Gainesville, Virginia, August 15, 2005 … Northern Virginia’s first luxury rental apartment
property for active adults has begun leasing as its early 2006 completion draws near. The Marque at Heritage Hunt brings an entirely new housing option to the northern Virginia market. Replete with luxurious amenities and resort-like services, The Marque will provide adults age 55 and over a carefree and “pampered” lifestyle while they remain close to family, friends, and the cultural attractions of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. “The Marque answers the question that almost everyone over 55 asks: where do I go now, while I’m still healthy and able to care for myself?” said Louis Siegel, a Principal of Diversified Investment Associates, LLC of Baltimore, MD, The Marque’s developer. “To date, age-targeted housing has been focused on the affluent home buyers in communities where supportive services are lacking, while persons with limited incomes – at the opposite end of the spectrum – qualify for government-subsidized rentals. At The Marque, we are combining the convenience of renting with the amenities of luxury single-family housing, while adding the services of a five-star hotel.”
Siegel discussed the evolution of The Marque’s revolutionary approach to active adult housing. “The baby-boom generation is rejecting traditional retirement options,” he explained. “No market-rate luxury rental option exists that is exclusively created for these affluent active adults.”

“Nonetheless,” he went on, “the demand for senior luxury rentals is proven. There are more than 160,000 Northern Virginia households that are age- and income-qualified for The Marque. Almost 20 percent of these households are currently renting in housing that is not suitable them. This number almost doubles to 35 percent in Arlington and Alexandria, where many renters live in high-rise elevator buildings, older townhouses, or single-family homes, very few of which offer targeted services or amenities.”

“It‘s not hard to see why so many senior renters are left with feelings of social isolation,” Siegel concluded. “To meet their needs, we designed The Marque to promote dignified living in a luxurious setting that enables families and spouses to age gracefully, benefit from supportive services, nurture one another, and have fun.” While The Marque will serve this growing population, a larger question remains: how will the burgeoning demand for this type of specialized housing be met? “If suburban counties do not offer age-suitable rental housing, their affluent senior citizens will leave, taking with them their wealth and charitable activities,” Siegel predicted. “Jurisdictions that do not wake up to this demographic reality will suffer over the next decade. Restrictive zoning laws and regulations must be revised to accommodate the aging renter population, because losing these valuable members of the community is not acceptable. We commend Prince William County on its landmark initiative to enable service-enriched market-rate rentals for its older citizens.”

The Marque will allow active adults to leave behind the drudgery of home maintenance for the luxury and convenience of a ‘cruise ship on land.’ All this will be available with a single monthly rental fee, without all the extra and hidden costs of home ownership such as condominium or homeowner association fees, property taxes, utility bills, repairs, and special assessments.

The Marque will provide 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art amenities, located just an elevator ride away from the apartments and all under one roof. Residents will stay fit and healthy by taking advantage of the community’s state-of-the-art fitness center, sauna, massage room, aerobics room, outdoor pool with whirlpool spa and bathhouse, putting green, walking paths, tennis and bocce courts, onsite medical offices, and wellness center – even acupuncture. In addition, no less than five golf courses are within easy reach. And since socialization is important for maintaining long-term health, The Marque will include a grand lobby, the two-story Heritage Lounge with piano bar, The Marque Cafe and catering kitchen, theater, billiards room, crafts room, cards room, library, café, outdoor garden plots, and guest suites. Residents will have concierge service, a fully-equipped business center, and conference room at their disposal.

In addition, The Marque will offer residents a diverse array of in-home a-la-carte services from pre-qualified vendors at favorable rates. Such services will include medical consultation, grocery and meal delivery, cleaning, beauty services, pet care, and more. Residents will be able to schedule and pay for these services with a click of the mouse on The Marque’s exclusive Intranet.

The Marque will have 200 one to three-bedroom apartments with over 30 different luxury floor plans, ranging in size from approximately 800 to 1,500 square feet. All of the units will provide a variety of features typically limited to single-family homes, such as eat-in kitchens with pantries, king-size master bedrooms, large dining areas with built-in china closets, and his-and-her master bath accommodations. Some apartments will have gas fireplaces, powder rooms, and wet bars; select units will have high-ceilinged conservatories and grand covered heated sun-rooms. Residents who sign long-term leases may have the opportunity to customize their new homes.

All of The Marque’s apartments have been designed for the current and future needs of residents, incorporating a full range of Universal Design features such as wider doorways, lower light switches, higher countertops, and safety bars. Emergency medical call buttons will be located in all bathrooms and bedrooms. Elevators in each wing will provide quick and easy access to the parking areas. Secure gated surface, covered, and underground parking will be provided.

The Marque’s location in the Virginia Piedmont is already a destination for thousands of active adults. Located at 13550 Heathcote Boulevard, it is just off I-66 near I-29 in Gainesville, adjacent to the award-winning Heritage Hunt community. Just down Heathcote Boulevard is a new Village Center with restaurants, medical offices, and other services; less than a mile away, the new Virginia Gateway shopping center offers dozens of stores, services, and many more restaurants. Washington Dulles International Airport, just minutes away, has flights to practically anywhere in the world. Residents will enjoy mountain views to the west along with close proximity to the cultural attractions of the Nation’s capital.

Those who live at The Marque won’t need to go to downtown Washington, however, for music, theater, and other diversions. A $56 million 1,100-seat performing arts center, designed in the style of a grand European opera house, is planned for the nearby Prince William campus of George Mason University. And for those who remain young at heart, the nearby outdoor Nissan Pavilion rocks all summer long with blockbuster concerts. For floor plans and more information about The Marque, visit www.themarque55.com. (A “virtual tour” CD is available upon request.)

Diversified Investment Associates, LLC is a private real estate investment and development firm founded 35 years ago and located in Baltimore, MD. DIA’s principals have developed and operated virtually every type of commercial and residential real estate, with closed transactions exceeding $1.5 billion in total value. Most recently, DIA has focused on development of amenity-rich luxury apartments, condominiums, and planned communities in the mid-Atlantic region.