Palisade UTC — Attraction in San Diego

Lived here 3 years, 12th floor, West/pool side. Primarily stayed as it was next to work location. Some nice things offset by some very frustrating things. Would expect better when charging 3500 - 5500/unit - see Pros/Cons below - PROS: *Apartment – Good design, floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the unit. Bathroom and shower very spacious. Design such that peripheral noise from neighbors is nearly nonexistent. Great views. *People – Tenants in community are generally kind, quiet, and responsible professionals or retirees. *Pool/Spa – Probably best feature of property. Gorgeous design and filled with plenty of seating and cabana areas. *Rooftop lounge/patio – Great indoor lounge and outdoor patio areas as well. 270+ degree views. *Maintenance – Responsive and helpful CONS (Noise): On West side of building expect to deal with noise. Design of building is concave in nature, so noise is noticeably amplified/echoed and funneled your way.

1. Intersection of Nobel/Genesee will drive you crazy at times. Plenty of obnoxious vehicles and motorcycles speeding off the line.
2. Emergency vehicles-With fire stations and hospitals near, combined with Genesee being direct route through UTC, you will hear this routine 5-6 times per day. Very loud – sound in UTC travels easily.
3. CONSTRUCTION! Part 1, PAST – Moved in August 2020, quiet for several months. In Jan 2021, UTC mall/Westfield broke ground on large parking garage less than 100 yards from West side of the building. For next 11 months (Jan – Nov 2021), treated to construction sounds for 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week... Miserable experience. MOST IMPORTANTLY, plans were never communicated before I signed – Westfield owns Palisade and the mall property, they were well aware. Part 2, FUTURE RED FLAG - in 2022, Alexandria Real Estate purchased Costa Verde Center, opposite side of Genesee but direct facing West side of Palisade. This will soon be a life science “mega campus” (office, lab space, etc.) – a massive project = construction lasting 2+ years once it begins (see SDUT articles). As of 5/23, had not begun – could start any month and then looking at major construction zone until 2025+. And if you think construction being on other side of Genesee will save you, think again – no more than 600-700 feet away, you will hear it all. CONS (Other): *Security deposit/move out (over $700 in charges) – Lived solo, no pets, quiet and clean lifestyle.
4. Charged $210 for basic cleaning – left the place nearly spotless-vacuumed, dusted, wiped down every surface I could find. Expect to pay this.
5. Charged $470 for repairing vinyl/laminate flooring – outrageous. Entire floor is made up of panels that are approx 5 inches wide and 2-5 feet long. 99% of the panels were left flawless (have pics) – 3-4 panels did suffer damage due to furniture (i.e. -10-12 sq ft max?) – even best flooring is $5/sqft max? So maybe $50 in materials… $420 in labor? Bonkers. *Amenity TVs – Nonstop issues… half work and half don’t, touch screen wall remotes are awful. Demand on tour they show you it works including how to change channels/volume. *Amenity coffee – Coffee machine on the rooftop lounge, great when it works but out of order or no paper cups half the time. *Bell carts – AWFUL condition, haven’t been replaced entire 3 years despite some literally falling apart from Day 1, plus upholstery is disgusting. Why does this place skimp on the little things? *Elevators/plumbing – At least once per year, there has been a major issue shutting down elevators/water (see other reviews) *Apt windows – Building cleans once per year (dirty several weeks later). Also huge windows = extremely bright = mass quantities of sun = apt heats up quick = significant AC use. Must invest in series of large blackout curtains to have any control. *Storage unit area – Requires FOB access, yet still doesn’t prevent break-ins. Lock was cut off with bolt cutters, boxes gone through - thank god hadn’t stored...

Palisade Has the Worst Management – Unprofessional, Uncaring, and Incompetent I have never dealt with such an unprofessional and neglectful management team. They operate like machines—cold, uncaring, and completely selfish. Here are just a few examples of their incompetence:

1️⃣ Severe Leak & Mold Growth Ignored for Half a Year – Then They Charged Us for It Our unit experienced a leak, which we promptly reported to maintenance. The maintenance person inspected the issue, took photos, and assured us they would report it to management. Months passed—no updates, no repairs. Meanwhile, mold and other issues started developing due to their inaction. Finally, after about half a year, they sent someone to fix it, yet even then, they failed to do everything they promised. They told us they would fix everything and instructed us to vacate our belongings, but in the end, they didn’t follow through. And when we tried to contact them? Ignored.

To make matters worse, instead of taking responsibility, they placed the financial burden entirely on us, charging a ridiculously high fee for THEIR negligence.

2⃣️Garage Leak Damaging Vehicles – Their Solution? ‘Just Get a Car Detail’

This morning, we reported a leak in the garage that was actively damaging vehicles. Their response?

