Park Michigan — Local services in Chicago

Really would give them 3.5 stars, but rounding up. I've been living here for the past 2.5 years and figured I could give more insight on things, so this is a rather long read. This place has had it's share of ups and downs, and is now on the up side, hence many old nasty reviews, and nicer ones more recently :)

The location is great, easy lake, LSD, and expressway access. Located near many grocery stores, shops, and the L with a line to Midway. Couldn't be happier with it's exact location. My 1 bedroom unit is very spacious and I have great lake views. I will say that I did move units after my first year. I specifically told them I wanted a unit with my current view, they assured me it the one on the market would have it but did not have the unit available for viewing at the time I was able to come to town to see it, and I moved in only to find out they totally lied and I was only able to see tree tops in Grant Park, absolutely no lake as I was not high enough (East facing initially on 4th floor, now on 22nd floor). Maintenance is quick and I've only really needed things fixed a few times. Downside is no in unit W/D and there have been times when some machines are down or the laundry card machine is down. They get tended to quickly, but still an inconvenience in the moment. Also many elevator issues in the past, but haven't had any recently.

Pricing is competitive for units and honestly a good deal for the location. The draw back is that this building is not a new, more modern space, so I think that contributes to the cheaper pricing, but not a dump either. Some units are also a tad more up to date than others. Coming from. new building with tons of amenities was a transition, but they've added things since such as a rooftop with grills, fire pits, and dog walking pad, as well as updated their business center and social spaces.

Parking is about the same as other places but if you don't pay for reserved spots (extra $50/month), then seems you're not alway guaranteed a spot. Before I started paying for reserved, I'd come home sometimes to a full garage as they rent "extra" spots in the garage daily and when there are events in the area, I think they oversell sometimes, accompanied by folks not knowing how to park and just take one space :/. Also, I noticed my car had been hit, although unsure of where it happened, although I still suspect it was inside the garage.

The staff is much more friendly (a lot of new folks, including management). They had some changes over time, and there was a good period where some of the staff were absolutely horrible. Not very welcoming. Would not hit the button to auto open doors, even when sitting they're not doing anything. Made you feel as if you were bothering them and interrupting their personal (and many times unprofessional) cell phone conversations whenever you approached the front desk. They lost my packages a couple of times, and once left my refrigerated delivery items to sit out for hours as I was working and unable to get it until I got off that night, causing all the frozen fish to go bad. I even had an experience where a staff member got into an altercation with an ex in the paid, reserved parking garage and somehow my car rear windshield ended up shattered (I was notified by CPD). All the complex was willing to do was give me a handful of free parking passes and a free party space rental, meanwhile, I had to pay $500+ to get my car fixed. Pretty unacceptable when I pay $250 a month for "secured" parking. Recently, they have started to keep the garage door closed, and at that time they wold leave it open, allowing those on foot access at any point (very unsafe). They've also gotten much better at delivery notification and storage.

They also did me a solid during the pandemic by not increasing my rent for the following year, which I really appreciated. Still have some gems working here, and the new concierge hires are great, especially Michael (that man needs a raise imo)! I expect reviews to get better as time goes on if they keep moving in...

Park Michigan is the worst rental experience I’ve ever had.

The Bad…

Energy Costs: As many other reviewers have mentioned the electric bill for these units cost an arm and a leg. During the winter months my electric bill was on average $170. Which is ridiculous considering I had a 550 sq ft studio and I had the thermostat constantly set to 68 degrees. This is mostly due to poor insulation and inefficient heating units. You can practically hold your palm up to the corner of the window and feel the draft. My coworkers who lives in another building, in a similar size unit, was paying an average of $80 for the same months. I chose Park Michigan over his building because it was $100/month cheaper in rent, but after factoring in the energy costs and outdated appliances, I’m getting less of a value. This is something to keep in mind when comparing rent to other buildings in the area.

