The Emery Apartments

This may be the best experience I’ve had while living in different apartment complexes for the past few years. I’ve lived in other Greystar communities and this, by far, was the best managed, maintained, and overall best living I have experienced. The staff: Ashlie, Darcy, and Pete are rock stars.
It’s a perfect location for my other half who goes to school at OHSU, and easily accessible to I-​5 so I can get south to work. The property is basically spotless and if you have an issue, Pete is on it in no time.
Ashlie and Darcy have gone above and beyond levels of customer service that you’re used to at apartment complexes. They know all of the tenants and enjoy every pet the comes through the doors.
It doesn’t hurt that you have 3 good restaurants down below.
Only downside is rent in Portland as a whole, is going up.

Seeing all the positive reviews of the Emery makes me feel a little bad posting such a low review. But, if you have read any of my other reviews, I don’t throw out one star reviews like they are going out of style. I’ll keep it simple.
I’ve been searching for a new place and having lived in the SW Waterfront, I remembered this building getting built and decided to check it out. My friend and I walked in and the first thing that the leasing agent asked us was, «what’s your price range?» This was before she asked what our names were. I was so appalled that I was speechless. Utterly speechless. Thankfully, Ben M chimed in and mentioned that I lived in the Waterfront prior at which she responded, «oh, so you know our price range».
I basically shut off at that moment.
One…greet your potential applicants
Two…ask the name (s)
Three…ask questions about what they are looking for besides the standard «studio, 1 bed, 2 bed blah blah blah»
She didn’t have anything to show us, but Ben M, bless him is such a sweetheart that he wanted to give her the opportunity to redeem her purely unprofessional and crass behavior. He asked about the community amenities at which she showed us the community room which was nice but nothing special. I even asked about the balcony spaces and she wasn’t even sure if they were 1 or 2 bedrooms because «she has never seen one come up since she started working there».
Oh, and there’s «dedicated» parking across the street. No thanks.
The Emery may be the cheaper option on the Waterfront but not worth a dime. Funny, I lived in the Ardea previously and visited them before we visited the Emery. They are managed by the same company and its a night and day difference in the level of professionalism and knowledge.
We know a few people that live at the Emery and it came highly recommended. Guess they had an off day. Or as Ben M said, maybe the «weekend staff is their B team». Clearly.
I guess you pay for what you get.

We have lived here for the past year and overall it has been a pleasant experience.
Pros
* Fantastic Location — in the desirable South Waterfront neighborhood close to all types of public transit and a 5 min drive from downtown
* Friendly Staff — The management & staff are very friendly and seem to have a genuine interest in interacting with the tenants
* Price — While the price is high compared to other areas, it is the most affordable building in the South Waterfront.
* Convenience — There are 2 restaurants & a juice bar in the bottom of the building and more just up the street!
* New Building — When we moved in last April the building had only been open a couple months, making us the 1^st tenants in the unit so everything was brand new.
Cons
* Parking — At $ 125/​month you get 1 space that is across the street. It is in a gated/​fob accessible lot but walking in the rain after work or carrying groceries 50 – 60 yds gets old pretty quick.
* Small Units — While this building is the most affordable in the area, you also get less space. Most of the units are under 500 – 550 sq ft and those are 1 bedrooms.
* Building Amenities — The building does offer some nice amenities (resident lounge, bike storage, etc) however, it is still on the low end for the area. No gym, no pool table, no rooftop terrace, etc.
* Accessible Shopping — A common gripe among residents or anyone in the South Waterfront is that there is not a convenient grocery store. The closest options are Fred Meyer on Terwilliger or Safeway on Jefferson. Both are about 10 min drives. There is an Urban Market in the neighborhood that is great for milk/​bread etc but not a place you want to go shopping for more than 2 – 3 items since the prices are very high.
Overall, I would definitely recommend The Emery to anyone looking to live in a nice, new building in a growing neighborhood that’s close to downtown, but doesn’t require a lot of space or amenities.

The Emery is a beautiful building on Portland’s south waterfront with easy access to the portland street car and the OHSU tram. The building is just a little over a year old.
We came out to Portland last May in search of a new apartment as we were making the move from Philadelphia to Portland. The south waterfront caught our eye and I knew this is where I wanted to be. At the time they did not have a unit available for us but we continued to check monthly, we finally found a unit that would suit our needs, luckily we were able to do our application online and were approved very fast. Sunshine made this process for us so easy, we were able to sign the lease while in Philadelphia. The leasing team is very knowledgeable and professional.
We have lived in the building for 7 months now and have had zero issues. I like the fact the building is secure after the leasing office is closed and the elevator won’t move without a key fob. They have a bike room for you to use and has ²⁴⁄₇ security. Parking here can be rough, they do have a lot for residents and the fee is $ 125 per month it’s nothing fancy but it’s a spot to park. The neighborhood is safe and have not encountered any issues.
They have a lounge area that is super cozy with a fireplace, flat screen tv, two different seating areas with an outdoor patio with seating and a bbq. In the lobby area they have coffee and hot tea with a few jars of candy.
Great place to live, stop by and talk to the leasing team.

