Urbana Apartments

So many better options for similar pricing. Do not move in here unless you have limited alternatives. Great building but absolutely awful staff. When I first moved in the Leasing Agents and Building Manger were amazing, but since then all three members have been replaced with inexperienced and rude individuals who do not embody the PNW spirit in any way shape or form. They are simply corporate drones who show up to work each day and do not go the extra mile like the old staff did. Couple this with occasional false fire alarms and you get a sub-​par living experience for the relatively high price you pay.

The Urbana Apartments are on 15^th and Market Street in Ballard. They sit over Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Bartell Drugs. There used to be a nice big GARBAGE CAN between Bartell Drugs and Five Guys, It was constantly being filled. All of the sudden the can vanished. It seems Urbana said they had to empty it too often so they got rid of it. HOW STUPID IS THAT? They promote LITTTERING. Now people throw their garbage on the sidewalk, in the flower pots etc. WHAT IS WRONG WITH URBANA. Do they really like seeing litter all over the street. ME THINKS THEY DO, A POX ON YOU URBANA. Bring back the garbage can. So what if you have to empty it more often. That is good. It keeps the streets clean.

I am a current resident of Urbana. I can honestly say that in all my experience of living in apartments, I have never had this many problems, this frequently.
I am posting routine updates with hope that things will improve and to provide any prospective renters the most up to date information. I highly encourage all readers to review my previously posted reviews for additional details. Since my last review, here are a few examples of issues that have occurred:
— Garage door broken.
— Overflowing of parking garage garbage bins (occurs frequently).
— Car break-​ins in the «secure» resident garage (each parking spot costs over $ 100); I posted a photo of a screenshot of the email they sent residents about this issue.
— Fire alarm issues, once in the dead of night, going off for over 5 minutes, there was no fire.
— Continue to have high homeless population in the area, asking for money just outside of the building entrance.
— Dog fecal matter left in the flower bed just outside the front door (multiple «piles» this AM).

I stayed at Urbana for 7 months. I enjoyed my stay here and I am going to miss this community. Urbana staff is very friendly and helpful. I have been interacting with Melissa and she was super friendly and supportive. Anytime you visit office, you see smile on her face with makes a lots of difference. During my stay here I have not faced any problem.
Location of apartment is also very good. Four major stores at each corner of intersaction makes daily things available quickly. And there are restaurant around this places well. Get out of the door and Rapid ride is waiting for you, that makes public trasport very convenient and easily accessible without any walk required.

It seems little costly in rent, otherwise good place to stay here.
I am going to miss this place.

I’m a current resident not renewing the lease on a one bedroom apartment that will be increasing from ~$ 1,700 to ~$ 1,900 per month. This is easily the cheapest option. For that high price you get to live in a building that’s very stylish, that’s about the end of what you’re getting.
Hobos in the stair wells because security has a 4 hour lapse in coverage. (the garage under the building is open to the public 24 hours a day)
Building wide fire alarms with evacuations happen at a minimum once a month, usually in the middle of the night. This has happened for my entire year here, with no apologies or compensation.
If you’re interested in paying $ 2,000 minimum to live somewhere that doesn’t seem to know how to do anything but throw wine parties and hand you a package by all means, sign a lease.
Drug store down stairs though, neat.