"Just park in the same spot, the leak should get better." They even threatened to tow our car if we parked elsewhere. Instead of offering a temporary alternative or prioritizing a fix, they brushed it off like it wasn’t their problem. The simplest solution would have been to offer us a temporary parking space while addressing the issue. But, of course, that’s too much effort for Palisade.

To make matters worse, they casually suggested we get a detailing job or contact our insurance, as if that would magically fix the damage caused by their negligence. This is a $120,000 vehicle, and the damage to the paint is significant. Yet they remain completely indifferent.

The funniest (and most infuriating) part? They forced us to park in the same spot, almost as if they wanted the leak to continue damaging the vehicle. They even promised to call us back within 10 minutes to discuss the issue, but no one ever followed up. Honestly, if they had contacted us, we’d have been shocked—it’s that rare.

By the end of the day, the leak continued, with no sign of any attempt to fix it. Because all repair shops were closed, we were forced to try fixing it ourselves to prevent the damage from getting even worse. Despite spending hours on it, we couldn’t salvage the situation. Thanks to Palisade’s mismanagement, we’ll now have to send the car to a shop for repairs. How absurd is that?

3️⃣ Bogus Fees & False Accusations To make things worse, right after all this, they sent an email falsely claiming we never accepted their lease request—when we never received your “so called notification”. Now, they’re attempting to charge us an extra fee due to their own mismanagement. Excuse us?! Maybe if they actually did their job, we wouldn’t have to deal with this nonsense. And to be clear, this is on the same day when we reported the leak, they choose to ignore the leak and just try to find other ways to go after you. So ridiculous.

🚨 BOTTOM LINE: AVOID PALISADE AT ALL COSTS. This management team does not care about their residents. They ignore serious maintenance issues, refuse to take responsibility, and then try to nickel-and-dime tenants for their own incompetence. The bare minimum they could have done was provide a temporary parking solution and properly handle repairs. Instead, they choose to gaslight and brush off real concerns.

By the way, we’ve lived here for over five years, and this is how they treat you. It’s clear they don’t value their tenants at all. Palisade, this is exactly how you lose residents.

If you value professionalism, responsiveness, and basic respect as a tenant, STAY FAR AWAY...

I’ve lived in this building since it opened in 2020—over five years—and I’m deeply disappointed by the ongoing lack of accountability and tenant respect.

A few years ago, a tragic incident occurred when someone accessed the building and fatally jumped from the rooftop. Despite the severity of that event, no meaningful security upgrades followed. A year or so after, my bicycle was stolen from the premises. I received no support, no compensation, and no follow-up from management.

This year, my Porsche—clearly displaying a vanity plate with my name—was towed from a spot adjacent to my assigned space, a small and understandable mistake. I was never warned, contacted, or given the opportunity to move the car, despite being a long-term resident since the building opened up 2020, with two designated parking spots. There was no visible signage indicating that immediate towing would occur. The tow yard itself was in terrible condition.

This pattern of indifference to tenant safety, property, and basic communication is unacceptable. I have formally requested towing documentation and am reviewing my legal options under California Vehicle Code §22658, which outlines strict requirements for residential towing.

Residents deserve better—better safety, better communication, and better treatment. [Update: Response to Management’s Comment, 08072025]

I want to address the response left by management directly and publicly below:

Thank you for your response. I’d like to clarify a few important points to correct the public record.

There was no threatening language used at any time. Expressing frustration over the wrongful towing of my vehicle — especially after years of tenancy — is not the same as being aggressive or threatening. Broadly characterizing my tone this way is misleading, shifts focus from the real issue, and does not help resolve the matter constructively.

Throughout this process, I communicated clearly and professionally, including with your legal representative. My initial emails were acknowledged, but after I requested legally relevant documentation—such as the tow authorization form, required signage documentation, photos of the vehicle at the time of towing, and any police reports as required under California Vehicle Code §22658—the attorney ceased all communication. This left a legitimate legal issue unaddressed.

For clarity, California law mandates that specific procedures be followed before towing a vehicle from residential property, including proper documentation and filing a police report. These are not arbitrary requests; they are statutory requirements. To date, none of that documentation has been provided to me.

At that point, my only path forward is to retain legal counsel and initiate a formal proceeding. I ultimately chose not to pursue this path, not due to the lack of response, but because I have been a resident of this community since it opened in 2020 and I genuinely value it. I simply did not wish to spend more time and energy on this mishap.

That said, I do hope this serves as a constructive opportunity for Greystar to improve internal processes, especially regarding state-specific legal compliance and the training of new team members.

I have since updated the Reliant parking system to help prevent future confusion.

Finally, I will be leaving this review and my response public for a few months so that my position is clearly documented. I may remove it at a later time, once I believe this matter has been taken seriously and meaningful improvements have been...