I am always weary to review apartments since it gives a way a bit more info then I would like online, but seeing the bad reviews I thought it was needed. Also my husbands name is almost the same as someone who wrote a negative reviews– not him.
The apartments are beautiful, high end appliances, quiet (I have a kid and a dog and once the door shuts– silence.) We lived next to another family with a young kid and rarely heard his crying in the night. You never hear the road, bridge or street traffic. We have lived in 2 units, 2 different floors and 2 different parts of the building and had 0 issues with neighbors, smoking or any «frat» feel. Most people whom live here are 20’s or 30’s OHSU residents (3 in our old hall alone; 2 medical, 2 surgical) or OHSU/​PSU employees.
Management is on it! They are always very friendly, sincere and any issues are fixed right away (same day.) Dogs are allowed and I have never walked in poop or seen a dog fight. Its always clean inside and out. The area is nice, could use a grocery store and some more shops but it’s very safe.
The cons, the parking is across the street which is a PITA at times, like grocery day. But it’s across the street, not miles way so it’s not even a major complaint. Apartments are pricey, but the cheapest in South Waterfront, so once again not a «real issue» in my opinion. The only really annoying part is that to pay rent with a credit card (not checking account) there’s a fee and it’s almost $ 50!!!
I would for sure recommend it to someone looking, I would totally give you a private tour if you wanted to see the «frat» things people are talking about or any of the issues others mentioned, that don;t exist. Maybe they don’t exist on the floors we have lived in (2 and 3) and the rest of the building is a ruckus!

The only honest post about the Emery was from New R. and doesn’t even show up on the main page for comments.
Let me tell you about the Emery.
I was extremely excited to move in because it is in a great location and is a brand new building. I was one of the first residents to move in when they opened their doors early even though they were not finished with the building due to the fact they signed leases early with false move in dates.
The longer I live here, the more I realize how poorly thought out and constructed this building is. The walls are paper thin so I can hear everyone around me, top, bottom and sides. There is something very weird about the ventilation so as my neighbor cooks his food it vents right into my apartment. Which is awful at 12 – 1 in the morning when he is making nasty smelling food and it is billowing into my bedroom when I try to sleep. The only thing that gets cleaned everyone once in a while are the carpets in the hallway, vacuumed only. The windows have never been clean and are filthy. The stairways are not maintained, they are FILTHY. Not to mention, there are apparently people in this building who just don’t care about other people or cleanliness. They will let their dogs take a piss on the stairs and not clean it up. Just today someone apparently spilled pistachio shells all down the stairs and didn’t care to pick up after themselves. There is sawdust and dog hair covering the stairs.
There is a large young crowd who lives here who are EXTREMELY disrespectful. They slam their doors at all hours of the night. Maybe one time I wouldn’t care but they are consistently opening and slamming their doors that keep you up at night. They have drunk screaming friends in the hallways as if they are in a hotel. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a frat house. I honestly think management was just trying to fill the new building so they took anyone and everyone.
Instead of building a parking garage they have the parking lot across a busy bike path, street car tracks, two lane road, grassy median and next to the Zidell building. Enjoy trying to go grocery shopping and carrying your bags to your apartment. The parking lot is uncovered and behind a chain link fence. I would not call this secure parking. Nor is it worth the charge they have for it. I am glad that they do offer some sort of off street parking, but the fee is a slap in the face for what it is. Also, the most madding part is many residents take advantage of the fact management doesn’t know what they are doing and park in the ’15 minute parking’ next to the building and ‘future resident parking’ when they leave the office.
If you are not a smoker, then the groups of young’ins congregating out front to smoke right next to the building will upset you because the smoke ALWAYS finds its way into your apartment, even with all the windows shut; like I said this place is not ventilated/​sealed well.
I am just so upset by how crappy this place has turned out to be because it does have potential. Unfortunately the cons more than out weigh the pros to this place. I cannot wait until my lease is up, I’m honestly counting down the days. I would not even recommend this place to someone I dislike.
Heed my warning, don’t make me say: «I told you so».
BTW I am writing this at 1:42 A.M. because some of my really awesome neighbors are apparently throwing a rager that is spilling out into the hallways.
DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!

I initially wrote a false review praising the emery because I was promised a gift card to one of the restaurants on the ground floor by the staff. This was a lie. So I am here to divulge the real truth behind one of the crappiest places I’ve lived in Portland. While the emery is in a «great» location, I find myself constantly wondering why the parking lot isn’t easily accessible by guests. The 15 minute parking on the side of the building is always occupied by some foreign kids who apparently don’t have to follow the rules. (while I’ve had friends towed who tried to use that parking for an hour while visiting from out-​of-​state) I guess it’s that oil-​money that I lack.
The frat house feeling is getting old. I’m 20 and it pisses me off when i walk into the hallway and it reeks of marijuana. As i approach my door I realize that the poorly ventilated building has allowed that smell into my room. I confronted the staff about it, and they accused me of smoking in my room. REAL PROFESSIONALS.
If you enjoy noisy neighbors that won’t be reprehended, come to the Emery. I notified the unhelpful and rude staff more than once about my neighbor above me constantly slamming things around in the wee hours of the morning. Nothing was done. Again, great staff.
Look elsewhere if you want an apartment, the entire fourth floor is filled with frat-​house wannabes with rich parents. I’m glad I finally was able to move out.
NEVER AGAIN EMERY!!!

We just moved here from TX and couldn’t be happier to call the Emery our home. This is such a great building and great neighbors too. The staff made our move a very painless process. They’re always willing to help with big smiles on their faces. Great team!

Beautiful apartments.
Friendly staff.
Great neighbors.
Located in the middle of it all with the best access to multi-​modal transportation in town!