Moving to Phalen Village was the best decision I ever made!…read more I moved a great deal throughout my life. My moves topped 25 and 10 of those moves were Interstate moves. The longest I'd ever been able to live in one place was four years and I was tired of the Gypsy lifestyle. So I started looking for "the last house on the block" because I wanted to throw away the moving boxes and finally put down roots for the first time in 55 years. I started looking at numerous housing options. If, in the beginning of that search, you would have asked me if I would have considered Active Senior Living I would have given that a "remote chance". I knew I did not want the overhead of a full home, again. I looked at apartments but the rental rates were not to my liking. I wanted more for my dollar. I looked at Condos but could not find a small condo complex that accepted pets. Besides which the Association Dues for the condos were outrageous. Then one day I simply drove by Phalen Village and dialed the number from my cell phone while stopped at a stoplight. From that moment forward absolutely everything fell into place.There was one unit share open at the time and turns out it's exactly the floor plan I would have chosen, given the options. I was approved by the Board Of Directors to move to Phalen Village within days. The Resident Manager shouldered virtually all the renovations to my unit (carpet, flooring, paint, light fixtures, appliances) and I simply showed up a month later with my furniture. The process was seamless! The next month I brought my new rescue Pug home and he considers himself the Mascot of the building. I thought I was moving into an apartment building. I soon found that I had moved into a family atmosphere. The caring and support and socialization with the other members in the community is more than I ever expected. A loner, by nature, it is hard to justify not falling out my front door down one floor to events. I have repeatedly, and personally, seen and been the benefactor of the support of this community in difficult times. I am so proud of and grateful for my Phalen Family. If you are looking for more than just an "apartment" or have decided the overhead of a "home" is too much, if you are looking for a place to belong, if you are looking for a place to socialize, if you are looking for a place to connect, if you are looking or a place to thrive, if you are looking for a place to finally call "home", then Phalen Village should be your next stop. It's true what they say here. Real Life does begin at 55.

My parents moved into Reallife in 2005, and has been the best move they could have made. The…read morecommunity is great and active, so there is always something to be involved in, but as independent private apartments, they also have the privacy that one would expect of a private apartment. No more snow shoveling or home maintenance. No more worries about falls off of ladders. No more weekend maintenance projects with my parents. The co-op takes care of all of this for them, and they love it!

If you're looking for a place to live in downtown St. Paul, look no further. I've had the distinct…read morepleasure of residing at The Penfield for almost 6 months now and this is, without a doubt, a second to none living experience, I assure you. I have found it to be an all-inclusive living experience thus far with residents ranging from early adulthood to those in their senior years. And that is just the beginning. If you associate yourself with class, luxury, courtesy and just good, clean livin' then you'd be making a serious mistake if you didn't at least visit the property before finalizing any other potential living engagements. I often ask myself, what doesn't The Penfield offer? The Penfield provides clean, spacious and lavish community spaces, prompt maintenance, indoor parking garages, the friendliest neighbors, attractive and luxurious finishes/layouts, and, most importantly, a wonderful staff comprised of extremely professional, passionate and selfless individuals working endlessly to deliver an exceptional living experience. The management team makes every effort to meet the demands and desires of their residents and it shows. The process of moving into The Penfield was made seamless for me through the constant communication with management and their willingness to aid in any and every way. And that's saying an awful lot being that I was away on a deployment to South-East Asia at the time of finalizing my arrangements with The Penfield. Even in the midst of being thousands of miles from the property, my hundreds of emails were answered in a timely manner and my arrangements were completely taken care of for me without hassle or any other move related difficulties. I am confident that very few people can make this kind of transition as stress-free and easy for the customer as they did for me. In reference to earlier reviews regarding the vehicle break-ins and animal waste issues, please allow me further elaborate. While the incidents themselves are true, the reaction to these developments taken by management couldn't be more inaccurate. Whenever a vehicle is broken into (which hasn't occurred for several months now) management is very fast to respond. They immediately upped security measures immensely and now have on-site patrol accompany the garages throughout the night. Since these safety measures were implemented there have been no reported incidents of vehicle break-ins. Additionally, in regard to animal waste, the same kind of reaction and response from management was received. Addressing the residents immediately with strict guidelines for pets and their owner's care for them. Since these guidelines have been set in place, I have yet to see a single incident regarding animal waste in any area of the complex. Needless to say, no place is perfect, that much should be obvious. But The Penfield is close and only working to further provide perfection. They care deeply for the community and their resident and will work to make your living experience a fulfilling one.

