Harrison at Reston Town Center

After living at the Harrison for some months, I changed my rating from two stars to three stars. «Things» have definitely improved since my first review. In a short time, I could foresee increasing my rating.
I will provide the positives and negatives.
Positives
First, there is new management. The prior manager was unresponsive and seemed overwhelmed; the new management works hard to fix problems.
Second, there is a very nice fitness center and pool. The common areas are impressive.
Third, the concierge staff works very hard to assist tenants.
Fourth, in general, the management keeps the building very clean.
Negatives
First, the «garbage chutes» on each floor only work 3 or 4 days a week. On the days the chutes don’t work, tenants have no choice but to leave garbage on the floor in front of the chute. As a result, the hallways frequently smell like rotting garbage. There is a «garbage» room in the parking area and, on occasion, garbage also builds up in that room. Some tenants have reported rodents in the parking garage area… however, I can not confirm that allegation.
Second, the building maintenance staff is unhelpful and, at times, rude. On two separate occasions, I have witnessed the head of the maintenance staff «having words» with a tenant about a repair. Some tenants have told me that the only way to have a maintenance problem fixed is to give the head of the maintenance staff a «tip» prior to the attempted repair. Other tenants find it less expensive and more certain to hire their own electricians and plumbers to address maintenance issues.
Third, the builders did not install the windows correctly. The supposedly «sealed» windows are not sealed. When it is cold and/​or windy, cold air blows through the edges of the windows and condensation forms on the windows creating wet spots/​puddles on the floor. Some tenants have reported damage to their furniture as a result of the window problems.
The negatives are annoyances (no building is perfect) and, in general, the Harrison is an apartment building worth considering
Also, it is worth noting that the Harrison management (has in the past and may still) offers tenants and non-​tenants a financial incentive for writing favorable reviews. The incentives are either a gift certificate to a nearby restaurant or a one month reduction in rent. Therefore, as you read other reviews, you may want to discount any review that sounds like an advertisement.

The management has worked out a lot of the kinks, so I am ready to increase my rating to ³⁄₅.

What an incredible residential experience one can have if they lived here. Escort style loving. The convenience of Reston Town Center across the street and accessible underground is amazing but you may not want to leave when you see all they have to offer in their building.
The lobby is incredible and their fireplaces with comfy chairs and couches to hang out. They offer a game room that features a table shuffle board game. There are two pools, one on the rooftop and one indoor. Oh the one on the rooftop is heated. Outside lounging areas with grills, fireplaces, and vs of course too. Have I enticed you? Wait there’s more! They have a exercise room, yoga room, and a virtual golf experience. The apartments are nice. We toured the two bedroom two bath and found the fixtures and amenities to be awesome! They also feature a full washer and dryer.

Going on a tour of The Harrison was amazing! I cannot stress enough about the view from the rooftop. You cannot find a view like that from an apartment building in Reston. It was incredible. I kept having to remind myself that it was NOT a hotel, just a super beautiful apartment building. They have a HUGE indoor pool with big doors that open up on nice days to get a breeze. The pool is heated too so I love the idea of being able to go into a heated pool and watch the snow fall outside. AND, HELLO, you’re at your OWN apartment so make a cup of coffee, come down to the pool in December, and go swimming while watching the snow fall outside. You can’t beat that!
Walking distance to Reston Town Center which is always a plus!
I can’t remember if there are studio apartments, but I do remember there’s 1 – 3 bedroom units. One of the amazing things is the 3-​bedroom apartments can have three bathrooms. No sharing! The residents that were around seemed kind. One guy had a golden retriever in the lobby, so it’s pet friendly. I believe they also had a bowl of dog treats at the front desk. I think we were told the front desk has someone there 24 hours a day.
The other thing I thought was cool was that they had board rooms and individual offices. If you are a work-​from-​home kinda person, it’s so nice to go downstairs to the lobby and have the privacy of an individual office. No more conference calls in your closet or wifi from Starbucks!
It was a beautiful apartment building, seemingly comparable to some of the apartment buildings in Arlington but less traffic, steps away from RTC, and quieter.

Harrison Reston is the place to live, have fun and enjoy all the amenities! Heated Indoor/​outdoor pool, sauna, massage, yoga and gym room, conference room, play room, rooftop grills, indoors dinning, wifi in business room, ²⁴⁄₇ Surveillance-​Reception, and more. Great staff managment, we Love the Harrison Reston parties and our neighbors. There is even pet friendly floors, grooming area and Starbucks free! Thank you for your bringing the best team effort to us daily.

Excellent High End Apartments, great amenities & great staff & outstanding leasing team.

