Staten Island Urby Apartments — Local services in New York

Don't live here! Moving out cost me nearly $8000 and it's full of crime and ants. At first Urby was pleasant and good for the ego living in an all amenities luxury apartment. I moved there because I had to move fast from my prior place in upper Manhattan in order to be close to my kid on weekends so I took one of those 2 month free promos. I lived there for 2.5 years. Boy am I sorry I did.

The first thing you notice is the constant police cars and ambulances out front. There are police raids in the place and there was at least one murder while I lived there. Next, the space for the money is about the same as Manhattan, except that you get no bathtub. That's supposed to be worth it because of the amenities, however with lockdown they couldn't deliver the amenities and wouldn't let me out of the lease termination fee, which had me basically locked in a closet-sized place for months. Even with lockdown eased the reduced amenities do not offset the space loss. Sure there's a pool, but it's summer-only and only 4.5" at its deepest. So symbolic!

If you're considering Urby SI as a cheaper alternative to Manhattan for the ease of commuting, forget it. Between the wait for the local SIR train whose exit seems closed half the time and the wait for the SI ferry and the wait for the subway once you're through the cattle shoots, it's an hour and a half to get anywhere but the financial district. The express bus is not much better. There is beautiful stretch with a view of Manhattan. That's where the homeless hang out. Unless you completely don't value your time, pick up one of the numerous deals in the city or over the river in Jersey with so many people moving out. You could probably take a place in the burbs and get to work faster.

Attracted to the 3 month free promo? They'll get it back from you when you move out on highballed damage assessments. They told me there was melted wax on the floor, but it was a borax solution I had to use to seal the molding where the seemingly endless ant infestation gets in. I have cats and had to treat their cat food like a toxic substance or else there'd be a line of ants I had to battle every morning—and I lived on the 4th floor! The borax could have easily be scraped off with a razor, but they charged me $4000 for that ON TOP OF the nearly $4000 lease termination fee that they should have let me out of, for a total of nearly $8000 to move out of a tiny studio apartment that was too small to live in in the first place.

When I asked for any sort of relief, they said no and started sending me certified letters and threatened to send it to a collection agency. The fact that the owner responded to this review encouraging me to reach out is a joke. I guess it's cheaper to squeeze your ex customers and hire the social media shills than it is to address issues.

The truly sad part of this is that the on-site staff are truly remarkable. The head of security actually became a friend, having gotten me clued into the fact that the Green Lantern movie was actually good (to true Green Lantern fans) and what a shame it really was that it didn't boot the DCCU instead of all that dark stuff. And there were others among the Concierge's I'd count as friends.

It's sickening that it cost me nearly $8000 to get out of this place. And that's for damage to "peel-on" wood flooring over the concrete they pass off as hardwood floors. Best building? Ha! The cheap feel of lowest bidding on construction is everywhere except the community spaces designed to make you overlook all the other shortcomings. Even in the community spaces, the fire-pits are hardly ever working and go out with the slightest bit of wind, making them useless on the nights you'd want them.

It is my belief that a heartless management leans on the good-will their on-site staff builds for them, hoping people like me will forgive them their greed when it comes time for the squeeze. Besides the excellent on-site staff, Urby SI is just corporate greed squeezing the little guy. Spare yourself the grief and save yourself the money....

I've lived here for nearly 3 years (a 2 & 1 year lease). I intend to extend my lease another 1-2 years but likely move into a 2bdr apartment. It's been a little on the costly side but the quality of life of living here rather than with an overbearing landlord is absolutely worth the extra couple hundred/mo. My only interactions with management/concierge has been to pick up packages. Having a mail room that handles personal packages has been my absolutely favorite amenity provided by Urby. I've not lost a single item and I've been notified via e-mail for every package received and delivered. For internet there is Time Warner & Verizon available as ISPs here. I have Verizon and haven't had a single outage or slowdown of service. Gigabit U/D. The water pressure and temperature in the shower is great. Every apartment has at least 1 close to the floor AC unit (and it works really well). There was a ~1d blackout this past winter when a large amount of snow took out the generators to the back portion of the building. I've never had an issue before or after that. Pets are allowed and I've not had any problems with other people's pets. From what I can tell, everyone is very responsible and considerate.