I am a current resident not renewing my lease…
I can’t believe some of the comments below. I’ve never had an issue with the gate besides someone running into it and breaking it. Apparently, people don’t like to wait a second for it to open… The reviewer who says it opens when you’re 50 feet away has failed to observe the additional sensor that helps to open the gate before you get to it. If you fly by it, you simply pull up to the gate which has another sensor. But I digress…
Pros:
–GREAT management/​staff
–GREAT location
–competitive price for what you get
–good community events
–great view from the roof
–did I say great location?
Cons:
–can be very noisy during the day and into the night in common area (during the day it’s normally young children, at night, young adults)
–fire station is right across the street (thankfully it’s been under construction the past few months)
–TERRIBLE paint, powdery and rubs off just by brushing up against the wall
–No AC in apartment, only in common areas. Their listings say things like «Individual heat/​AC controls» … a little deceiving I must say
–Heating modules scattered around the apartment make it almost impossible to use and have any furniture. Heater warning reads «keep objects x feet away.» Honestly though, we rarely used the heat
Additional Comments:
–A mix of young adults, small families, older couples…
–Mingle (the common area) has a bunch of events, it can be annoying if you’d like to occasionally use it
–A bunch of pets
–Leaving because rents going up (supply and demand) and I was paying for things I don’t readily use

«A real review»
I like the spot. It’s convenient to everything a human needs (grocery, fast food, drug stores) the maintenance is perfect and very attentive. All the negative reviews are from bitter Seattle folk that miss their old Scandinavian neighborhood. Urbana has been a great place to live for the past year. A number of leasing office personnel have been leaving recently though, including the property manager. I’m only considering leaving because I don’t want to pay to live in a «hip» neighborhood. .hehe «hip» in Seattle…

Best apartment I have ever lived in!
We love that everything is so new and well maintained. The leasing staff is made up of the nicest people I have ever met and are always there to say hi or help you with anything you need.
We have an amazing apartment on the NW corner with views and of the Olympics and since we are on 56^th street, it is super quiet.
Amenities — they have it all: a common room where we once had an awesome pizza party with 20 friends, a movie room that we don’t really use, a very cool courtyard with fireplace and on the 6^th floor a beautiful gym with views (yay — it’s not in the basement!) and an outdoor rooftop deck where my husband and I grew veggies all summer (yum).
Can’t say anything else. It’s a great place to live and Ballard is awesome.

Do not apply to rent from this property. Yes they have a very nice building and i think it has made them extremely arrogant. I saw a studio apt and for the price they were asking it was a carpeted box. Funny, because their websites show floorplans that have seperate bedroom areas.
Other high end properties in the area actually have a separate bedroom area even for a studio. Theater rooms are actually pretty common these days, as i found out so don’t be taken in by that either. Take your time to shop around.
Plus they have an extremely rude female leasing agent, I can’t even describe the horror that took place. At the time of this review, they were even offering a month of free rent, but in all honesty good properties don’t need gimmicks.
Here my advice, the big rental properties in Ballard all have a feel and you’ll know what I’m talking about on your hunt. If the feel of the ice castle from frozen is your deal, this property will seem like the best thing since sliced bread. The few tenants walking around didn’t really seem friendly either. So unless you’re looking for an overpriced box, I would pass.

My fiancé and I really like living here!
Ballard is such a fun neighborhood, and Urbana makes it even more fun to enjoy, with its location and friendly staff, and gorgeous courtyard.
The staff is responsive and kind, and receive my compliments, working at an apartment community myself I can understand the daily stresses they might endure from unhappy residents, but the minor and minimal issues I have noticed have been addressed, and fixed right away!
The apartment homes are so lovely, with the light wood laminate floors and the gorgeous tile backsplash, the brand new washer and dryers, and the tall ceilings are all things to brag about… Put it this way, I LOVE having my friends over and showing off our new place!
The price is fantastic too, for such an up and coming neighborhood, if you want to live in an upscale and newer complex with chic finishes, this is the place for you. Plus it is RIGHT on the D line to get downtown.
The ONLY bummer is now that they are getting leased up, the gym is getting more and more occupied, but that is to be understood and Im glad i live in such a healthy community!
All in all, this place is WELL worth a look for potential renters!

