Brez at Atlantic Crossing — Attraction in Delray Beach

Here is my candid review of the past three plus months that my wife and I have lived here at the BREZ in Delray Beach.

Let's start with all the great things about the BREZ/team that you cannot dispute: Onsite rental team made up of Cyril and Danny are very attentive and prompt to respond. To compensate for the mailroom, (initially promised to be completed by December), the BREZ set up FETCH Package services to help ensure all our packages are delivered safely (We pay the monthly fee for this service). Provided with Purlife gym membership free of charge until the gym is completed. Location, location, location. Nothing to complain about, who doesn't love being able to walk to everything or take the Freebee to the grocery store. Danny and Cyril set up bi-monthly/monthly social events to get tenants together and mingle. At the beginning of our lease we had issues with the walls vibrating into the early hours of the morning. Confused since there is a residential noise ordinance east of Federal. After a couple months of complaining and about to leave and cut our lease, the management company was able to resolve the issue with the restaurant. Definitely showing that they value the renters in the building. The ability to buzz guests in from the call box is finally up and running. This took weeks/months of asking by tenants with responses that it was not possible. Glad they found a way to do it.

Here are a few items that I know are still a work in progress but we have received a response on: The bike room in the garage is unsecured and barely enough room to fit in the bikes for just the first building. According to management, they will be building two new bike rooms underneath the new buildings and they will all be secured once the residential construction for these three buildings are complete.

Now onto the items that give the BREZ a two out of five stars: The Pool: Initially we were told that management expected the pool to be ready for use in August 2023. Recently we were informed that there were delays due to permitting issues with it being too close to the middle building which is due for completion in December. Seems like something management or at least their general contractor would have known from the beginning. Security and Access to Building: After a few months of living It is a little unnerving that the stairwells are unsecured, you do not need a fob once inside to walk up to any floor including the roof. Additionally there are no security cameras in the stairwells or elevators. This has led to trash being left in the stairwells and even at one point pet feces that remained there all weekend. No guest parking: They have yet to come up with a solution for guest parking. Maybe vouchered parking or reimbursement? Supposedly being a "Luxury" apartment. Directly from their website: "Laid-Back Luxury - Just beyond your apartment you will find resort-style amenities designed to deliver on our promise to elevate your everyday." Then it lists out the amenities that they 'have' for their tenants. Out of the six items listed, none of them are complete. We are paying at least $600 - $1000 more than units at the nearby Caspian or South of Atlantic (both within a .4 mile walk aka 10 minutes), for these luxury amenities. Whenever this is questioned it is addressed by the supposed fact that our rent ($600-1000 more than their competitors) was discounted to account for these fall backs. These so-called amenities have not been addressed and the misinformation of when they are to be completed is far from luxury. Lastly Construction Noise: One of the very first questions we asked before we signed out lease, "How far along are they with construction and will it be noisy?". The answer was no and all due by Dec. For next door we were told that it wouldn't start for at least 1 to 2 years. It started last week. All of this does not include the whole building shaking from 7:10 am to around 11 from heavy machinery working on the first floor...

The Location First great location, you are right there in the middle of downtown with access to great restaurants and other businesses. If you want to step away from the busy downtown, you have a 10 minute walk to the beach. The underground parking is very convenient, but not managed as expected. There are challenges with cleanliness and valet parking which I hope they are addressing soon.

The Staff I first met Cy when we the tour the place. He has done his best to accommodate my challenges and requests given the circumstances. Then came Danny and he has kept the same level of service again, given the circumstances. Cy, Danny, and the staff (Chris, JJ, Miguel) provide the support as expected. They have been responsive to all my requests, either by phone of via the back office website.

The Apartment The apartments, the layout is very nice as well as the balconies. The cabinetry is ok, the floors and bathrooms are ok too. I was not too trilled with the appliances, given the rent price and the apparent high end perception of the place. That was something that still to this day, I don't understand, why go very basic on the appliances? The hallways within the apartment floors are nicely kept and are wide. The hallways that connect with the grounds and the restaurants are not kept, mainly because of the restaurants, but that is something that needs to be addressed.

The Amenities At the time that we move in (around Dec 202) we were told the other building (where the gym is going to be) was going to be done around April. Of course there are always delays and challenges during construction, but as of today (August), there is no gym on location. We got passes to Pure Life in downtown, not what I was expecting (but this is not a Pure Life review). Of course there is no pool yet and there is no alternative, so we will get the pool, when the other building is completed.

The Noise The Noise has it's own section because, it expected to get some noise given the location, but not at the level we get and other residents get. There is of course, construction, which it's expected. But, apparently there are regulations that allow construction to start as early as 7 am. If we are in a community that is "luxury" and is "elevated", why is not possible for the owners to workout a deal with the owners of the construction projects so they can start at 8 am. Why can't they talk? That eludes me...This a situation where managers talking to managers is not going to go too far. The noise from the restaurants below is also an issue that was clearly disruptive for those having the apartments closest to that area. I believe the Brez management talked to both restaurants, but apparently it fell in deaf ears. Again, an opportunity for owners to step in and elevate and make Brez a luxury place.

Conclusion Why 3 stars? Plain and simple we didn't get what we expected. As the owner of a business, you need to be ready to backup your marketing. If you say "Elevate" and "Luxury" you need to provide that, period. From my perspective I see a management team doing their best to keep the residents happy, but a group of owners not willing to provide what is required, $$$ and their time, to make this place what...

When we first decided to move to Delray, we looked at about five other luxury apartment complexes here in the downtown area. They were all very nice, but none of them really match the level of Brez, so we signed here immediately. The management team here are some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever met, and made us feel right at home. This was very important to us because we were moving from a very nice place that unfortunately was populated by property managers who were rude, knuckle dragging simpletons that did their best to mimic the managerial style of a third world prison system. So what a delightful change. Cy, Danny, and Daniella really make staying here a joy and are always available to help. Furthermore, everyone who works here cultivates a feeling of hospitality and homey-ness that, being from south Louisiana, I really appreciate. Some of the other places here attempt to circumnavigate basic human emotional desires and rely instead upon the puerile approach of generating a facade of artificial exclusivity which we might call “snootiness” - an attitude that I am totally allergic to and it should be resisted at all cost. This important object lesson in organizational psychology as it relates to marketing upscale apartments is one the team here has taken to heart. To be sure, this is a nice apartment complex with incredible amenities: the pool is rap video quality, the lobby and various work and hangout spaces are all cozy and functional, the rooftop decks are sweet like candy and have propane grills. This is important because I only use propane and propane products. And, the gym here is the best out of all Delray apartments, hands down. The units themselves are all new and shiny with good kitchens, tons of storage, and outdoor balconies. I highly recommend springing for a poolside unit: the weekends are like watching a National Geographic episode in slow motion, most entertaining. There is a dog wash room for all your little homies and underground parking for your truck. The staff have cool events like parties and boat rides, but there’s never any pressure to attend. And of course you’re going to be close to Atlantic, but not on Atlantic, which is the key to downtown living. This is definitely one of my favorite places I’ve ever lived. I feel really fortunate that we found this place. Come be my neighbor, it’s...