The pet-friendly One-Five condominium building has a roof deck with Capitol views

As featured in the Washington Post 

The neighborhood known as Hill East near the Potomac Avenue Metro station in Southeast Washington is quickly becoming the site of numerous apartment and condo developments, many designed to accommodate first-time home buyers and renters priced out of Capitol Hill and other expensive city communities.

“We own and have developed buildings in Barracks Row on Capitol Hill and in the H Street corridor, but I didn’t know much about Hill East until we started poking around and attending ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] meetings,” said Eric May, principal of May Development, developers of the One-Five at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.

“At our first information session for neighbors, early on in the process of developing One-Five, we were totally shocked to have 100 people show up who were excited about the possibility of buying in the neighborhood,” he said.

Seventy-five percent of the 41 condominiums at One-Five are under contract. The available units are priced from $359,900 to $639,900. Garage parking is available for an additional $35,000.

“The neighborhood is largely either small condo buildings with two to four units and rowhouses,” said May. “The rowhouse prices have been rising quickly, to $600,000 and up for a fixer-upper and to $1 million or more for one that’s been renovated. We felt like there was a missing link of affordability for people who want to live in the area and own something new, so most of our units are smaller and priced in the $300,000s and $400,000s.”

The units are priced from $359,900 to $639,900.

Seventy percent of the units are one-bedrooms, some with a den; 10 percent are studios and 20 percent are two-bedroom units that May said mostly appeal to people who are downsizing.

“The corner of 15th and Pennsylvania was ripe for redevelopment,” said May. “There used to be a gas station there and later a pizza place that was vacant. We opted to develop a very modern building with floor-to-ceiling glass windows because it’s located on a prominent corner, and the neighbors we consulted liked the idea of a modern mid-rise there.”

Some units have a Juliet balcony. The five ground-level ones with a private terrace have been sold.

Roof deck with a view: The remaining units include a mix of one- and two-bedroom condos.

Unit 107, a one-bedroom model unit on the first floor with 549 square feet, is priced at $394,900 with a monthly condo fee of $266.

The front door of this unit opens directly into the kitchen, which is open to the living and dining area. The kitchen has ivory cabinets and a narrow apartment-size refrigerator. A closet with a washer and dryer and mechanical equipment is next to the front door. The bedroom has the unit’s only closet, a double-door clothes closet. Adjacent to the bedroom is a full bathroom with a combination tub and shower.

Unit 310, a one-bedroom model unit on the third floor with 703 square feet is under contract. This condo has a den that includes a sliding barn door, an alcove for a desk or dresser and a closet. A coat closet is next to the front door, along with a closet with mechanical equipment and a washer and dryer. The unit has an open kitchen, living and dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around a corner of the room. The bedroom has a double-door closet and an adjacent full bathroom with a combination tub and shower.

The kitchens have quartz counters and stainless-steel appliances. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Unit 308, a two-bedroom model unit on the third floor with 896 square feet, is priced at $629,900 with a monthly condo fee of $430. This unit is entered directly into the kitchen and has a small coat closet and a mechanical closet next to the front door. The open living and dining area has floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around a corner of the room. On one side of the living area are a closet with a washer and dryer, a full bathroom with a combination tub and shower and a bedroom with a double-door closet.

On the opposite side of the living area is the master bedroom, which has two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, a walk-in closet and a private full bathroom with a combination tub and shower.

Unit 404, a one-bedroom unit on the fourth floor with 541 square feet, is priced at $359,900 with a monthly condo fee of $259. This unit has a coat closet, a mechanical closet and a closet with a washer and dryer near the front door, along with a full bathroom with a shower. The unit has an angled kitchen that leads to the living and dining area, which has a floor-to-ceiling window. A sliding barn door opens into the bedroom, which has a double-door closet but no window.

The prime amenity of the building is a roof deck with a view of the Capitol and of the spires of Washington National Cathedral in the distance, two built-in gas grills and several areas for sitting and dining. The building also has an underground parking garage with bike storage. The pet-friendly building allows two pets per unit without any weight restrictions.

What’s nearby: Residents can walk to Eastern Market and shops and restaurants along Pennsylvania Avenue and Barracks Row on Eighth Street SE. A Harris Teeter grocery store and a wine shop are one block from the condo. The Yards Park, Nationals Park and the Capitol Riverfront development are within biking distance.

Schools: Watkins and Peabody Elementary, Stuart-Hobson Middle and Eastern High.

Transit: One-Five is located one block from the Potomac Avenue Metro station for Blue, Orange and Silver line service. The neighborhood is served by several bus lines.

The master bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around a corner of the room. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)