I've been here 7 years. The units are small, and when I moved in kind of dumpy, but the price is really good and includes utilities. A few years ago they started painting the interiors orange, salmon, and bright green(depends on the unit). The light wells are this awful neon yellow-green. If you open your blinds you'll get a lovely view of your neighbors, so the ugly paint job is not much of a problem. I just learned the hard way to never ever look out there with a hangover. :D
The building also relies on a radiator system for heat. The pipes are pretty noisy, to the point where they sound haunted. In some units the pipes are exposed and require insulation in order to not constantly heat the unit. Past managers would turn the system on in and leave it on in the cold months. Currently the heat is on from about 6pm to 6am. If you over heat and crack your windows at night, you can forget about heating your place up until that evening. :( Electricity is included in rent, so I guess a space heater would be an option- hopefully you work 9-5 and sleep like a baby. The drunks get home at 2.
While the building is supposed to be pet friendly, and two of the last four managers really were, the latest one is much less so. She's not evil, and she told me not to worry about the cleanscapes bags if I need to take out more trash to keep my place clean. However, I've been on the receiving end of some passive aggressive harassment about my cat recently(she's not the one being immature about it), who has been here for 7 years by the way, and plan to find a nicer place to live ASAP.
The garbage being stored in the hallways, the constant stench of weed, and the all night drunken parties in light well units don't seem to raise much concern- but god forbid someone's dog barks or the faintest smell of litter disrupts the typical bowling alley bouquet. Even if it's not you, and you're anal as hell about the cat box(or the dog), you will be blamed. I shampoo with pet enzyme once every 6 months, vacuum weekly, mist the carpets with enzyme daily, keep a friggin' glade oil plug-in above the box, and dump it 3 times a week- and that's not enough to be left alone about it. :( Don't come here if you're looking for pet friendly, or need to sleep at night Thurs- Sun. Otherwise it's great for people that like to party in Belltown. It's near the buses too, so if you don't want/have a car the location is pretty convenient. read more