I'm about to move out of Woodway at Trinity Centre after living there for 3 1/2 years. If you compare this complex to the many similar complexes in Centreville, I think Woodway and neighboring Post Corners are, by far, in the best location. Woodway sits on a fairly quiet business parkway with a jogging trail loop. You'll be walking distance to some really good restaurants and Lifetime Fitness. If you don't mind walking across busy Route 29, you have Starbucks, Giant, barber shops, banks, and a huge variety of international food. You can't beat the location of Trader Joe's (right behind Woodway). The Centreville Trader Joe's isn't as crowded as most. A new, large Whole Foods is only one exit away. Wegman's is less than 5 minutes on Route 29.

This location is right near Route 28, and I-66. It only takes me about 30 seconds to get onto and off of the interstate. You can't beat that. There is a Park N' Ride down the road and a Metro bus to Vienna Metro will stop IN FRONT of Woodway on weekdays only. That is very useful if you're commuting into DC. It also runs inbound during the evening if you want to meet friends after work. Also, this part of Centreville is probably among the safest in Fairfax County. My girlfriend and I have never had a problem or felt unsafe.

When we moved into a 2 bed/2 bath in 2005, there were some odd maintenance issues left over from previous tenants. Once those were taken care of, I rarely had to call. Maintenance usually responded within 24 hours (never longer than 2 days). As for the leasing office, they're as nice or as mean as they need to be. I think it depends on the tenant. I don't consider myself a problem tenant. Rent is always on time, I don't have loud parties and I keep the place clean. They've never had to yell at me for anything. If you read the posts on this site, you get some very interesting stories about leasing office staff. I think they are all trained to deal with people the same way. No matter who you talk to, it seems the answers are always the same (even with the high turnover). Lately, I've dealt with Ashley in Woodway's leasing office. She seems genuinely nice and always does what she says she is going to do.

Just to prove I don't work for the leasing office, there are a few cons that you should be warned about before signing on the dotted line:

-- Construction/Noise -- Walls are rather thin. You do hear your neighbors sometimes. I'm sure this varies from building to building. I live on the top floor. Not having someone above me helps with noise. I DO hear noise from the stairway and outdoor hallway, probably because the door is not very soundproof. I hear hallway noise more often than I hear my neighbors next door. Occasionally, I can hear cars pulling in/out and parking lot conversations at night. The Dulles flight path goes directly over this area of Centreville, but I quickly got used to the planes landing. I don't even notice them flying over the building, two in a row, every 30 seconds.

-- Utilities -- Utilities are not included in rent. For a 2 bedroom, water/sewer is around $18. Electricity can be sky high in winter. I've noticed the windows are very cheap. They let in a lot of cold air, which makes the heater kick on more often. On the high end, electric is $120-$150. During spring/fall, when the windows stay open, it's been as low as $70. The complex sends a memo around Christmas telling tenants who plan to leave town that they have to keep their thermostats at 70 degrees or higher to avoid pipes from freezing. That is probably because of cheaper construction. But, from what I've heard, many of these garden-style complexes seem to have similar issues. As for cable, Fairfax County has Cox cable... which is MUCH BETTER than Comcast, which serves neighboring Prince William and Arlington. It's actually a pleasure to deal with Cox. Their reps are local. I've never had a problem dealing with them. They always seem to offer me HBO/Showtime promotions too.

-- Rent -- Like most of these nationally-owned complexes (Woodway is managed by Lincoln Properties), they reel you in with very good concessions / promotional prices. I was happy when Woodway offered an incentive to stay a second year (many other places send you straight up to "regular price"). But, by the third year, the incentives to re-sign a lease are very small. For my two bedroom, rent started around $1150. Now, I pay around $1500. The higher rent is the main reason I'm moving out. I realized that I can live in a slightly smaller place of comparable quality in Alexandria or DC for less than $1500! I'm choosing to live a little closer to the District and actually saving a little bit of money on rent.

-- Parking -- It's free! It's unassigned. I sometimes have to park a couple buildings away if I come home late, but I don't mind. I usually park near my mailbox (which is rather far from my building), get the mail and walk it. Never more than an extra minute of walking. Parking depends on what building you're in. If you're in the back, there are more options. If you're near a lot of 2 bedroom units, there are more cars in the lot and less options.

-- Garbage/Mailbox -- The trash compactor in front is closest to me. It's usually in working order. But, as far as I can tell, you can only recycle in the front of the complex. There are dumpsters in the back of the complex for garbage, but I don't think there is recycling back there. So, if you live in the back, you might find it hard to recycle. Mailbox placement is weird. Some buildings are kind of far from their mail "island". That's something to be aware of when selecting a building. I would suggest driving into the complex at night and walking around before signing. That way you can get a feel for the parking, mailbox, garbage and noise level.

-- Neighbors -- If you're looking for friendly people that will sit and talk to you for hours on end, this is probably not the place for you. These are mostly working people who work long hours and have to deal with a long commute every day. Neighbors are very diverse, as is Centreville. My neighbors are friendly, but there is quite a high turnover of people entering and exiting northern Virginia for various reasons. I have probably set a longevity record in my building by living there 3 1/2 years.

-- Food Delivery -- There are more food delivery vehicles driving in Centreville than regular cars. I'm sure there are over 100 places that will deliver to Woodway. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Pizza, Burgers, even beer! Giant will deliver your groceries. You name it. It can probably be delivered. Except for Starbucks.

To summarize,
PROS: location, safe area, maintenance is OK, leasing office is friendly enough, free parking, Cox cable, Metro bus service, proximity to I-66/Route 28/Route 29, proximity to Trader Joes, food delivery, and plazas across the street within walking distance.

CONS: Cheap construction makes some units noisy and leads to high electric bills in winter, rent can get rather high if you stay more than three years, and if you drive to DC daily it will take a long time as Centreville is still about 20 miles from the District. With morning and afternoon restrictions on I-66 inside the beltway, you'll want to carpool or fight for a parking space at the Vienna Metro in the wee hours of the morning.

I hope this comprehensive review helps. I can't comment on the amenities such as business center and fitness center because I don't use them much. I've been to the pool. It's a good size and is open in the summer months.

I've chosen to live closer to DC for about the same price. But, if Centreville is where you want to be, Woodway is among your best choices. You can't beat the location. I've enjoyed my time at Woodway and will miss living in this newer, safe, well planned area of Fairfax. Even with some of the cons, I would still recommend it.

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