One Uptown Newport — Local services in Newport Beach

I moved into the second phase, during the 2020 shutdown, one of the first residents in the building...truly was glorious having the place to ourselves. As you read through reviews, here are a few important things to note:

Yes they have gone through a handful of change-ups in management over the years. We were lucky to have Ramon managing when we first moved in (FYI he came from years with the Irvine Co., not necessarily a bad thing). After he left, we were lucky that they coaxed him out of retirement and he came back to serve as our activity coordinator for quite some time. Having lived at a different property previously (not Picerne and not Irvine Co.), I can say in full confidence that our management still remains some of the best around. Apartment complexes are difficult, and there are always issues, but:

Management routinely issues reminders re: smoking, use of amenities (re: guests), and pet waste. Most properties do not even address. And if you have a grievance, just snap a photo of the offender, and they will deal with it. And do not think that this is the only property that has these issues...it's just a side effect of the you do you mentality that now abounds everywhere.

Privileged pet owners are everywhere in Newport, with way too many folks throughout the city letting their dogs run off leash and/or being glued to their cell phone instead of paying attention to their dog (hence they are oblivious to when their dog even poops)...this is a city wide problem at practically every apartment complex.

Our maintenance crew rocks! They are very responsive, and if you have an appointment they are timely and respectful, everyone is super friendly. For the kids complaining about being stuck in an elevator while visiting, that's the powers above giving you a sign to not be lazy, take the stairs ;) But truly, any elevator can break down. And in five years, I've only been inconvenienced twice (of note, the elevators break down at my work in Newport constantly...elevators here get a lot of use). They perform regular maintenance here, but I do think that when folks are moving in and out, the tenants tend to mess with the elevator by keeping things propped open etc.... just not using the elevator kindly, and so needs repair after a bit of abuse.

Homeless ... we have the least amount of homeless issues on this property. Areas are all well lit. Security does drive throughs. Getting into the property is like trying to get in to Fort Knox for the most part. If you choose a lower level unit, the units have alarms for additional peace of mind. But when you're out walking, you should always be mindful ... we live next to a nature preserve, so more likely to see a coyote than an unhoused individual.

Re: tenants. Unfortunately California has imposed affordable housing requirements on individual cities. Newport's solution to fulfilling this requirement is to impose fulfilling obligations on builders. Percentages of complexes are required to be designated "affordable". Some complexes (ie. most older Irvine Co. complexes), accommodate moderate to moderate low income (very minimally), but the new complexes (this is in speaking with residents of other non-Picerne properties), are required to have accessibility to low income (in my opinion in part why rents in general are higher for traditional residents). Low income housing is generally lottery based, not employment base, and not merit based...it's equal access for all, nondiscriminatory. But while I've noticed some not so great effects of this, some of our "mom/dad pays the rent and pays the Lexus/Bentley/BMW/Maserati lease" tenants can be just as disrespectful and unaccountable. And again, this issue effects all complexes.

I have lived here for 5 years. I lived at a different property in Newport for 5 years before that. Overall, the amenities are the best, the staff is the best, and the amenities are the best. And this is the MOST quiet complex around. Even on the rare occasion of noise, it pales in comparison to other properties & is dealt...

I lived here for about 7 months, and it was one of the most horrific living situations I’ve ever experienced. Even though the apartment claims to be non-smoking and non-vaping, smoke would pour into my unit daily, triggering severe allergy attacks. The complex was often littered with cigarettes and feces, but cleaning only appeared to happen when tours were scheduled. I felt unsafe around the property after being followed and harassed several times. Additionally, I had incredibly loud upstairs neighbors that kept me awake between 10pm-5am most nights. It was so loud that items in our apartment would rattle and fall down. In total, I was only able to sleep through the night about 5 times in 6ish months.

I reported these issues to management multiple times via email but didn’t receive a response for weeks, only after I followed up with phone calls. From there, I was pushed off to a third-party security patrol, whom I contacted 13 times. They frequently didn’t answer or show up. Despite following up weekly & cooperating with everything asked of me, including providing video proof and asking for support for months, management denied the severity of the issues and ultimately did nothing effective to enforce their own non-smoking and quiet hour policies.

Eventually, I was forced to move out for my health and well-being, as the constant smoke and sleep deprivation made me physically sick for months. I had to uproot my life, as moving was the last thing I had planned on doing, but the uninhabitable unit made the move necessary. After that, management demanded anywhere from $3k to over $40k in fees, constantly changing the amount and blaming “mistakes.” At one point, they even attempted to get me to sign a non-disparagement agreement to prevent me from publicly sharing my honest experience.

After I moved out, they charged me over $500 for paint, despite the fact that I lived there only 7 months, never hung anything on the walls, and left the unit in great condition with photo and video evidence. They also delayed listing the unit publically as available for several weeks but still attempted to claim that I was rent responsible during that period. Their explanations for charges were vague, constantly shifting, and completely lacking transparency. They would add some charges & drop others under the vague label of a “customer service gesture.” Some of the charges were dropped only after I raised a formal dispute, including proof of constructive eviction and failure to mitigate. At no point did they meaningfully acknowledge or apologize for the terrible living experience that forced me out and made me sick in the first place.

I’m not someone who normally leaves reviews, but I hope this helps others avoid the very expensive & exhausting mistake of living here. What was shown during the tour was nothing like the reality of living there. If you value being treated with basic human decency and want a peaceful place to live, I strongly recommend looking...

Update at the bottom of review.

After I left Taco Bell, I walked towards the dirt lot and saw trash thrown about on the sidewalk. I decided to pick up clothing and bags. Leaving them neatly leaning on the fence, I was tired and wanted to sit in the shade. As soon as I sat down, this "man" on the photo harassed me. I wasn't even in the lot for a minute, this troglodyte said and I quote "I am from homeland security, you can't be here" I asked for Identification, then he took a picture of me without my consent. He never provided any identification, started calling people, a "Mike"? Saying I was trying to make residency (complete lie), also that he was going to stick around and make a report. In the picture, were he was standing, he was blocking my way to leave. I had to call police and state I was gonna get into mutual combat (legal in California) if he didn't get out of my way, to leave. I frequently use the bathroom and sit down by the park, it's a public park. I also know people who live in this building and they know I am a paying customer at the Taco Bell. They also know me as a back packer/reviewer/traveler.

I've worked security before too, this was not observing and reporting. This was plain harassment, this man is abusing his license of powers to arrest. Lying about being in homeland security(that's impersonating an officer, highly illegal), not showing proper identification, lying about a person's intensions, and using intimidation to harass people just for laying in the shade. (Not even there 2 mins, he basically bullied me)

All this abuse in power is absolutely ridiculous. I will continue to use the bathroom as I please. And if this man continues to harass me, I will engage in mutual combat. Then I will call police after he's down and out. I would like to file formal complaint and would like an apology from his supervisors.

UPDATE: (two days after the incident) spoke with a Ramon. Apparently this fellow doesn't work security detail, for this building. Nor does he work security at all. This man is stalking people and harassing them. What he didn't know is that I am a traveler, I backpack from place to place. I review restaurants, buildings and events. Hopefully this guy doesn't bother anybody anymore. Most surely will try to file a police report for harassment, if this guy tries...