There are 49 different layouts. When viewing, they will only show you the model unit. I cannot…read morestress this enough, make sure you get to view the unit you're moving into!!!!! The building is U shaped which means there are three hallways on each floor along with 50 units on each floor. I live on the opposite end of the U where the moving elevator was on the complete opposite side of the U. I have a 7 minute walk to and from the trash/recycling. It takes 3 1/2 minutes to walk to the elevator. There's an elevator at the end of my hallway, but that's not the elevator they allow you to use to move in. I had what they called a, "long move in." It was me and three of the moving guys I hired literally running down the hallways because I had budgeted them for 7 hours. The manager only allows you 3 hours to schedule the dock to move your stuff in. If you go over the allowed 3 hours without telling the manager, they will fine you $200. This place absolutely loves their fines. Parking is $160 a month. They charge for trash and water. My heating/ac bill was extremely outrageously expensive. I moved out of an 800 sq. foot house and my electric bill was never over $80 a month. My electric bill now for a 630 sq. Foot apartment is $120 a month in the summer. Since this is located above a grocery store, there are deliveries at all hours of the night. 2am, 3am 4am, 5am, not to mention, the garbage trucks come very early as well as the recycling truck. The two gas grills are completely filthy. I don't think they've ever been cleaned. It's a grease fire waiting to happen. I've tried 3 attempts at leaving Google reviews, but they've been removed every time. The noise from the mufflers is so loud and obtrusive, you can't leave your windows open in the summer nor can you leave them open at night due to the nightly deliveries. The unit I have comes with a "fireplace" which it definitely is not. It's a fan with an orange light. It never gets hot enough to warm up the place. I thought it was at least a gas fireplace, but no. It's such a bait and switch trap. I pay $1630 a month plus $35 for water/trash and $160 a month for parking. Keep looking as this isn't it.

I'm a young professional that works downtown and the lofts are a great place to live. Cool,…read morehistoric building with updated amenities. I have a golden retriever and can take him right across the street from Mears Park. Tons of great restaurants and bars nearby, and the world of beer tap room is opening next door. I can walk to check out the farmers market, St. Paul Saints, and easy access to the Green Line. I'm buying a house in a few months and moving out, but would recommended anyone looking to move downtown to check this place out.

From the owner: Embrace your artistic side in our vibrant and pet-friendly downtown St. Paul lofts. Enjoy the…read moreconveniences that the city has to offer with an industrial, historic feel in your new lofted home. Once home to Robinson Straus & Company and Powers Dry Goods, Lowertown Lofts captures the historic details. High ceilings, exposed beams, and brick have been preserved in each home. Luxury meets industrial in each renovated loft, featuring modern finishes, cabinetry, and stainless steel appliances.

Great property in a great location! Love how pet friendly it is!read more

From the owner: Come home to Grand Magnolia Apartments - the finest in apartment living!…read more We are ideally located in the heart of the Lake Phalen neighborhood with easy access to I-94 and I-35E. Heat, water & trash are included in the rent. On-site laundry is available for your convenience and we have both storage facilities and garages available for rent! All of our apartment homes feature new carpeting, energy-efficient appliances, ceiling fans, large windows & tons of closet space! Dogs and cats are welcome!