There is no doubt that this place has had some issues, but it seems like things are getting under control. The location is great and the amenities are for the most part excellent. I use the gym and conference rooms the most and I am highly satisfied. The ladies at the front desk are always very nice to me and my pet. Dealing with two towers of high maintenance people can’t be easy…
I would like to see more mirrors in the garage. The one that has been placed is great when entering the garage; however, I cannot see entering vehicles from where I exit. Twice I nearly hit the vehicle entering the garage.

The building is nice. Shoe box apartments with the typical sky-​high Reston price tag. 600-​sq ft apartment is running $ 1950 on the lower floors. They do have some nice amenities, though.
The thing I find interesting is their application requirements to live here. 6-​months of bank statements and W-2’s are an odd requirement for a rental in my opinion. Asking for pay stubs, admin, amenity, application fees I can understand. Pay stubs and a call to an employer are more than enough to verify income. Unless this apartment comes with a large line of credit or a mortgage, they’re asking for too much personal info.
This is the only complex I’ve looked at in the area that is asking for so much info. Pass.
EDIT: Thanks for the reply, Karen. I was not made aware that bank statements and W-2’s only applied to self-​employed applicants. I have been employed with the same company for over a decade, I was caught off guard when I read the initial email about income verification. Thanks for the clarification. Harrison was the first building I looked at in my rental search. I will reconsider.

My girlfriend and I moved into the Harrison at Reston Town Center in May. We were coming back up to NOVA from Central Virginia. We chose the area primarily due to proximity to her family and our jobs. We did extensive research on the various apartment complexes in the Reston/​Herndon area. We had visited six other locations prior to visiting the Harrison. It was an easy choice after that visit.
I won’t comment here on what you can glean about the complex from the website, i.e. the unique list of amenities, the modern and upscale design, and convenient location (near Reston Town Center, Dulles Airport, Dulles Toll Road, Bus and Metro stops). I will comment briefly on something you can’t really get a feel for until you have visited and lived here: the people.
When we came to the Harrison for a tour, we met with Atif, the Assistant Property Manager. This guy is awesome. He is professional, knowledgeable and most importantly, you can tell he loves what he is doing. He provided us with a comprehensive tour, showed us multiple unit types, and went above and beyond by helping us develop a matrix of our key decision making criteria so we could choose the right unit. It was clear from the very beginning that Atif, Matt (property manager), and the rest of the leasing staff would do whatever they could to meet customer needs. And they did.
The Harrison has a 24 – 7 concierge. The staff that run the desk are always genuinely cheerful, attentive, and proactively meeting tenant needs. From simple things, like making sure there are freshly baked cookies over by the coffee machine, to providing restaurant and dry-​cleaner recommendations, to reminding us about upcoming community events. Now that I am a tenant, I can say I would miss many of them if they were to leave. In only 6 weeks, they have become a staple of my day; wishing me a great one in the morning, and welcoming me back home after a hard day’s work. If it’s within their power, the concierge staff will make it happen, and quickly!
The Harrison community (staff and tenants) is great! My girlfriend and I have made so many wonderful friends at the dog park, fitness classes, and Harrison sponsored community events. They even had a «Yappy Hour,» recently… a social by the dog park, where they brought in a pet care company, Barkley Square, to pamper the pets (and their owners). They provided gourmet treats and pedicures to the dogs, and organize games involving the dogs and their family members… very cool! We can’t say enough about the fitness classes either. The Harrison organizes spin, yoga, water aerobics and kick boxing classes in the fitness center. All the classes are great, but the kick-​boxing class is our favorite. My girlfriend and I go together and really enjoy the workout and technical training provided by David Oakley (a local MMA gym owner). David and the rest of the trainers provide a personal touch that is unparalleled. Part of the reason that an apartment complex appealed to us was the community, and we truly feel we made the right choice. Several of us get together in the entertainment area to watch sporting events and movies, and play games. It’s exactly what we wanted
Understanding full well that people are more inclined to write a review when they are unhappy, I like to provide positive reviews when I feel that I have encountered an organization that understands the real meaning of customer service. The Harrison gets it. I am happy to be a resident at such a lovely building, surrounded by such great people!
Hope to call some of you neighbors one day!

