For the Townes at Shady Grove Metro in Rockville, location is Key

Walkable neighborhood have a chance to buy on the proverbial ground floor of the Townes at Shady Grove Metro in Rockville.

Comstock Homes is building 36 townhouses just across the street from the Shady Grove Metro station, where a large urban boulevard-style development of offices, shops and residences is planned.

“We’re a bit early in the development of the area,” says Maggie Parker, a spokeswoman for the Reston-based builder. “But it is coming along.”

The Shady Grove Sector Plan, part of “smart growth” initiatives that favor clustering development near public transportation options, was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board early this year. Eventually, more than 1,500 residences, nearly 42,000 square feet of retail space and a new public library will be built along a reconstructed Crabbs Branch Way between Shady Grove Road and the Metro station’s access road by another developer.

“We strongly believe in transit-oriented development and the community enhancement it offers,” Parker says.

The model for the Townes at Shady Grove opened in August. Each of the units has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and a half-bath, a two-car garage and a rooftop terrace.

The dining area is off the kitchen. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Access to Red Line: Comstock is also building three single-family “moderately priced dwelling units” — MPDUs — to meet Montgomery County affordable-housing requirements. Later this year, the builder also plans to begin construction on 110 condos next to the townhouses.

The neighborhood is a five-minute walk across Redland Road to the Metro station, which is at the end of the Red Line. It is also less than a half-mile to the shops and restaurants, including Safeway and Fontina Italian Grill, at King Farm Village Center. The shops and offices planned for the land adjacent to the Metro station will be even closer.

“We’re looking forward to that,” says Naveen Lanke, a software developer who works at the National Institutes of Health and hopes to move in by the end of October. “But we also wanted to be close to the Metro.”

His wife takes the Metro to work near Union Station.

The amount of space was also a draw for the couple, who have a 2-year-old. “We really, really liked the rooftop terrace,” he says.

The main floor has a great room with several windows for natural light. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Wet bar in master suite: Ten houses will have mid-level entries. But most have ground-floor main entrances, with a garage and a bedroom with a full bath. A powder room is on the first-floor landing. The main floor is a great room, an open kitchen and an enclosed butler’s pantry. Whirlpool Energy Star appliances and granite countertops are standard. (Quartz counters and more modern-style cabinets are options.) A small deck at the main level is standard.

The third-floor master suite features a large walk-in closet and a large bathroom with a double-sink vanity and walk-in shower with bench. A third bedroom also has a full bathroom. And the washer and dryer are on the third floor.

Some buyers may opt to turn the fourth floor into the master suite. It has a bedroom, a full bath and a separate sitting area with a wet bar. A rooftop terrace with a privacy wall is standard. Buyers can add a two-sided indoor-outdoor fireplace between the terrace and loft.

Nearby attractions: A tot lot is planned.

Rockville Town Center is 2.5 miles from the Townes. And Rio Washingtonian Center, with a Target, a Barnes & Noble and an AMC Loews theater, is 4.5 miles away via Interstate 370/Sam Eig Highway. The Rockville Swim and Fitness Center and Rock Creek Regional Park are within a few miles.

Schools: Candlewood Elementary, Shady Grove Middle and Magruder High.

Transit: In addition to the Metro, major thoroughfares including I-270, I-370/Sam Eig Highway and the Intercounty Connector. Maryland Transit Administration commuter buses run from the Shady Grove Metro to Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport and to Fort Meade.

Laura Barnhardt Cech is a freelance writer.