I moved in to this complex mid-July 2018 (when it was previously known as Sherwood Apartments. The apartment complex WAS a worn down, dingy mess which had seen better days. Over the last year the property management company has sunk a lot of money in to renovating everything both inside the apartments and outside. They've added a fenced off-leash dog park & small dog wash station, fire pits, a BBQ area, parking lots have been recently paved, and most of the landscaping has been re-done. It really does look very nice!
Here are my pros & cons of 3030 Lake City (please note this review is probably only useful as long as Pacific Living Properties manages the complex). Also there are SEVERAL different buildings in this complex and depending on which one you live in the experience will vary. If your patio faces 145th, its going to be a lot less peaceful living than say, if you're in the "B" building. I highly recommend visiting in person if you can, and asking to see where the location of your future apartment would be.
PROS:
- Beautiful exterior (specifically referring to within the complex)
- E-everything (the laundry room works via an app on your phone, electronic package pickup is being installed, rent is paid online, maintenance requests are made online) I've thoroughly enjoyed the convenience
- Maintenance requests are always quickly responded to. I will qualify this by saying I've only ever made minor repair requests. The quality of the work varies. The tub is needing to be re-caulked for a third time.
- Convenient location. I commute frequently to downtown Seattle and its awesome how accessible the freeway entrances are. There are a lot of good bus routes within walking distance. The Fred Meyer is less than a mile away, and Walgreens is easily within walking distance. If you're a University student, this place is not a bad choice if you're okay commuting to campus.
- Parking lots are well-sized, and there is plenty of on-street parking for guests.
- Landlord has always been pleasant to work with.
CONS
- Neighborhood. Haha, can I just repeat this a few more times? This part is probably the most important thing to consider.
Okay, so the blocks surrounding this complex are VERY densely packed with people and apartments. It is extremely diverse both ethnically and in income levels. I've actually never lived on a street that had both a condemned building AND an expensive multi-level apartment building on it. There is a lot of "neighborhood noise" with heavy traffic, yelling, car horns, and foot traffic too.
I want to emphasize - I have never felt unsafe living in this neighborhood but I would caution any resident to be extra vigilant with leaving belongings unattended, or cars unlocked. Once you move outside the immediate surrounding streets, the rest of the north lake city area is actually quite nice.
- Rent prices are higher than average. Its the truth. Part of this is simply Seattle being expensive to live in, but if you search around there are probably more affordable options out there. Of course, will get all the cool extra amenities? Probably not, and the off-leash dog park is a huge selling point.
As far as actually living here. I'd definitely rent again at 3030 Lake City if the rents were still in my price range :)
Hope this helps any future tenants with decision making! Happy apartment hunting!
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