Real Estate: ‘Adaptive Reuse Community’ 3co Converts 3 Baileys Crossroads Office Towers to 675 ‘Flexidential’ Apartments

Have you ever heard of the term ‘flexidential’? 

I hadn’t until a few days ago. 

But the Three Collective (3co) held an Alice in Wonderland-themed Grand Opening ‘Wonderland’ fête on May 29, celebrating its “adaptive reuse,” or conversion, of three Baileys Crossroads office towers at 5203 Leesburg Pike into “a place founded on connection, with flexidential apartments where you can work, live, and play with all the headspace you desire. A place where you are free to be.” 

That is, “Life under one roof.”

So, “flexidential” communities, 3co says, are “designed for creative professionals seeking a dynamic, imaginative living experience,” where apartment residents can “live, work, and thrive,” all in the same complex of buildings. 

And 3co’s achievement is no small feat. In a development partnership between the private equity group The Wolff Company, and the real estate company Bozzuto, the Three Collective has converted 48 floors of office space into 675 loft-style, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units “with exposed concrete ceilings, oversized windows, and an “over-the-top suite” of 21 community amenity spaces in over 30,000 square feet. 

“This award-winning development is the culmination of a shared vision between Wolff, our development partners, and local government to reimagine underused office space in a way that sets the tone for future community-driven transformation,” said Matt Perrin, CIO, The Wolff Company. 

And to “set the tone,” 3co really seems to have gone over-the-top on its amenities package. “Amenity offerings include coworking areas, social kitchens, a professional-grade demonstration kitchen, podcast and recording studios, music practice rooms, an art studio, bowling alleys, and a virtual reality gaming lounge. The community also features a makerspace, multiple indoor and outdoor lounges and gathering areas, and an indoor dog park known as The Barking Lot,” 3Co said.

Although 3co is not a co-op arrangement, Three Collective believes creatives and entrepreneurs can thrive in the “collaborative setting” stimulated by all the amenities. 

“Interior design by Private Label International includes custom artwork, acoustic treatments, and tech-enabled features aimed at supporting a range of resident lifestyles. Every space within 3co was curated to bring members of the community together to collaborate and encourage one another,” 3co adds.

“Designing Three Collective during a time when the world was craving connection during COVID challenged us to think beyond the physical,” said Wendi Stallings, principal of Private Label. “We focused on creating spaces that function seamlessly and foster a larger-than-life sense of community. Seeing it come together as a beacon of that spirit, where people can gather, create, and belong, has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”  

All of this, “designed for creative professionals seeking a dynamic, imaginative living experience.” Shaped for remote or in-home work, apartment spaces include “flexible layouts intended for live-work arrangements.”

3co says its revitalization efforts in Baileys Crossroads are helping to attract “an influx of local artisans and entrepreneurs to the community.”

Down the Rabbit Hole

And the focus certainly is on the “creative.” The Falls Church Independent’s invitation to the Wonderland party promised an entry into “a world of wonder…” to celebrate “the DMV’s most imaginative adaptive reuse community,” hinting at “fabulous food, curious drinks, terrific tunes, performances, and aura photos.” 

They had me at “aura photos.” 

“I think you'll be interested as this is the culmination of a shared vision between local government and developers to reimagine underused office space and I'd love for you to be among the first to explore this award-winning development, at the heart of the Bailey’s Crossroads revitalization,” wrote Heather Shaw Menis, media contact for 3co. 

3co says it’s on a mission to transform “underutilized office space into a vibrant community.” Turns out, the collective even offers fellowships to creative “Activators,” who “organize enrichment activities for the community in exchange for a year of free rent.” 

Arriving at 3co’s Wonderland celebration last Thursday in the buildings’ courtyard, I was struck – after plunging down the rabbit hole – by the creative, vibrant, and imaginative elements of their grand opening – including hoop dancers, Wonderland-costumed hors d’oeuvres waiters, tea-leaf readers, an aura photo booth, funky looking made-up artists walking about, an energetic DJ and outdoor dance floor, and face-painted women wearing wine glass holder dresses. 

Soon, I met Heather Shaw Menis – wearing bright, festive makeup – the media rep who sent me the invitation. 

I asked Menis what she thinks of 3co’s whole concept. “It’s crazy to me that there’s so much under-utilized space in an area that’s so strategic to D.C.,” she said. “So, I think this is a really good example of it. These are former government buildings that were unused. So, to be able to bring people in to live, close to where they work and commute in unused space is really cool.”

But, Menis really wanted me to have a look around at all the cool things going on. “If you have a chance to take a tour, you’ll see dozens of really cool amenities geared toward the creative professional who’s looking for maybe a studio space and a living space,” she said enthusiastically. 

“So there’s a maker studio, there’s a game room with a bowling alley and virtual reality. There’s the Bark Park, an indoor dog park, with a dog-washing station indoors. There’s a huge co-working office space. There’s a mail and shipping center, so if you’re an entrepreneur or artist who’s sending things out to like your Etsy store or whatever, you have everything you need downstairs. It’s 3 buildings. And I’m forgetting a lot of things – Oh, and there’s a podcast studio, a photo studio, and a professional chef’s kitchen!”

“There’s an arts studio kind of space, like a makers studio and it’s meant to get kind of messy. Like, you can leave paint on the floor and it doesn’t matter. [Laughs]. It’s very designed for that creative [person]. And when you go around, I think you’ll be able to tell who the residents are because they are so – they dress like they’re creative. They’re really cool looking,” Menis said.

“And I believe the residents can get from building to building underground too. And they can get to Target underground as well. So, they don’t need to go outside if they don’t want to. [Laughs]. And there are Activators here. They are artists-in-residence who live for free for one year and they bring the residents together in the different community spaces.”