Love this place! Management is great! They truly care for their residents! Thanks Chris and Dylanread more

I lived here for a year. The apartments are very modern but a little on the small end. I paid about…read more$1700 for a 600 sq ft. 1 bedroom apartment. The electrical was on the higher end too. When I stayed at Kellogg Square is was less than $30 a month. I was paying around $100 monthly here. Initial Impression: Rental Assistants: Loved Lupe! Very nice. Communication is a little on the slow side. If you email with questions you won't always get a reply. Be sure to have your questions ready when you do your showing. Parking Sucks: My parking spot was being used by other people so I would park in the guest parking my first several days. My husband was yelled at by a rental manager as the spots were for guests only. When I told them my spot was taken they went to look during the middle of the day (when people are at work) and basically called me a liar. Luckily I took pictures of the cars I found in my spot. They then apologized and gave me a better spot. Staff: The security people at night are awesome. I enjoyed talking to them. So were the valet people for the Hyatt and the bartender at the Hyatt! I also enjoyed seeing staff at their building parties. Amenities: Excellent! Oddly they go unused most days. Pool was a little on the cold side for my liking. Kids enjoyed it though. Safety: The location is not safe. This is one of the main reasons I decided to leave. One night I heard a woman screaming and horns honking out my window. There were men trying to carjack people by walking in the middle of Kellogg to block them. This was very scary. Also, you can walk to lots of places but be prepared to be sexually harassed or followed. I even received a proposal on my walk to World of Beers! Security Deposit/Move Out-In: Move out and in was very easy. They let you go to the lower level where you can access dolly's and elevators. I like that their security deposit is low. I did not like that they charged me $70 for two hours of cleaning. I left the place extremely clean. I am guessing they charge everyone this to make up for standard move out work they do that most places would cover (like Kellogg Square!). It's unfortunate a few instances tainted my experience. I do think most people would enjoy and be very happy here.

They make sure their sidewalks are always clear no matter the weather, as someone who uses them…read moredaily to get to the bus I'm very thankful.

Valley Creek Prompt, in addressing thework orders. Excellent…read morein communication . Extremely kids, community, and family fun activites community living. I am impressed by their commitment to providing quality living Proud resident since 2015

Do not, I repeat do NOT rent from this hell hole. From the day I signed my lease I saw red flags…read morebut it was too late to look for another place. I had one week to be out of my beautiful luxury apt I moved from. I went back one last time right before signing and asked to see the unit one more time just to make sure I was getting what I wanted. It was raining and one of the leasing agents looked at the other one and rolled her eyes I should have walked out right then and there. She finally did give in though and show me the unit one more time. On that tour, I asked how much it would be for a cat deposit because I was considering getting one at the time. She told me three $300. When we got back to the office where I sat down to sign the lease, I was reading through the contract and it said cat deposit is $200. I brought it to her attention and she said no it doesn't and I said yes it does. It's right here and pointed it out to her. So then she tells me oh well that's a mistake that needs to be updated. It's not my fault your contract says a different price. She should have honored the 200 deposit. In the end, I just got a note from my doctor saying that she's a companion animal so I didn't have to pay anything and they lost. Does she not realize I would have one in court? The walls are paper thin. You can literally hear your neighbors (on sides and upstairs and downstairs) having a good time in their bedroom. Apartments were built in '89 and I'm pretty sure they have the original paint and carpet in the hallway in all the buildings. The sign out front says 'luxury apartments'. They may have been luxury at one time but no more. That sign needs to come down. There was one staff member (Shannon, the manager) that I really liked and she was easy to work with, but for some reason they let her go. I guess she wasn't manipulative or evil enough. Cockroaches!!!!

