Mears Park Place — Attraction in Saint Paul

I have lived here for a year and will sadly move solely due to commute time. If work&daycare (both at UMN) were not at the campus, we would definitely stay here. I have rented almost ten different apartments in four different countries in US and Europe (for 1 month, not counting vacations here), and in this context I can say MPPA is a decent building with decent apartments, great amenities and absolutely wonderful management. I will try to give more details to offset the couple of absurdly negative reviews here (the one guy might have mistakenly reviewed the wrong building since I have no idea what is he talking about security letting dogs out?).

The reason the rent is relatively cheaper than some neighboring buildings is because the building is old and kitchens are regular kitchens (not granite/marble). That is the only reason I could think of, but having in mind our living experience here at MPPA I am so glad we rented here. The reason we chose this building in the first place was not the price, but excellent and easy communication with Paulette from the office, who really helped us out to navigate the US system (we moved here from Europe).

The building might be older, but it is very well maintained – which is far more important for everyday living. During the last two years the entire exterior area was being renovated (the gazebo and inner courtyard with BBQ and nice patio area to spend an evening with friends; and now the inner pool and outward street-looking surfaces) so the building will get even better for new tenants. All the common areas and hallways are being regularly cleaned, I really can't remember encountering any significant mess. I use the gym, the pool regularly (and I'm always alone at the pool) – there was never any problem there. The laundry room has plenty of machines even if something gets broken. There was a problem with the laundry card machine that took a long time to get fixed but management went out of their way to keep us informed and ensure people can still do their washing with minimum inconvenience. We had to call maintenance only once, on a Saturday and they resolved the issue within hours and without a charge.

During Minnesotan winter and even during that especially cold wave last winter it was warm in the apartment. And since we have a baby I am not talking subjective adequately-warm-for-me kind of warm, but over 72 F on our thermometer over the baby crib. You can regulate heating in your apartment (on a 1-5 scale, 4 was enough for us even on coldest days) and the cost is included in the rent, as are almost all utilities.

Since I was at home with our baby, I have spent most of the day in the apartment or in the building, and the remaining time taking a walk around the neighborhood. Our baby's naps were more affected by construction work and never by noisy neighbors. The neighbors we've met have all been really nice people and many have been living here for more than five years.

The location in Lowertown is great, for everyone who likes living in the city. There are coffee places, supermarket, pharmacy, various brunch places, bars, brewery, farmers market, train station, banks and many services and even museums within a few blocks of walking distance. Many of these are even accessible through skyway, since the building lies on skyway. Skyway really helped this past winter since otherwise we would have had nowhere to stroll with our baby and the neighborhood was generally safe.

The management is really wonderful. They answer emails right away and keep you informed. They readily address questions and concerns and perform a lot of courtesy tasks they are not required to do. They are kind and respectful in dealing with tenants, and very very professional. I can't stress this enough. I know I...

Don't move here. I wouldn't rent from any Bigos property again, but particularly here. The leasing office is a disaster and the tenant pays the price for it.

Not every unit is safe but of course they don't tell you the risks. I had to transfer out of an unsafe unit (people harassing me, entering my patio. The final nail in the coffin was an unknown man banging on my door at 3AM and hiding on my patio from a shooting nearby.)

Upon transferring they sent my security deposit to the old apartment number. When I told them this was unacceptable, they said it was just their procedure and that it's my fault for not having my mail forwarded.

Under Minnesota tenancy law the check and/or list of reductions for damages must be "placed in the United States mail as first class mail, postage prepaid, in an envelope with a proper return address, correctly addressed according to the mailing address or delivery instructions furnished by the tenant." CORRECTLY ADDRESSED. So they admit that violating Minnesota tenant's rights is simply routine for them, and they take no responsibility for that.

It took a month to get my boyfriend on my lease, with multiple visits to the office to get them to take steps, and even then they kept his account in applicant status so he can't create a resident account and pay rent through it. We decided for this month to just put his payment method on my account, but they rejected his payment, and charged us for the rejection plus a late fee. It wasn't a matter of insufficient funds so we have no idea why it was rejected. We also paid on time but by the time they processed the return it was late, and as I said, the tenant always pays for it.

