The Commons of McLean Apartments

Good location, but management likes to ignore maintenance requests and the internal temperature of the apartments gets to 90 degrees during the summer. The windows might as well be paper thin, allowing the elements to get in.

Cabinets falling apart, must and mold in the apartments, in unit dryers and washers barely function since they’re so old. When they go bad, they replace it with another old unit, exposed rebar on the patios, cockroach problems, the list goes on.

You’re paying for the... location, and then just suffer the rest of the way. Read More

Here are the pros: The Commons is in a decent location, very close to the mall and restaurants plus easy access to I-495, I-66 and 267. Management is friendly (Tara is great!), rent is cheap for the area, and maintenance issues are taken care of quickly. There is a 24-hour Safeway/gas station is across the street. The area is very quiet and parking is free with plenty of spaces available, and the apartments in general are clean and spacious. Here are the cons: Our apartment was along Magarity... Road, meaning a 10-15 minute walk to the Metro down the hill, and they got rid of the shuttle that took people to the station at the beginning of the new year. Don't expect to do laundry quickly, because the Eco-friendly washer/dryer combo in the renovated apartments is a joke. It's both a washer and dryer in one, and it only fits a medium size load. After washing, they recommend only putting in HALF of the original washed load at a time to "dry" - which takes up to 4 hours for each cycle! Even after a 4-hour cycle, our clothes were still damp, and we ultimately just bought a drying rack and let our clothes air dry overnight. There are also some bugs - at one point we were seeing those house centipede/silverfish things 3-4 times a week, even after getting our place sprayed by maintenance. Also note, although this is not necessarily a con to most people, but note that place is NOT ideal for young people in their early-mid 20s. The Tysons area is pretty boring in general, no events, bars or nightlife are within walking distance (or even within a 20 minute driving distance), and since the Metro has been unreliable with all the delays from Safetracking & early closures lately, expect to pay hefty Uber fares (up to $50 each way at high-demand hours) if you like to socialize in DC on the weekends. This is the main reason why my roommate and I moved out, otherwise I would recommend this place. Read More

I have lived here since 2007. I have always had the best response from the office staff and maintenance staff. They are hard-working and very professional. Whenever I need a repair, the office requests it and the work is done within a day. The grounds are kept very nice and snow is removed quickly. The apartments are virtually sound proof and I have never seen bugs.

Location, Location, Location this is the best of this property 5 min walk to Metro Station, 2 min grocery store, 5 min drive to Tyson Mall, Good Fairfax county schools around. Could be a little expensive but that's what are you paying for (Location).

The Commons of McLean is a pet-friendly luxury apartment community in McLean, Virginia. The rooms are very spacious and the walls keep most outside noise out. There is plenty of storage space with multiple closets, including a walk-in closet, as well as external storage on the patio/balcony. It is within walking distance of a Safeway grocery store and gas station, and the McLean Silverline metro station. The staff is very friendly and know my name and address just from stopping in to pay rent... each month. The maintenance crew is exceptional as well, and regularly performs landscaping to keep the community looking clean and green. While I do get occasional bugs in my apartment, exterminators routinely spray the buildings, and are available every Wednesday for special requests. The rent is a bit high, but you get what you pay for - a spacious, quiet, conveniently located and well-kept apartment.

The only con is the personal laundry unit - rather than a standard, separate washer and drier, there is a single "ecofriendly" washer/drier combo in the kitchen. The wash cycle takes about an hour, but the standard dry cycle takes about 4 hours, as it uses an "ecofriendly" method of drying the clothes. This can be frustrating, especially when trying to do multiple loads of laundry, as you cannot wash one load of clothes while drying another, and the instructional DVD recommends a load size equivalent to 6 men's dress shirts for optimal performance. There is, however, a community coin-operated washer and drier in each building.

It is also strange that there is no overhead lighting in the bedroom or living room, but this was easily fixable with lamps and LED strip lights.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Commons of McLean. Read More