I have to say, I am very excited to be moving in to these apartments very soon.
From the very beginning Urbana’s leasing staff, especially Tim, has been incredibly cordial and easy to work with in terms of finding an apartment to call home. They have been very responsive to any questions we may have, and quick to return any calls or e-​mails. They also were incredibly flexible and accommodating on our two tours — it’s pretty hard to coordinate between two full time schedules to say the least — and for that I am very grateful.
The rent and fees are what you can expect for Ballard, especially because these apartments are in the heart of it. However, with the building being brand new and the amenities, it seems like it’s worth the rates.
Of course, we have yet to live on the premises, though I will be sure to come back and update as we settle into our new place. Until then, at the very least this place is definitely worth a look!

My wife and I are moving to the Seattle area and Urbana was the last place that we visited on our whirlwind 3 day apartment hunting tour before we headed off the airport. We looked at over 15 different places all across the Seattle area. Let’s just put it this way, we liked the layout of units we were shown, thought the amenities were wonderful and couldn’t be happier with the staff there. In short, we submitted an application for a unit and look forward to being part of the community there.
I do want to recognize Melissa in the leasing office, she was a pleasure to work with in that she took her time getting to know our needs before just pitching us random units to look at. Her counterpart Stephanie was also a pleasure to deal with when I called in the next day to start the application process. If the leasing staff is anything like any of the other individuals that work at Urbana, I’m sure my wife and I will be in good hands.
For the person criticizing the place, I don’t understand, you don’t live there and you don’t speak of any unpleasant experiences with the staff. I understand that the layouts may not suit you, but then again I wouldn’t take any of your reviews seriously, you gave Black Angus 5 stars on Unilocal.Yup, i’m the type of guy that looks at reviews written by others in order to see how much I should trust that reviewer.
*As with the other reviewer, if anything changes after move-​in, i’ll be sure to update this review. Until that time, I think this place is definitely worth checking out!

We have lived here for almost 3 weeks now and absolutely LOVE it! The entire team was amazing and very punctual as we were in a time crunch to get a place. The apartments and amenities are amazing, and the location is superb! Living in Ballard is more expensive than other areas, it’s the price you pay to live near a city. But you really do get what you pay for here :)

UPDATE: I’ve lived here for more than a year now and love it! Noise can be an issue, mostly on the weekends (not street noise, which one would expect, but noise from neighbors hanging out in the common areas until the wee morning), though it’s getting better. The crowd is a little more… college-​y than I’ve seen in a few years. But the amenities are great; staff are fabulous, and I love that we can walk pretty much everywhere. And the apartments are really, truly nice – though the flooring has been an issue (pieces coming up here and there – they’re good about fixing it). The very best thing: the units are well-​insulated, and you hear basically nothing from your neighbors (upstairs, downstairs, or sideways), except when they’re walking in the hallways. The worst thing: our car was broken into (smashed window) twice in the garage (there was nothing to steal: an empty backpack the first time – our bad for leaving it in there – and a tiny little tool box – $ 5 at Walmart – the second time). Management does what they can, and they dealt with the incidents pretty well. I don’t believe it’s Urbana’s fault; the location is just prime for this kind of thing. But it’s why we live in a secured building, and we know the risks of being in a city (especially one with property crime issues like Seattle).
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The apartments are brand new; the location is superb (close to everything Ballard has to offer!); the amenities are really wonderful (huge workout center, great rooftop deck, large community kitchen, movie room – all top-​notch!), and the staff I’ve worked with have been professional and helpful (which is no surprise since it’s an Equity property – they seem to hire well).
The floor plans make the most of the space. Some are a bit narrow feeling, but they’re still roomy — our one-​bedroom is over 900 sq ft. The windows are large, and the kitchen/​bathroom surfaces are upscale. Our particular floor plan has great closet space, as well.
Parking is steep. Pet rent is steep, too.
Regarding Carol’s comment — for what they charge in rent, you CAN buy a small condo nearby. But then you pay condo fees ($ 500/​mo is not unusual around here) and/​or property taxes (at least $ 1500/​yr). And it’s just naïve anymore to assume that buying a residence is a low-​risk investment. So… no thanks. I’ll rent.