We had a west facing apartment, and the summer afternoons are like a sauna. One thing that captivated us was the views. But it seems like we never get to enjoy it because we can’t have the blinds open when the sun is directly hitting the windows. If you take a close look outside the building, about 70% of the units have either a reflector or black out curtains covering the windows. Even when it’s a perfect 70 degrees outside the inside of the apartment will be in the 90s if the AC is not on. The window is about 1 feet by 3feet so that doesn’t do any good for air circulation. In the summer when the temperatures hit 90 degrees, the AC unit is on blast nonstop even with the blinds closed. On several occasions we had to move our couch closer to the AC unit just to cool off.

College Dorm: I knew the building will have a younger crowd with all the schools around and I consider myself a tolerant person, but what I couldn’t stand is the constant smell of marijuana and cigarette smoke. The vents of the units are connected so the air circulates between units and into the hallways. My wife complained about the odor twice to the leasing office and they pretty much said they can’t do anything about it and sent out a “illegal drugs is not allowed” email to the entire building. We requested to move to a different floor or get out of our lease and they wouldn’t agree to either.

Outdated Building: The kitchen appliances, bathrooms, fixtures are all cheap and old. The water from the tap always seems discolored and dirty. On several occasions I turned on the shower and the water was noticeably discolored like mud water. The first time was due to work being done on the pipes, the other time were never announced. I’ve gotten in the habit of running the water a couple minutes and checking before getting into the shower. Again I mentioned it to the leasing office and they’ll someone up to check on it and who shrugs and say it’s probably just the boiler.

Safety: It might be general knowledge to others but you have to sign a letter saying the maintenance staff is not allowed in your unit without your presence. The first time someone was checking something in my unit when my wife walked in from work and startled her. Even after I signed a do not enter notice, we had occasions when people came into our unit without our consent.

Parking: The parking company is allowed to “lease out” your spot for special events. Twice we returned home and found the parking lot was full from football game parking, so we had to drive out of our way to get street parking and pay for it out of pocket. The leasing office sends out notices of special event so we tried not to even take the car out during these times. Unfair if you ask me considering how much a parking spot runs.

The Good…

Location: Since Park Michigan is only a couple blocks away from the CTA it’s easy to get in and out and Grand Park is right across the street. This is the only reason why I’m giving a 2 star instead of 1.

If you can get a nicer place for $100-$150 more then jump on it. Your electric bill alone will make up...

The maintenance guys came in a timely manner and did a great job replacing my toilet stool. they were courteous and very professional and they cleaned up behind their selves once they completed the job. but now in 2022 with new management , I don't have anything else good to say about this property, except stay away. to be clear about things, that property manager's initials were T.W. she is no longer here now. since April 2021 this property has had 5 different property managers. this building has a host of problems, from the elevators being broken for weeks at a time, to the constant hammering and knocking that echos from floor to floor because their team is making some type of repairs, to low water pressure from time to time, to the big gaps under the front doors of many apartments that does not help on your energy bill. to the huge energy bills in the winter months. One day in 2021, it rained so hard, that i had water coming into my apartment from the tops of my window. I've had problem after problem ever since i signed a two year lease with this management company. with some computer magic is now only a one year lease and i am being harassed and threatened by people at the main office that is located at 1946 W. Lawrence Ave. with eviction! The same man who had me to sign this two year lease, is the same man who is now threatening eviction. I'm not going to say his name but his initials are J.S.

it is now 2024 and I've been living here at the Park Michigan for four years now and that is due in large part to the current Property manager that they now have in place for the last couple of years, whos initials are M.K., she has made lots of changes and improvements to the property, from the renovation of the laundry room to removing the dog walk area from the rooftop where we are supose to be able to have cook outs and family gatherings, to the safety and sercurity of unwanted access into our property. the garage has also been renovated and newer security features in place. she is a people person and very approachable to any concerns that you may have about your unit and or surrounding areas, and that is very important to me. The team of people that she has selected to help her maintain and upkeep the property are also good at what they do! From the leasing agents and the maintence crew to back of the house cleaning crews. who are acording to there crafts and skiils, also kind and curtious. now no property is without some kind of issue, but she seems to be attacking problems at every level as they arrise! this property is in a great location with jaw dropping views of the city and lakefront. the access to public transportation from this location is super good! My views for this property have changed since 2022. and that is because of the change in managment. I can now say that i am happy to be part of the Park...