A joint venture between St. John Properties, Inc. and Somerset Companies LLC has delivered the first phase of Melford Mansions, a luxury multifamily community within Melford Town Center in Bowie, Maryland. The initial delivery includes four, five-story buildings offering 197 studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences ranging from 516 to 1348 square feet and is complemented by a full range of on-site resident-based amenities. Upon final completion, Melford Mansions, located in Prince George’s County, will feature eight buildings totaling 435 apartment homes. Melford Mansions was co-designed by Architects Collaborative and KTGY. Aumen Asner, Inc. oversaw interior design, St. John Properties’ in-house multifamily construction division completed all general contracting activities, and Bozzuto Management is the leasing and property manager.

Melford Mansions represents the sixth joint venture partnership between St. John Properties and Somerset Companies. Melford Mansions is adjacent to Aspen at Melford Town Center, a 388-unit luxury multifamily community delivered by the group in 2023. The partnership is also developing Aspen at Greenleigh, a $148 million luxury multifamily project in northern Baltimore County. Located within the 1,000-acre mixed-use Greenleigh development, the project will include 335 units and is expected to be delivered in 2028. Melford Mansions is the first project delivered by St. John Properties’s in-house multifamily construction division, which was formed last year.

According to data from RentCafe, the vacancy rate for multifamily product in Bowie, Maryland is approximately 2.7 percent compared with more than 7 percent nationally.     

“The rapid lease-up and sustained high occupancy of Aspen at Melford Town Center, combined with the continued strength of the multifamily sector in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor presented compelling reasons to initiate construction of this best-in-class apartment home community,” explained Neil Greenberg, Chief Operating Officer of Somerset Companies. “The community’s multiple floorplan options, over-sized living spaces, technology features, and robust interior and exterior amenity package, reflects the emerging priorities of the modern-

day apartment resident. We continually prompt input and have learned that, particularly in the post-pandemic era, residents have elongated experiences in their homes and are drawn to multi-functional spaces that can be utilized for educating children, entertaining, exercising, and working. This insight led us to incorporate larger floor plans, in-building garages, additional storage space, electric vehicle charging stations, and an amenity package designed to meet the needs of young professionals, families, and empty nesters.”

Each apartment home is equipped with nine-foot ceiling heights, open-plan kitchens with breakfast bars and granite countertops, 42” kitchen cabinets, upgraded stainless steel appliances with washers and dryers, spa-inspired bathrooms with separate showers and extra-large soaking tubs, eight-foot-tall entry doors, ceiling fans with lights, and plank flooring throughout. Lofts, balconies, and dens are available in certain homes.

Phase I includes 21 studios, 91 one-bedroom units, 53 two-bedroom units, 32 three-bedroom units, and 114 equipped with dens. Two buildings recently delivered and two additional buildings in Phase I will be completed in November. Four additional buildings, featuring 238 apartment homes, will be completed in 2028. At completion, nearly 1,300 apartment homes will be constructed at Melford Town Center under the Melford Living brand.

“Parking spaces are often at a premium at apartment communities,” Greenberg added. “Melford Mansions offers parking garages with designated spaces, guaranteeing residents a parking space when returning home. The additional storage, workspace, and electric vehicle charging capabilities are bonuses, and reduce the necessity for off-site and expensive storage space.”  

The multifamily community’s amenity package is highlighted by a two-story community room and resident lounge complete with a state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga studio, multi-media center with over-sized viewing screen and hospitality bar, billiards room, and business center with conference area. Outdoors, a courtyard area is equipped with cabana, fireplace, large-screen television, additionally the community boasts bike storage, walking trails, and a pond suitable for fishing, and model sail boating.

St. John Properties has developed nearly one million square feet of commercial office, flex/R&D, and retail space at Melford Town Center. The 466-acre mixed-use community is in Bowie at the intersection of US Route 50 and MD Route 3/301 within Prince George’s County. The development is home to a Courtyard by Marriott hotel and will feature more than 64,000 square feet of inline, pad-site, and stand-alone retail space. Melford Town Center is located approximately 15 miles from Annapolis, 18 miles from BWI Airport, and 25 miles from Baltimore and 

Washington, D.C. Nearly 108,000 vehicles pass the community via US Route 50 on a daily basis. In addition, approximately 113,000 people reside within a five-mile radius of the business community, with an average household income exceeding $180,000.