Brightview Dulles Corner, a new senior living community in Herndon offering easy access to shops, restaurants, and the Metro line, opens in 2023. Lifetime Reston residents Margo and Jim Sterling will be among the community’s first new residents.
Margo is a self-proclaimed city girl at heart, having grown up in Chicago. She moved to Falls Church with her husband, Jim, who had been recruited for a job. After a few years, the Sterling family, now including a toddler and an infant, moved to the new town of Reston.
“Reston was a small town when we moved; there was not much here at all,” Margo said. “I watched the town grow and develop.” The family grew their roots in the town, living in the same house for over 50 years. Margo taught fifth and sixth grade in a school less than two miles from her home and retired in 2001. Jim worked for the International Chiefs of Police and continued to write prolifically. The two adventurous spirits loved to travel after retirement.
With health and mobility changes, the pair’s adventures are more locally based. It has also become more challenging to navigate their beloved four-level split home, so Margo pursued looking for a compatible living situation.
“When you’re my age, you’re always thinking about where you will go when you leave your home,” Margo said. After receiving a mailer to attend an informational Brightview luncheon at Mon Ami Gabi, her favorite French restaurant in Reston, Margo called her friend Joan to come along, figuring they would at least have a great lunch.
“We went, and it was different than what I was expecting,” Margo said. A Brightview associate sat at her table, and there was a lot of conversation among the group. “There were lots of questions and answers, and it was really positive,” she said.
After visiting other senior living communities with her daughters, Margo had a lot of information and a lot to consider before making her decision. She then visited Brightview Fair Oaks with one of her daughters, which was a totally different experience.
“I walked in, and I couldn’t believe it,” Margo said. “It is like a resort. This is more of what I want. There are people there, talking and walking around. I could see myself being there and being busy and happy.” The next day she visited the Brightview Dulles Corner Welcome Center and was sold.
One benefit for Margo and her family is that Brightview Dulles Corner features a monthly rental model. Like all Brightview communities, the monthly rental allows residents and their families to remain in better control of their assets. “At these other communities, I have to buy my condo and still pay a monthly fee,” Margo said. “Brightview has a monthly fee, but I don’t have to buy my condo. I don’t have to sell my house to move in, and I can invest my money.”
After living in Reston her whole adult life, Margo is excited to stay near her hometown. “The positive is I’ll still be 10-15 minutes from everything I know,” she said. Keeping her current doctor and dentist are both huge positives, and Margo can easily continue attending “Coffee Concerts” with the National Symphony Orchestra with Joan. Not only is the community’s convenient location a huge draw for the Sterlings, but having a more accessible home is a must.
“I have a totally different feeling now about my house and yard, which I love but can no longer take care of myself,” Margo said. “I’m ready to go. I have this huge house, but I pretty much only go into the bedroom and kitchen.” She’s already mapped out the setup of her one-bedroom apartment at Brightview and has purchased new furniture to fit the space better.
Margo can’t wait to take advantage of Brightview Dulles Corner’s full slate of engaging activities and delicious meal offerings. “I’ve looked at the menu, and there will be a wide variety of possibilities,” she said. “I’m interested in participating in all of it - book club, exercise classes, whatever. It will all be a new adventure full of possibilities.”
“I am looking forward to the future and living at Brightview,” she continued. “I’m most delighted that there will be people. Where there are people, there are friends.”
Brightview Senior Living builds, owns, and operates award-winning vibrant senior living communities in eight states along the East Coast: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. We offer senior Independent Living, Assisted Living, Enhanced Care, and Wellspring Village™, a specialized neighborhood for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Schedule a personal visit to experience our communities firsthand.
