Versatile spaces in McLean

It may seem necessary to drive dozens of miles outside the District’s city limits to find a hidden oasis of privacy and

quiet - but sometimes, the most serene places can be found within minutes of the city’s borders.

The home at 1707 James Payne Circle in McLean, on the market for $1,197,500, offers a peaceful retreat from daily life

hidden beneath a canopy of trees. Built in 1968 and meticulously maintained and modernized, this home provides seemingly

endless places to enjoy outdoor living along with flexible rooms indoors for myriad activities. The owners have

landscaped the property for low-maintenance living as well as maximum privacy.

Just minutes from downtown Washington and the shops and amenities of McLean, this all-brick home in the Chesterbrook

Hills area easily blends traditional style and contemporary flair. Sited on .35 acre, the home has a landscaped front

yard with mature trees and a meandering stone path that leads to the two-car garage and the brick front courtyard, which

sits low enough below the street for privacy and is semienclosed by brick walls. The courtyard has a brick patio and an

Italian-style water fountain.

A wood deck wraps around the back and two sides of the main level, while a wood balcony off the master suite provides a

private outdoor space for the owners. Another brick patio is located off the back of the lower level.

Double front doors open from the courtyard into the home, which has hardwood flooring throughout most of the main level.

To the right of the foyer is a library with built-in bookcases and cabinets on two walls. The windows in the library and

the rest of the main level have custom-built plantation shutters.

In front of the foyer, a double door opens into the formal living room, which has a wood-stove insert in the fireplace

and French doors to the deck. Double doors open from the living room into the formal dining room, which has dentil crown

molding, wainscoting and a stained-glass chandelier. French doors link the dining room with the deck, a swing door links

the room to the kitchen, and a second set of French doors opens from the dining room into the family room. The family

room has a beamed ceiling, an oversized gas fireplace and French doors opening onto the deck.

At the front of the home is the renovated gourmet kitchen, accessible from the foyer, dining room and family room.

Remodeled in 2010, the kitchen includes sleek black-painted wood cabinets, open shelving, granite counters, ceramic tile

flooring, upgraded stainless steel appliances and an oversized skylight. The kitchen includes a breakfast bar and opens

to a breakfast area with windows facing the front courtyard. Adjacent to the kitchen is a powder room with crown molding

and ceramic tile flooring.

Past the kitchen is almost a separate wing of the main level that includes three large rooms with flexible uses. The

first room is being used as a home office and includes a double-door closet plus French doors that open into the sunroom.

The sunroom has ceramic tile flooring, a wall of windows, a free-standing wood stove and a second set of French doors

that open into a card room or sitting room. The sunroom has transoms above all the windows and doors and is currently

used as an exercise room.

An exit to the front of the home allows this space to function well as a home office for people who have visitors to

their office. Alternatively, the area can be used as a playroom or children’s study, an art studio or simply for

additional rooms for entertaining friends and family.

The upper level originally had four bedrooms and easily could be reconfigured to that floor plan. For now, the master

suite includes a separate sitting room with a ceiling fan and a double-door closet, along with a window overlooking the

backyard. The owners will replace the wall between the master bedroom and master sitting room to re-create the fourth

bedroom if the buyers prefer.

The master bedroom has a glass door to a private balcony overlooking the front courtyard. The suite includes a dressing

room with a door to an oversized walk-in closet with built-ins. The luxurious master bath has ceramic tile flooring, a

glass-enclosed shower with a seat and a granite counter on the vanity.

The upper level has two more bedrooms, each with a double-door closet. These bedrooms share a renovated full bath with

ceramic tile flooring. The hall includes a linen closet and a storage closet.

The finished lower level includes a spacious bedroom with two double-door closets and a walk-in closet. This level also

has a recreation room with French doors to the patio, a gas fireplace and plenty of space for a seating area and two

separate game areas. Adjacent to the recreation room is a kitchenette with granite counters, a dishwasher, a wine cooler,

a refrigerator, a microwave and multiple cabinets.

The lower level also has a sauna, a full bath with a deep soaking tub, a cedar closet and an oversized laundry room with

ceramic tile flooring, a sink and cabinets. At the opposite end of this level is a workshop and storage room with French

doors to the patio.

Drill-site leak shows need for master plan for Lake Arlington

In July, a small amount of water from a Fort Worth natural gas drilling site leaked

into Lake Arlington after the shutoff valve of a frac tank was apparently left open.

Arlington, which owns and controls the lake, conducted immediate and follow-up testing

to check for metals and volatile chemicals such as benzene and chlorine but found no

contamination related to the incident, Water Utilities Director Julie Hunt said.

But the spill from Quicksilver Resources' Olcott South drill site is a perfect example

of why city officials are drafting a Lake Arlington Master Plan and other ordinances

aimed at protecting the lake, which supplies drinking water to more than 500,000

people, including Arlington residents.

The City Council is considering, for example, requiring gas-drilling sites to be at

least 600 feet from the lake.

"If an event did occur on-site, you are putting a buffer between the drinking-water

reservoir and the gas-drilling sites," Hunt said. "Giving that extra distance allows

there to be less influence if there was a spill that was not contained."

On Tuesday, Hunt presented a draft of the lake master plan to the council. The

document is meant to help protect water quality, serve as a planning tool, optimize

recreational opportunities, manage the lake ecosystem and identify the potential

impact of development.

City officials have worked with their counterparts in Fort Worth, which borders the

western shoreline, as well as with the North Central Texas Council of Governments to

facilitate communication with the 10 other cities and two counties in the lake's

watershed. Part of the plan addresses ways to reduce litter and polluted runoff from

upstream.

Several natural gas sites are along the lake, mostly on the Fort Worth side. Arlington

plans to ask Fort Worth to also consider the 600-foot setback for future drill sites,

Hunt said.

After the spill, the city did detect bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, used to make

plastics, at levels above the maximum contaminates allowed for drinking-water

standards, a staff report shows. City officials attribute the results to plastic

litter in the lake, not the drilling site spill.

Quicksilver paid all costs -- just under $10,000 -- associated with the soil and water

testing and has implemented measures to prevent future lake contamination from water

runoff, according to the staff report.

After Hunt's presentation Tuesday, Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon praised the two

cities' cooperation on the lake plan.