I moved downtown to Galtier Towers not out of necessity, but out of desire to be within walking…read moredistance to my place of employment. Suffering through horrendous morning commutes from Woodbury often left me banging my head against the steering wheel. I cannot imagine, nor do I know, how people in Wisconsin who commute to the Twin Cities, do it 5x a week. During winter, traffic got even worse and at that point I had settled on relocating to downtown to avert having to deal with it again. So I rationalized to myself that going from a 2 bedroom townhome in Woodbury for 1100 a month...to a 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Saint Paul for 1250 (Really 1350 with parking) a month, would be worth the extra expense. FIgured I could recoup the cost in utilities, gas, and wear and tear on my vehicle. So I swallowed the crazy rent cost and signed a one year lease. Moving in was...eventful. Ended up unloading somewhere around 1-2am because of work issues. You get to see some rather sinister looking types around that time, so each unloading of the truck, would see a unlock, load up my little trolley, lock the truck and go inside. Rinse and repeat. The elevator they allocate for you is spacious in height, but normal in width. So you can taller things like mattresses, couches, etc in there if you finagle it through the elevator doors. The hallways, least on my floor were rather cramped, so getting a couch in there would prove...fun? Neighbors...were typical for the most part. Mostly kept to themselves except for the occasional greeting/small-talk. The structure of the apartments themselves I believe are fashioned from cement, so noise from adjoining rooms is almost nil. I maybe heard my upstairs neighbor once or twice in my year long stay, and that was a brief sound like someone jumped off their bed or something. Hopefully the poor fella/gal didn't fall off in the middle of the night. However, and since I am not used to this style of apartment living, I was subject to the hallway entrances to the apartments and the problem that arises from them. My neighbors across the hall were interesting types. They frequently had their doors propped completely open while they watched tv, or cooked. So smells often penetrated the gap between the door and the floor (obviously no weather stripping due to it being inside)... You know "The Rock" phrase.... "CAN YOU SMELLLLLLLL...what the Rock is cookin?" Yeah, you pretty much could as you breathed in whatever exotic dish was being conjured up across the hall. Not to mention they were a rather vocally loud bunch and often times seemed that they had 5 people living in their 2 bedroom unit. As I was sitting in the family room, I could almost count them as they left the apt. "Door Opens...Slams".... "Door Opens....Slams"....."Door Opens....Slams" almost like they all were waiting in a single file line inside their apartment, waiting for the door to shut before they could continue filing out. Galtier, for the love of all that is holy, invest in putting some rubber stoppers or something on the door between the frame and itself. The slamming needs to stop! Other gripe would be the location of the smoke detector. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea in my specific floor plan, to place the smoke detector on the ceiling almost in the tiny kitchen. My daily ritual when I cooked would be to keep one eye on the steak...and one eye on the smoke detector looking for that little green light to start flashing red, so that I didn't end up dropping a hot skillet when that insanely loud BEEEEEEEEP started sounding. My neighbors had the same problem, in fact I could tell when they were cooking simply from that sound. Two more things and I promise to be done....if you have a balcony, expect things to fall onto it from your neighbors above... and get used to the sound of sirens, region's hospital is a stones throw away and their ambulances are always running around downtown. Granted, to Galtier's benefit, their double paned windows, REALLY help keep the overall sound outside to a minimum. Rent was ridiculous but normal for downtown. Anyways, all that aside, living in the actual apartment was good to great. I had very little maintenance issues, and those I did have were tackled within 24 hours. I never really met the maintenance staff, but I did meet the on-call weekend maintenance guy, 1 day before I moved out. A/C unit drain was clogged up and ended up saturating the carpet and base foam right by the balcony. Luckily he responded quickly, and the issue was noted prior to my move out so that shouldn't take away from my deposit (I will re-evaluate this review if they decide to dock me for it). -Now the good summed up in a nice list- Management was great! Parking was spacious & secure Apartments were quiet & reliable Never had an issue with laundromat Grocery Carts! Gym was convenient. Balcony Relaxation (highlight of my stay) 8/10 would consider again.

First of all I do not live in Galtier Towers, but had the pleasure of visiting a friend who moved…read morehere from the burbs and loves it. The location bordering Lowertown is fantastic. A farmer's market in one direction, Lunds Byerlys in another as well as a drug store and scores of traditional and trending imbibing spots. The high rise view is spectacular for most residents. The building seems well managed with 24 hour security, underground parking and space efficient units.

My partner and I have lived here for a little over 5 years. The green roof is one of the best perks…read moreof living here. We enjoy the use of the gas fire pit, the grills and the ability to relax outdoors. Rick is a top-notch apartment manager, always responsive to your communications. The location is pretty great, but it has gotten a little crazy with the Saint's stadium nearby. If you like to be in the middle of the action, this is a place to consider for your next rental experience.