I have lived here since The Harrison first opened and was one of the first 15 residents to move in. I don’t personally know what happened with the first «review» by L.L. or their personal experience here. However, when someone has only posted two reviews on Unilocal… ever…you can see that they are one of «those people» that only review something on the internet when they are angry.
Management seems to be actively engaged in addressing concerns both in person and online. I’d like to assume that if someone were so quick to blast a place online they would update their review if/​when it was resolved. I digress.
I was one of the first residents to move in and have been in communication with management since last fall. Everyone has been extremely helpful, transparent and friendly, but above all Atif has really gone the extra mile! My job requires me to move every three years and I had the daunting task of relocating from Atlanta without much travel time to explore the area. Initially, I was pretty set on The Avant until I came across some information on The Harrison and called looking for information. The gentleman I spoke to was Atif. I explained my situation and told him that I had been considering Avant.
He was so knowledgeable and genuinely excited about all of the amenities here to that I wanted to jump through the phone, sign the lease and move in that day! He has always been 100% transparent and honest in our dealings.
Since moving in I have made sure to keep realistic expectations when living in a brand new building. There are some bugs that continue to rear their ugly heads, however, you have to consider that as a building that is not 100% complete you will have that.
Talk to management or the friendly maintenance staff (Domingo and John) and they will tell you their hands are tied a bit by the fact that some of the items are covered by the manufacturers warranty and they literally can’t do anything to repair some things that are still under warranty or outside contract.
The elevators have bugs a few times a week. I have never been stuck just minor bugs, but I do understand that the elevators are the responsibility of the servicing company (Otis, Schiller, Kone) to maintain properly. The only thing The Harrison could do better is to really, really force the issue and FINALLY get them fixed.
There are consistent issues with the trash chute. This has been an issue for too long and needs to be addressed, as well.
I am in love with the amenities. I don’t have to pay a penny extra for a gym membership because they have a full fitness center with spin class, yoga class, kickboxing and a free library of workouts you can access on your own ²⁴⁄₇.
The dog park is fantastic and there are dog waste stations every 200 yards surrounding the building. I can grab my golf clubs, hop on an elevator and play a round of golf at Pebble Beach… UN-​FREAKING-​BELIEVABLE!!!
The fit and finish of this place is extremely high end. You do not get the feeling that anything is done cheaply. They get fresh flowers throughout the building, Washington post and magazines are available daily, pool table, shuffleboard (bar version) commercial kitchen, fresh ground Starbucks coffee ON DEMAND ²⁴⁄₇ and freshly baked cookies all day (coffee cake in the morning). They have dog walking service, dry cleaning pickup/​dropoff and a concierge ²⁴⁄₇.
A minor gripe is that there used to be water and soda’s available by the coffee. That is no longer the case since some construction workers abused the privilege. I would like to see that brought back and maybe fresh fruit?
Yes, there are a few issues with growing pains since The Harrison is still under construction. If you move in with realistic expectations and communicate concerns with management they will bend over backwards to help you. Actually, don’t move here. Go somewhere else so I can use the amenities to myself!
I have lived in a house for the past 5 years and was VERY tentative about apartment living due to noise concerns and thin walls. I have a very robust home theater and they only time my neighbors can hear anything at all is when I REALLY crank the 24″ paradigm subwoofer to a ridiculous level. I did this just to test sound proofing. Other than that I have never heard my neighbors through a wall or ceiling. Not a single footstep! When you walk through the hallway sound escapes through the front door, but you can only hear that IN the hallway.
I guess they could add horseback riding on the roof with a slide to RTC to fully satisfy my requirements of apartment living. I would give it 4.5 stars based off of that alone. ;)

This place is wonderful. Front desk staff is very helpful, fellow residents are very nice and social (rare for an apartment community) and the amenities are amazing (never expected to take spin class in my place of residence). There are some minor annoyances related to the final construction phase, namely parking spot assignments, but they should be resolved soon.

I LOVE living at THE HARRISON!!! I call it «The NORDSTROM» of apartments.
I moved in knowing full well that all floors were not finished and all the services and amenities that were advertised were not complete. Are there some growing pains and edges to be smoothed, yes… BUT what was important to me was being able to choose the floor plan, floor and colors and not have to wait. The virtual golf could wait
What I have right now is what is important to me: a beautiful apartment and an office staff and (24hour) Concierge that is helpful, courteous and as a visiting family member said,“They seem to be genuinely interested in making their tenants happy”.
Right now there is plenty to keep me busy… a great fitness center that I DON’T have to drive to, Cyber Cafes (serving Starbucks coffee and cookies) with MAC, PC computers and printers. The game and media centers are well appointed and great for entertaining large groups. Oh, did I mention guest chefs from the area cooking in the Gourmet/​Demonstration kitchen and the wine tastings?
Then there is location, location, location. Easy access to Reston Town Center with an underground passage way.
Also, it is a safe and very secure building with underground parking.
I am truly impressed with the building and personnel. And to know that there’s more to come and that it’s only going to get better, puts a smile on my face.
Happy at THE HARRISON