Most restaurants will deliver straight to your apartment. The few that don't, well, I don't bother ordering from anymore :). If concierge has stepped away and they need entry to the building, there is a phone app for that. Although, I rarely need to use it (and I order far more food than I should).

The gym is largely underused which means you're basically never waiting around to get your turn at some weights or a machine. The public spaces are almost never used either outside of June through August.

This part isn't exactly Urby as the garage is outsourced to an external company, but: around 2019 I had some trouble finding a parking spot in the garage, and the attendants will double/triple park your vehicle and move it into an approriate place overnight for you so you're not stuck searching around. They handled it with care and I'd do it again if necessary; and I'm not exactly the most trusting of strangers. Another time there was a leak from cement/paint off the ceiling of the garage at one point and I thought there was some decent damage to my vehicle. Urby management paid (up-front, no out of pocket to me) for extensive cleaning and had it sorted for me within a day.

There are mosquito (these very tiny ones) issues around the back of the building, often in the back elevator (nearest the gym), and in the gym. This usually lasts from May through October. They've hidden on my clothes and followed me up to my apartment once or twice. If my window is open they'll come right in (window facing inner courtyard, 4th floor). I'm not at all a fan of insects, but at least that's where my complaints end. We have a window net/mask/blocker that prevents this now. But on the ground floor and elevator, it's still a problem even now. I don't think it can be fixed, since Urby is located so close to the water. I instead just don't use this elevator or entrance during those months. It is my one and only complaint about living here, and honestly not a big enough deal to rate this place anything but 5 stars.

I've heard that there is a lot of section 8 housing here as well. I've heard from people prior to moving here that they walked through the halls on tour and saw literal used needles on the ground. I've been here almost 3 years and while I'm really not one to judge, I may or may not have encountered tennants who live here under section 8 housing. And you know what? I have no complaints. Every single person that I've encountered has greeted me with a smile (pre-mask days), said no more than a simple hello unless prompted, and held the...

By daylight, Staten Island Urby rises like a quiet promise, a place where sunlight pours across sleek, modern facades and filters through floor-to-ceiling windows, warming everything in its path. The building stands steady, a well-kept sanctuary amidst the hum of the waterfront, with landscaped courtyards that pulse with color, blooming in defiance of concrete and steel. Even the air seems gentler here; a breeze rolls in off the water, carrying with it the briny memory of salt and distant tides, whispering of journeys yet taken and days gone by. The light catches on leaves, plays over the communal fire pits, flickers across picnic tables like a secret invitation. There’s something surreal and soft in the way it all comes together, this space carefully designed, well-tended, almost idyllic.

Inside, the crew moves quietly but is ever-present. Their warm greetings and nods of recognition form an unspoken rhythm that binds the place together. They are the lifeblood of Urby, their daily work invisible yet essential—acts of maintenance and care that keep the space alive. The cleaners, the porters, the guards at the entrance, each one contributes a layer of comfort, an unseen assurance. In the gym, which sprawls with rooms filled with equipment and quiet concentration, people stretch, lift, and breathe deeply, their efforts mirrored in the steady guidance of instructors who offer classes in yoga, breathwork, and sound therapy. Every corner of Urby during the day seems to breathe a slow, easy breath, a pulse of calm and connection.

And yet, as the day fades and night settles over the streets, a different Urby emerges. The twilight cloaks the gardens, soft light flickering from the fire pits turning shadows into specters. Beyond the gate, the world begins its own descent—a reminder that this safe haven rests on the edge of something much darker, a cityscape that does not sleep. Outside, voices rise and fall, laced with a careless abandon, the laughter mingling with shouts that echo off distant walls. Music blares from somewhere, its beat hard and insistent, mingling with the occasional wail of a siren, a stark reminder of the city’s unseen scars.

The park, where neighbors once walked their dogs in the daylight, becomes a gathering ground for restless souls, the people hunched on benches like shadows come to life. Some pace in the night, their gazes distant, looking for something they might never find. A few streets down, the flash of red and blue lights illuminates alleyways and forgotten corners, marking the boundaries between safety and something more fragile. Here, there is a tension that the night refuses to hide—a vulnerability that lingers just outside the gates, casting long, uneasy shadows.

And yet, there is a beauty in this contrast, a reality that cannot be erased by manicured lawns or well-tended rooms. Staten Island Urby stands as both sanctuary and reminder, a place that holds its own against the night but knows the weight of the world...