“Right now one of them is the former Miss USA, Noelia Voigt. She made a lot of news a couple of years ago because she stepped down because the pageant was so toxic, the environment, after she won, she stepped down. She actually upcycles furniture. And she’s doing some podcast stuff. Yeah, she’s really cool. So, she’s one of them,” Menis continued. “And Frank Grimsley, he’s known as Frank in the City. I think he was on a reality show called The Circle. And he’s like a motivational, kind of life coach. He’s really cool. And, there’s a chef who just moved in. And on the pet side there’s a couple who have a business called Wolf Bowl, so they make nutritional treats for dogs. And I think they go back and forth between New York and D.C. with their truck. So, the community is really vibrant and the Activators are helping to get everybody to know each other.”

Soon, Menis introduced me to Brian Quander, the general manager of Three Collective. 3co is described as “flexidential,” Quander said, because it’s “an apartment community where you have everything you need right in one place. We have three buildings with three different aesthetics, three different styles, three different offerings. But they bring the community all together.”

“Our first building is like, for fun, it has our Level-Up Game Room with arcade games, duckpin bowling, and a demonstration kitchen….  And, the maker space, and our Barking Lot, which is an indoor pet park, as well as our Level-Up arcade space and demonstration kitchen.”

“Our second building is for the creative. We have our recording studio which also has two podcast studios as well – so, if you have a podcast, or you’re an aspiring musician, all of that’s at home. Also, our amphitheater. It’s an indoor/outdoor space that opens up for musical performances, but is also an indoor theater, so [that’s for] if you want to do movie-watching and things like that. And, our Part & Parcel Room which is like shipping made super easy for you. So, if you have an Etsy business, you can ship all your packages right from home.”

“And our third building is for our work-from-homes. Those are our “creatives” – our studies. We have tons of co-working workspace, walking treadmills, tons of cool amenities. So, [we have] buildings full of amenities and full of vibrant energy. And really bringing apartment living to the next level, where you have everything you need right at home,” Quander said.

Three Collective’s ample courtyard spaces are also used as outdoor gallery spaces for 3co’s artists, Quander said. Quander added that another key set of amenities for residents are free memberships to the swimming pool and fitness center, One Life Fitness, across the street. 

“If you want to make life easy, if you want to join a vibrant community with tons of fun people who are in all different walks of life, and you want to have an experience you’ve never had before from an apartment community, I think Three Collective is the place for it,” Quander said.  

And, even if you’re not an artist or “creative,” Quander still recommends Three Collective, for both younger and older residents. “You could just be a normal person who wants to get an apartment, go to work, and come home every day. And we have that for you as well. We’ve had a ton of residents who come in with none of these hobbies and then they’re like, ‘Oh my God, I like to do pottery now!’ [Laughs]. I’ve grown to like photography because we just have it here…. "

“It’s an art-rich community. There are entrepreneurs here. There are cooking demonstrations. There’s fun and there are games. There are [virtual reality] VR headsets and a gaming room. So, if you’re into video games or you’re into music, and a huge pet community, all right here. So, I think that anything that piques your interest, you probably have it here,” Quander said.

Residents Appear to Have a Voice

Milling around, I did find out a few grievances from current residents, but was impressed with how 3co appears to have handled them so far and given a voice to residents.

Resident Xavier Vaughn described a resident petition drive to keep the amenities open past 10:00 p.m. to at least 12:00 a.m. When asked about this, General Manager Quander said, “Oh yeah, they wanted to hang out in the amenities spaces longer, so we said, ‘Yeah, you guys have built a sense of community, so why not stay open until 12:00 a.m.?”

“We are an empowered community and any time there is an issue – and we’ve had our fair share of issues – we have all rallied together and brought it to the attention of the leasing office and the regional manager,” Xavier said. But, Xavier has no intention of moving out of Three Collective because the sense of community is “so strong,” he said. 

At the Auro Photo booth, prospective tenant Bibi Etienne had a great first impression of Three Collective. She said she was “100 percent” thinking of moving in. “Everything’s just very thoughtfully in its place as far as the campus goes….  I love it. I’m a creative myself. I’m an artist, yeah, so this is very fun and bright and it feels very homey. I do tattoos. I’m a tattoo artist.”

Logan (no last name given), a resident and native of Austin, Texas, said he was happy with Three Collective, though it’s taken a while for all the amenities to open up. “In regard to this living situation here, we’re happy as more things open up and it finally seems like a lot of things are opening up. For a while, it seemed like we weren’t having access to everything. But, now we’re a lot happier…. And we love having access to the gym across the street!”

Resident Ashley Yrioyen described some of the early blips with Three Collective. “They have a 10-year plan. And we’re only in year 3 of that plan. So, there are a lot of growing pains. We’re experiencing the trials and errors right now.” Yrioyen’s biggest concern is tensions between the neighbors and 3co’s residents, because it’s a shared “public/private space.” She wishes 3co would invest more in ensuring neighbors are pleased with having the collective in the neighborhood. “You’ve got to make sure everyone else outside this area is on board and is working in alignment with their vision,” she said. A look at reviews online did reveal a few complaints about each other from both residents and neighbors. 

Resident Lucia Colombi from Oakton, expressed some frustration that there’s no Metro station within walking distance. But, she acknowledged that 3co provides free shuttle service to Pentagon Metro every 15 minutes. 

And she added, cheerily, that  3co is “amazing” for her as a dog-owning apartment dweller. “From the bottom of my heart, they’re really pet friendly!,” Colombi said.

More info on Three Collective can be found here. 

Stay tuned… On June 14, 3co will hold a public ‘3co Fest’ for the new Three Collective.

By Christopher Jones