It took two months to put my ESA paperwork through. First they said they'd email me the paperwork and they didn't. I had to go to the office, at which point I physically filled it out in front of them. Then they didn't fax it. Then they couldn't reach my doctor, but didn't think it was relevant to tell me. During all this they continued charging a pet fee for my ESA.

They let an unauthorized occupant live in the building. There were multiple police calls for domestic violence, at least one EMS call, and other tenants were afraid of him. The leasing office just treated him like a resident and it wasn't until the tenant died that we found out he didn't officially live here. Another tenant here harassed two of my friends (a queer married couple) until they moved out, the leasing office knows about her, she still lives here.

Other messy things like they'll charge more than quoted for rent, double charge your account, short you on discounts they advertised, just generally telling you one thing then switching on you. I could go on. I cannot urge you enough to find literally anywhere else.

Edit: a lot of these issues occurred before a significant amount of staff resigned. E.g. being harassed, the violent unauthorized occupant, discrimination being ignored. Regardless, the failure to properly staff the leasing office is a Bigos issue. I am not responsible for the staffing of the office. I have a full-time job, and it's not to babysit them in doing theirs. Being told to bring up any issues with the leasing office is an insult, because that's what I've done repeatedly and there's always something else. Any reasonable person would find their patience running thin. Prospective residents deserve to know what they're...

Friday July 24th, 2020 Modesta was at our apartment today changing some broken and damaged blinds from the windows. As usual, she was incredibly efficient, and always very polite and friendly. She is a family oriented person, and when she is here, we often talk about different issues,; today we exchanged thoughts about the pandemic and the difficult new challenges we all have to face to protect ourselves and our loved ones. As usual, the interactions with the staff are very fun and friendly. We wish you all well and be safe. Roberto and Teresa, Residents at Mears Park Monday July 20th, 2020 Modesta from the maintenance team was here today fixing a small electrical issue with a small bulb in the kitchen. After she was done, she helped me submit a new ticket to have the windows screens fixed or replaced. We are always very pleased with Modestas efficiency and politeness. In general, we are very happy with the professionalism and dedication of all the staff here at Mears Park. Thanks, Roberto & Teresa, Residents at Mears Park

Wednesday, July 14th, 2020 I want to thank Bigos, and Mears Park Place for having such nice employees. To save some money and to help the environment, we decided to change all the bulbs in our apartment to LED, and submitted a maintenance request to get some help getting it done. I received the bulbs this past monday, and one day later, Modesta from maintenance, helped me change all the bulbs. She got the job done very quickly and efficiently. Later that same day, Doug who has always been a gentleman, changed the bulb from the outside of our apartment. These new bulbs are of really good quality and the lighting is really intense. Thanks again, Roberto & Teresa, Residents at Mears Park

Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 Doug, from the maintenance team, was in our home monday morning doing maintenance work. He was incredibly efficient and very polite. We are in general very pleased and happy with MearsPark staff. Thanks, Roberto & Teresa

Saturday, June 6th, 2020 I wanted to take the time and thank the maintenance team here at mears park; specially Seth, for being such a gentleman when handling maintenance issues. In the three issues I had that needed attention, he was always very cordial and detail oriented. He always took care of the problem with professionalism and in a timely manner. I also want to thank the courtesy patrol department, specially to Thia for being so brave and professional and keeping as safe during this difficult times. Roberto & Teresa, Residents at Mears Park

Good afternnon, My second review is long overdue. I have been a resident of Mears Park since May of this year, and my experience living here has been incredibly pleasant. My brother and his wife came to stay with us for sometime and the staff at the office was really friendly and welcoming since the beginning. They have always been very helpful, very professional, and very friendly, and I would highly recommend MearsPark to other serious potential tenants. Special thanks to Isaaq, Megan, and Paulette, for their professionalism in handling business matters. Thank you, Roberto & Teresa, Residents...