This review has been a long time coming. I have lived here for approximately one year and four…read moremonths. Throughout my time here I have had several different experiences, both good and bad. I will address as much as I can with the limited space I'm allotted. Some comments are based on other reviews, I hope this does not confuse anyone.
Parking: It's a bitch. Period. However, living in Seattle, that's not exactly an anomaly. This is the norm in Seattle, tiny parking lots and two-way streets that only have enough room for one car. When reserved parking became available, we jumped at the opportunity for a reserved spot. We have been happy with parking ever since. We have, however, recently found cars parked in our spot. We were peeved when this occurred and immediately reported the issue to the current apartment manager (Sandra). She acted swiftly and towing signs have now been put up in response. From my prospective, there is not much that the apartment management can do-this completely falls on my fellow tenants who want to be, ahem, ass-holes, and park in reserved spots. I am hoping the management team moves to assigned parking spots for everyone so that people parking in "reserved" spots will be mitigated and eventually non-existent.
Location/Traffic: I am a walker. I LOVE walking around the Queen Anne, SLU, and downtown areas. The location of this apartment complex is perfectly located to support access to these locations-and more, if you're up to it! Recently construction (and two-way traffic) has moved onto Mercer, close enough for people to look for back roads to avoid the traffic. But, again, traffic is something, like tightly packed parking lots, that comes with the territory. It's no secret that Seattle is terrible come rush hour (or any other random hour-we've come to find). To lessen the headaches, I subscribed to the Mercer Corridor Project mailing list. I'm notified of closings before they happen so that I can plan around it. But if you're walking (which I do whenever I can) then you don't really have to worry about traffic!
Pets: I actually don't have a pet, but this is a pet-friendly community. This section is more so to address the comments about pet waste around the property. I love dogs! I enjoy meeting all of the different dogs in this complex. However, I get so disgusted when owners allow their pets to use the bathroom in random places throughout the property. It is NOT, nor should it be, the responsibility of management to CLEAN UP after a tenant's pet (even though they do, whenever a lazy tenant does not clean it up)! If someone has this expectation, they are foolish and we will, unfortunately, continue to see pet waste. If you're renting a house and your pet uses the bathroom on the front porch, you're not going to call the landlord to clean it up. I think people should be fined. I understand animals have accidents, but that's no excuse to leave droppings or urine around.
Management: When I came to view Stream, Sherry was the apartment manager. She was great! She made the move smooth and enjoyable. I don't exactly recall when the next manager came in. I was fortunate enough to not need too much during her time here. She wasn't a terrible person or anything, and she did respond quickly when the igniter to the grill was out, but she did not seem approachable. After she left, there were temps left and right. When my lease was up, I had a difficult time finding someone to renew it. It didn't bother me much since I knew I wanted to live here for another year. But I can certainly see how this can be disconcerting to those less patient. In June we were fortunate enough to be introduced to Sandra, the current apartment manager! She introduced herself via email and began cleaning up the place (both literally and figuratively). Her attitude and work ethic is reminiscent of Sherry, and then some! I took advantage of her introduction and voiced some issues that I was concerned about. She addressed them immediately! She is such a sweetheart and I really hope she sticks around :)
Overall, I love living here. Sometimes the actions of other tenants make me want to move, but I guess you can't have it all. The apartments themselves are awesome with great soundproofing (my unit is right next to 99). I have air conditioning too, which has really come in handy for this hot summer (but apparently some apartments don't have them-so make sure you ask)! The rent and size of these apartments are in the minority, meaning you won't see many deals like this around Seattle. In fact, there are apartment complexes that offer the same rent for smaller, older apartments. Aside from rude tenants (I hope they move ASAP), I really enjoy living at Stream Uptown. Yes, I am a real tenant and I was not offered a bribe for this review. I hope my experiences here have been well explained and are helpful to you. Stream Uptown is not for everyone, just like any one thing is not for everyone (not even chocolate :( ). Peace