The planning, birth, and death of apartment buildings on Capitol Hill are bread and butter for Seattle media, but how the buildings and their managers perform in actually providing housing is often overlooked. A spin through apartment reviews on Yelp and Apartment Ratings offers a glimpse into some of the ups and downs of living inside Capitol Hill’s new buildings.
Noise
In 2014, CHS asked how new Pike/Pine apartment dwellers might mix with the existing nightlife scene. It turns out, there is plenty of frustration out there over noise.
“I would not have signed that contract if I had known about the noise levels,” wrote one Yelp reviewer of The Packard at 12th and E Pine. At 13th and E Madison’s Citizen Apartments, a reviewer said the bass from Chop Suey was easy it hear. Some building managers appear to have anticipated the problems. A Yelp reviewer of 11th and E Pine’s Sunset Electric wrote, “I explained that we understood the area would by noisy (the building makes you sign off on that fact in lease).”
Noise from within the apartments is also a frequent complaint, especially in newer buildings where tenants blamed cheap materials. Reviews also include some useful suggestions for prospective tenants, like which units to live in to avoid the most noise and even the wafting allure of nearby restaurants. “If Dick’s wasn’t next door, 5 stars easily,” wrote one Yelp reviewer for The Heights, located at Broadway and E Olive Way.
Rose-colored
Of course, reviews can be biased in all sorts of ways. In one review of The Lyric, several gushing reviews are followed by a 2-star review that called out the building management for rewarding people who gave positive reviews on Yelp. In a response, the building management didn’t dispute the charge. 
Older reviews, like this one about The Grenada in 2008, harken back to cheaper times on Capitol Hill: “$950 for what is basically an expanded studio with no dish washer? No thanks. I pay less for a huge 2 bdrm down the street with amenities.”
Well-liked building managers factor heavily into positive reviews. Many of the most reviewed apartments on Yelp gush with praise for building managers, like those at Terravita Luxury Apartments and The Broadway Building.
Some reviewers complained about what they perceived as “bait and switch” tactics, where apartment websites list one rent but then say the price has risen during a walkthrough. In response to one such claim at First Hill’s Seventh and James Apartments, a manager said “we do adjust rates to best reflect the current market value for the types of apartments available. These rates, as well as apartment availability can fluctuate daily.”
Many negative reviewers come off as more than a bit nitpicky. A 1-star Yelp review of the 700 Broadway apartments noted a “screw loose on electrical panel, scuffs on wall under panel.”
More
Here are a few other interesting reviews CHS came across. Feel free to speculate which building they’re talking about.
- “The lack of soundproofing was ultimately a deal-breaker.”
- “Capitol Hill is like Ellis Island of Seattle.”
- “There’s some shall we say ‘characters’…I’m not sure if this is a newly gentrified area, or maybe it’s just Seattle.”
- “I’ll make this short and sweet like the staff, sweet that is.”
- “Cons: – There was a ‘green’ office complex being built next to it when we left in fall of 2011 so the views might be ruined!!!”
- “My dishwasher is incredible, kind of obsessed with weird things like that. But the convection oven is also a great plus.”
I always wondered how Packard building residents deal with the noise from The Cuff.
I’ve found that many online reviews seem to be a competition to be the most outrageous that many of them are now pointless.
Any prospective tenants should seek out residents and ask them for their perspectives face to face. I always appreciate when people take time to engage me in conversation about my building as its nice when people are genuine.
I was told that ownership of the Cuff were very clear with developers about their concerns that noise would be an issue but that when the building opened, yup, there were complaints. The Cuff folks pushed back and, as I was told, the building management upgraded soundproofing in units on that side. All unconfirmed, but that’s the legend.
Good to hear! Businesses shouldn’t have to change because new neighbors move in.
Also, Dick’s doesn’t reek nearly as much as it did before the apartments opened. I’m guessing the developer paid them to put in some air filtration (though I still wouldn’t want to live that close to the place).
In my experience this isn’t even limited to Capitol Hill apartments. Every apartment building I’ve ever seen has had a disproportionate share of negative reviews. It makes sense: even a modest apartment can cost upwards of $20,000 a year, and when you spend at least 1/3 of your life in a place, “nitpicks” can mushroom into big issues. I also see a lot of reviews from upset ex-renters who just want to get the last word in after leaving for whatever reason.
“There’s some shall we say ‘characters’…I’m not sure if this is a newly gentrified area, or maybe it’s just Seattle.”
Ha ha! That’s an amusingly naive view of the Hill.
I give the hill another 5 years and all the nightlife will be shipped out. People just won’t put up with the noise, there will be community groups once all the new buildings are completed and you have a 1000 people being tortured at 2am.
I hope you’re wrong. So many of the venues were there before all of these new condos and they’re much needed in the music community. Developers should build noise proof walls to the best of their ability and prospective tenants should understand that high volume on nights and weekends comes with living in the heart of Seattle nightlife and music. If you can’t take the noise, get out of the city.
Ever drive around Pike/Pine at 1 am? You couldn’t pay me to live in that neighborhood. I mean, just how hard is it for prospective tenants to figure this out?
I wonder if any of the tenants who complain about the noise engage in any simple (or more advanced) soundproofing techniques. Maybe they think they don’t have to, but as several folks have pointed out here, if you move in next to a clearly marked night club/bar you should already know what you’re getting.
And, what about builders using sound-proofing materials and practices. It’s not like they don’t exist. They just take more money and planning to purchase and implement.
I was talking once to a contractor about some sound-proofing I wanted done in the house mmy Sweetie and I owned at the time, and he (the contractor) described some really basic but effective sounding approaches – that he used when volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.
Luxury as defined.by property owners- dog feces, graffiti, broken dryers, smelly hallways and old appliances. All yours for $2050. Who are you fooling? And a leak in the ceiling to boot! Do not rent from The Summit..
Lived in Chloe for two years, 2012-2014.
Generally positive experience re. my apartment, build quality, site management. Bar Sue turned out to be a horrific neighbor for those of us in units facing 14th. Club-level decibels out on the street; badly-behaving customers; management who, when they did engage were complete tools.
Fall 2014 also featured the install of an unshaded LED streetlight about 20′ from my living area and bedroom windows.
Now happily relocated to Madrona.
P.S.: I’m the photographer of the photo used to headline this post. Thank you CHS for the love and the photo credit!
That was a particularly awesome summer evening. Link to the complete album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joebehr/albums/72157645682990051