wine cooler, Waterworks spa bathroom fixtures and climate-controlled storage areas.

Quarry Springs is configured as a gated community with 24-hour access security monitoring, valet parking and a concierge service that provides personal assistance services, event planning, travel arrangements and leisure and entertainment reservations.

1788 Holdings, LLC is a Bethesda-based real estate investment company with a focus in the Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland region. The company’s capabilities include the acquisition, development and strategic oversight of commercial office, residential and industrial properties including boutique residential properties. For additional information, visit www.1788holdings.com.