When I moved in, this area was fantastic, and management at the time was fantastic. The building…read morewas clean, well-managed, and secure. They used to do many fun local events and provided amazing customer service and resolutions promptly. Then, a constant revolving door of maintenance staff and managers started happening due to this location being basically a training ground for new managers. The building is absolutely not secure, and there are frequent break-ins and lots of theft by homeless people. You often find homeless people camping in the garage, stairwells, and hallways with less foot traffic and in the doorways. You find durg paraphernalia as well as urine and human feces in these locations constantly. You often find them enjoying themselves and helping themselves to the very little amenities they have. Packages, bikes, and cars are broken into constantly. All the complaints you make turn to deaf ears as upper management will downplay the issues or think residents are just making it up. Some of the main things that constantly break are heating and air conditioning, and they can take a long time to be resolved. The garage doors and entry doors often break or fail and stay stuck open, inviting unwanted thugs and the homeless in. Security cameras that barely work, and if they do, the images are too blurry to identify the person. For the price you pay, you basically feel as if you were living in the ghetto. Behind the building is basically a halfway house where you often find needles and syringes and trash everywhere and in front of the building next the the rayette is basically a section 8 building where thugs are sitting in front of from 7am to 2am doing and dealing drugs. This was my wonderful view, and I watched this daily. There are constant fights and lots of screaming and vandalism throughout the day and night. You see ambulances arrive 5 to 7 times a week for drug overdoses. Amenities of the building are a tiny gym that's the size of a large walk-in closet, a rooftop green area with a broken leaking fountain, and broken, dirty grills that are not used as often as they used to be. A community room. A dirty pet washing station that people rinse out dirty items in that may give your pet leprosy. Granted, you're close to the Chs field and the farmers market. Lowertown is not what it used to be. It's now a haven for the homeless, and there have been within the 3-block radius shootings, stabbings, as well as people being carried off by paramedics due to overdoses. Every year for the past 2 years, it's getting worse. Save your money and choose another location. Management does not care about you, and the area is not what it was.

I've lived at 333 for 2.5 years and wouldn't live anyplace else in Lowertown. The building is…read moreimpressive with the huge pillars from the original factory in the hallways and apartments. It's always spotlessly clean (thanks Irma!). Nate, the maintenance manager is responsive, and always happy to go the extra mile. Bri and Alyvia in the office are friendly, hardworking and tenant communications are excellent. We live in a very urban environment so you have to be mindful of your surroundings. The building is secure and there's a security guard here (who lives in the building) from 6pm-6am and I feel safe. I love the diversity and occasionally gritty edge to the neighborhood, but it's just 3 blocks to the Farmers Market and 4 to the Saints stadium, so the suburbs invade us throughout the week in the summer. It's 3 blocks to the Mississippi for great walks and Mears Park has concerts all the time. Guest parking is metered on-street or parking ramps nearby, so a little tricky for entertaining large groups of friends. The 333 amenities (common/game/theater rooms, 24 hour coffee bar, gym and lounge next to the rooftop deck) are beautiful. I feel proud of where I live. The rent is at the top end of my budget though, and if it goes up much I'll have to move, but I love it while I can afford it.

This place is amazing! I fell in love with the high unfinished ceilings and huge windows. I have…read morefolks living above me and I heard them twice in one year. I think they dropped a dumbbell. The appliances are brand new with lots of fancy features. The building is clean and well maintained. I have not had the opportunity to put in a housekeeping ticket as of yet. I did lose a very special earring down the drain and I asked the maintenance engineer if he would help me retrieve it. He had it on my counter within hours with a nice note. I am so grateful to Ben. I really like the common areas when I need to host some friends for a gathering. The areas are exceptionally clean, so we make sure to leave it the same way. Our packages are kept in room and an email is sent promptly when they arrive. The packages are organized in an easy to find fashion. Our neighbors are the best. If you have friends over they are respectful. We have a book club, seasonal get-togethers and art crawls. We do have many dog owners. I love the doggie biscuit pot at the entrance. I think all the doggies do as well. Lana and Calsey always keep it stocked. That is a Bonus! We have needed special favors and Calsey, Lana, Ben, Nate and Dee are extremely helpful. My printer was out of ink and I needed the lease agreement printed, a package placed outside the package room due to my late arrival, something hung...the list goes on and on and they never made me feel like I was inconveniencing them. We had an issue with trespassers camping out and management employed a security guard to ensure our safety. Calsey went as far as to fight city council to close our skyway access. She won! Thanks Calsey and team. These folks care and make you feel like part of the family. I never want to move out. I think they should convert these lofts into condos.