Packard Building Apartments — Local services in Seattle

Original review first, see a more recent one further below, after living here for 1 year. (spoiler: still 5 stars!)

Original review:

I've been living here for about 2.5 months and I'm amazed with the building management. Twice I've requested for some assistance and it was always prompt. Lyndsey was my leasing manager and I can't say enough good things about her. It was a great experience from touring to applying, moving in and post-move. Needless to say, the location is central to everything in Capitol Hill and many of my favorite places are just around the block. I've visited over 10 places in Capitol Hill before choosing and I'm glad I decided for this one.

New review (after living for 1 year):

This has been by far my best living experience in Seattle so far.

#1) Location

This is the boundary between busy Capitol Hill (West of 12th) and chill Capitol Hill (East of 12th), so it's a great location for whatever you may fancy. I'm more on the chill side and it has served me well. My favorite places are around here (Momiji, Plum Bistro, Eltana, RCF gym, Omega Ouzeri, Gemini Room, Elliott Bay Book Company... I could add at least a dozen more to this list). It's also walking distance (less than 10min) to the Capitol Hill Link station.

#2) Staff

Keta, the leasing manager, is phenomenal. Always prompt and truly cares about the tenants. The previous leasing manager was also amazing, so it shows Equity Apartments is doing a great job in hiring and keeping talent (keep it up!). Maintenance has always been prompt, friendly and efficient. All the staff is 5 stars.

#3) Packages

They have Amazon Hub (the lockers) and it works very well. Besides groceries, everything else I order online and I'd say 90-95% of my packages end up nicely in the lockers (which from prior experience it's as good as it gets). Even in the rare cases where it doesn't end up in a locker I never had a package go missing, which seems to be a recurrent complaint in other buildings, so I'm grateful it's not a problem here.

#4) Building

The building has always been clean and safe. The kitchen amenities are of great quality and the finishes all look great. Everything in the apartment gives me a feeling of being modern and well taken care of. If anything, just the washer/dryer looks like an older model, but it has never failed me (and in fact, it saved a friend of mine who lives nearby after they got a new one that seems to be not as trustworthy )

#5) View

I'm sure that is very much apartment-specific, but oh my, the view from my unit is amazing. First, all external walls of my corner unit are windows and I couldn't love it more. During summer I just close some of the West-facing blinds in the afternoon and have a portable A/C (which by the way is easy to fit in this type of window) and it was comfortable all summer.

I love how much natural light it gets. Check out some of the photos I attached. By far the most photogenic apartment I've lived in.

#6) Noise

I've never heard noise from my neighbors (neither from above nor from the sides) so the walls probably have good insulation.

My unit is at the corner of 12th & Pine, so further away from The Cuff complex and so that has never been a problem. It's not only because I'm a heavy sleeper, but at peak time at max what I'd hear is a distant bass sound (and only if I'm trying to hear it). The main source of noise for my unit are the fire trucks. Sometimes they never go by and sometimes they go by a lot, but after a few weeks I got used to them anyway. Plus the windows are double-pane, so that helps.

I'm really glad I moved here. I wanted to live in Capitol Hill for a while and so happy it turned out to...

I have happily lived at the Packard for 16 months. Best parts? The building is cleaned several times a week, is secure with passcode entry and, overall, well maintained. Rooftop deck with downtown and sunset view is a lovely luxury. Leasing agent/building manager, Lyndsey, is friendly and extremely helpful. Quick to respond to requests and concerns. Follows through on problem solving and communication every time. Nice to have fitness room, storage area and Amazon/delivery lockers. It is probably standard most places now, but I truly appreciate having full size washer and dryer in our apartment with a layout that works well.

Worst part and reason for 4 Instead of 5 stars? If you live on the east side of the building over The Cuff patio, the party noise is shockingly loud. The way our leasing agent (Mr. B.) described the situation was "it gets a little loud on weekends but is better now that Cuff has installed a roof." If we had understood how loud the weekend and warm weather night clubbing noise actually is, we probably would not have moved in. I strongly recommend that anyone choosing an apartment near or above the patio spend time IN Cuff between 12 and 2 am on a Friday or Saturday night before you sign a lease. If you walk by outside, not so loud. If you are anywhere else in the building, including the roof, not so loud. In the apartment? Extremely loud. At first we used ear plugs, sleep meds, and ran appliances to get night-time rest. Now I rearrange my sleep schedule knowing I will usually be awake during peak party hours. My partner has figured out a way to sleep through it. We have watched unprepared people move in and out quickly. AND we have become used to it! We feel like part of a community vibe even though we are at home. And a Wednesday night group karaoke of male voices singing Ginuwine and "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan is now a joyful and endearing Packard...

Packard Building is located on perfect location. However, it is important to be aware of all the major issues before you sign for a lease here.

The building staff are not available. The building managers do not have the authority to make any decisions; thus, they are not helpful The building is on the top of a night club (The Cuff). The night club also have outside bar and dance floor. So, pretty much your back yard is a night club. The tea dance starts at 3 PM. Forget about down time, working from home, sleeping, or even doing chores. Peace of mind. Go for a night out to the Cuff. If you are new to the city. You must know. The back side of the building faces a fire department and the front of the building is faces the police department. Well, let's say. Someone is on fire 24 hours around. Make sure to have a saving for staying in hotels. During the pride, block parties, even weekends. The noise is out of control. Guest with babies will have to stay in hotels The water bill is super high. I do not trust: "it's by our usage". I was in France for over 3 weeks. My bill was still over $80. They building is not energy efficient. The rent went up by %10 this summer. A lot of my neighbors moved out. So, the rent get jacked as they please.

Sincerely, Resident trapped for...