City Market at O Street

One of the MOST overpriced apartments in DC for the service you get in return. Hands down. My apartment was turned upside down with all my belongings tossed into corners (in order to do a repair). This behavior is illegal. I was never told that anyone would enter my unit and destroy it. I am not making this up. Please take this review into serious consideration and DO NOT MOVE HERE. It is one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made for housing in Washington DC.

So I wrote a review back in March and I have to say that things have gotten better around here since there have been changes made in the management and concierge staff. Thank goodness! Bozzuto brought in some of their more senior management into the office and some of the less professional and/​or moody concierge temps or concierge regulars have been gone or have just left. My e-​mails are responded to quickly by management unlike before but action has only been taken on some of my concerns but from what I hear through the grapevine the management is working on the other concerns I have. It is just a process for them that is taking time because they are having to coordinate with multiple people to get it done. There was a bumpy period when the new management and concierge came in because all the major complaints that I and many residents had were being worked through but it seems that things have calmed down and are running much more smoothly around here. I feel comfortable welcomed by the front desk when I come and go again. What a relief. I would switch back to recommending that this is a nice place to live. Dog friendly. New appliances. Maintenance responds quickly to requests. Great amenities: rooftop grills, outdoor pools, brand new gym, rooftop dog park etc. Close to metro green/​yellow line. Tons of restaurants and bars opening up nearby and above Giant grocery store.

I just moved in one month ago, and so far everything is surpassing expectations. The biggest value-​added for me has been the leasing office staff. They’ve been helpful at every turn. Any issues have been addressed immediately, and I feel as if I have a growing relationship with a few of the leasing agents. Additionally, the regular tenant events sponsored by management team are a fun bonus.

The staff here are worse than useless. If the concierges are at the desk, which is every once in a blue moon, they’re curt, unhelpful, and unprofessional. If you’re into self-​flagellation then I say go for it here; otherwise, avoid it like a hot zone.

Living at City Market is similar to most big buildings. You can never tell if the management is lazy and unintelligent or if somehow being unhelpful and unreasonable helps profits. Anyways, yes it’s a big new building. Corners were cut during construction. The floorplans are small. They try to convince you a junior 1 bedroom is a spacious retreat. The granite counter tops are thin and have a seam in the middle of an island that’s not that long. The wood floors are laminate. If something breaks they’ll send 3 different people to come fix it who all think the problems different and they’ll show up without notice and nothing will actually be fixed in the end. If you’re used to renting in big buildings, you’ve probably experienced this before.
Some things that I would’ve liked to know before signing:
The dog amenities are nice, but I think I saw them as nicer than they are when I was looking at apartments. I’d take better green space nearby in an instant. It’s mainly nice for me because I don’t love walking in the neighborhood after dark (it’s not that unsafe or anything, but there are occasional uncomfortable moments). Also the pet fees are really high compared to the competition so don’t see these amenities as a bonus – you’re very much paying for them. And the dog park is kind of gross. They hose it off every day but there’s clearly still a lot of nasty in that turf (it smells really bad some days). Also if you don’t like dogs you may want to consider that when leasing. There are a lot of them in the building.
The pool is nice but it was pretty packed last summer and a ton of people have moved in since then, so I’d imagine it’ll be really hard to get a chair this summer on weekends.
The management focuses on things like creating rules about how many guests you’re allowed to have on the roof in the summer (something I’ve never heard anybody complain about). By the way, what are those big fire pits for if not having a bunch of friends over? But then they ignore things like how there’s very often nobody at the front desk. Or how fedex wouldn’t deliver packages for a while. Or how when we moved in nobody could find our keys so we had to stand there with our movers for an hour (note: movers are paid by the hour).
One final small thing really bothers me. On the monthly bill, they charge you a billing fee. It’s less than 20 bucks, but this was never mentioned when I was signing my lease and I think a business should pay for their system for collecting money. If collecting money is something you struggle with as a business, then you don’t deserve to collect it.
There are some serious positives. I really like the neighborhood. Yes, if you go east of 7^th St it starts getting sketchy, but in general the food and bar scene over here is great. Also the gym is pretty nice. The classes are weak but the gym is just good enough to not join another gym (unless you’re into body building or want classes).

I love living here. I haven’t had any issues. Everything works well. I have a minor complaint about the garbage disposal being underpowered and occasionally the firepits on the rooftop run out of propane but other than that the place has been fantastic. Overall quality of the building is excellent. The roof is a stunner.
They regularly hold free events/​roof top parties with free food and beer. The staff is friendly and know our names. For example, when I recently got married, management sent cupcakes to congratulate us and they sent a small starbucks giftcard on my wifes birthday. Not a big deal but a nice touch that makes you feel at home.
Shaw is a wonderful place to live and I’m glad I moved to city market.

I have very mixed feelings about living in City Market since moving in this past spring. I love the location and amenities of the building, but the poor construction quality and horrendous management have made living here more frustrating than enjoyable.
Since moving in, I’ve had endless issues with my apartment. The sliding door to my bedroom stopped closing, leaving me no privacy from the living room and my roommate. It took weeks to get this fixed. My AC unit has leaked, my floor boards buckled and needed to be replaced, and both the water and electricity meters were installed incorrectly, so I’ve been receiving outrageously high bills because my actual water/​electricity usage can’t be measured. In addition to constantly having to deal with management, I’ve had to keep calling Pepco (not fun). Even after bringing the meter issues to the management’s attention weeks ago, I still have no idea when they are going to be solved.
This brings me to the management, specifically Giannina Alvarez and Emily Ferrer. They are so incompetent, and have been frustrating to deal with since moving in. They don’t respond to my emails, and they haven’t effectively solved any of the issues I’ve brought to them over the last few months. I truly have no idea how such unprofessional people can continue to be employed at a so-​called luxury building. Fortunately, the front desk staff is so helpful and friendly. Thank you Maryam, Jarrett, and everyone else for being so great!
Bottom line: I’ve dealt with more issues than I ever imagined when moving into a brand-​new building. Unless if you want to live in an apartment with the build quality of a shack and be frustrated by the management’s incompetency on a daily basis, there are better options for new apartments in the area. I would check out the new Jefferson Marketplace building across the street before signing a lease at City Market.