"We needed 100% confidence that our financial needs would be met throughout the life of this project," DSF Group president and CEO Art Solomon says of the financing arrangement. "When a lender's professionals understand the construction process, we are much better off. Everything in real estate is based on relationships, and this financing package reflects Key Bank's understanding of our business."

Patriot Village will sit on a six-acre parcel off I-66, near the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro Station in Fairfax County. The apartment community's residential units will be laid out in a design calling for 12 contiguous buildings to be contained within two four-story structures. Patriot Village will also feature two separate parking facilities to accommodate over 700 vehicles.

Patriot Village is just one of several projects being developed in an effort to revive the Dunn Loring neighborhood by creating a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere with combined residential and retail spaces. Last summer, LCOR Inc. broke ground on Wilton House, a 259-unit luxury apartment building, and last month the local planning commission gave the thumbs up to a 265-unit complex with ground level retail.