The Smyth Apartments — Local services in Stamford

For those considering The Smyth, here's an honest review with three pros and three cons (I'm a current resident, having lived here for about six months).

Overall, I'd give the building a 2.5 out of 5 stars but that's not an option on here so I'll round up. I'll start with the pros...

Pros: The location is great. Easy walk to various downtown spots, as well as the train station. The amenities are pretty good, especially if you work from home. The management team is responsive. While they can't always address issues (see below), Ben and his team are professional and considerate.

Cons: Noise is a daily issue here. If you're looking for a quieter place to live you will want to look elsewhere. I understand this is city living, so one can't expect complete peace and quiet. That said, I lived in NYC for 10 years and the noise was never this bad in any of my previous apartments. The builder clearly used cheap materials for the doors and windows here at The Smyth, because you can easily hear everything from dogs barking to sirens to regular traffic (and I'm on the 14th floor). The dog barking comes from both inside (neighbors inside the Smyth) and from outside on the street. As noted, I live on the 14th floor, so if you're hoping a higher floor will mute the noise I would advise you to think twice. To come back to the barking dogs, one example is the small dog run they have at the back of the building (on Bell street at the bottom of the parking garage). Nice idea in theory, but the placement wasn't smart since the garage acts as a megaphone, allowing barking dogs to hit all the apartments on that side of the building. It also just makes that whole area behind the building smell like dog urine. From speaking with my neighbors who live facing Tresser and Washington Blvds, the sirens are a recurring problem for them... And the after-market loud mufflers are a problem for all of us. Wish we had thicker windows because those can be really disruptive.

The water smells (and tastes) funny. I lived in Stamford for two years before moving to the Smyth. My other building was right down the street, and I never had an issue with the water. Here, there is a sulfur-like smell and off-putting taste to the water. For drinking, it helps if you have a Brita or similar filter, but for showering you can't really escape it. Same thing for washing your clothes (the machine will smell like it, even after trying to clean it). First-world problems, I know, but just a heads up.

Maintenance and cleanliness can be an issue. It's a large building, so I don't know if that team is understaffed or poorly managed. I'm not trying to throw any darts, I'm just telling you how it is. Whether in the resident hallways (dirt, stains, trash / recycle rooms) or the gym, the entryways, roof deck furniture, etc. You might not notice certain things when you're just walking through on a tour, but after a bit you start to notice. It's not all terrible, just not what you might expect given what you pay to live here.

I hope this helps you make an informed decision! Overall it's not a bad place to live, just not quite as refined of an experience as...

The tour:

My fiancé and I were moving from out of town, and we were not familiar with Stamford. We looked at approximately a dozen places over two days, and our last tour was The Smyth. Unlike our other visits, Ben, one of the leasing managers, texted me an hour before our appointment with parking instructions. Ben met us at the visitor parking area and greeted us upon arrival. Ben took his time touring us and answered all of our questions. He was extremely knowledgeable about the units and the building. At other facility tours, the employees often didn’t know answers to routine questions. Our tour at the Smyth went well over time, but Ben ensured that we had all the information we needed to make a decision.

The Facility/Unit:

After living here for a few weeks, I have no regrets about selecting The Smyth as our home. It is a beautiful building with many high end finishes, both in the common areas and in the individual units. Extra finishes/perks you don’t get with other comparable facilities include: under cabinet lighting, smart/lowdb washer dryer, gas stove, large bathrooms, large fridge, high end appliances, high ceilings, large kitchen sink, built in trash can, floor to ceiling windows in all rooms (which open), 24 hour concierge (extremely helpful team and friendly), 24 hour secure parcel pending package pickup, reasonably priced garage parking, interior mailroom with free packing supplies, community events (free for residents, planned by a dedicated Apartment Life Team), on-site storage units, dog wash, fenced in dog run, bicycle repair room, WFH rooms, conference rooms, rooftop pool with grills/firepits (opening soon), golf simulator/game room and a large gym.

Location:

The Smyth is perfectly placed between downtown and the train station. It is just a 4-5 minute walk to all of Stamford’s major eateries and about a 7 minute walk to the train station (MTA/Amtrak). We had concerns that the unit would be noisy, however, on the 11th floor you are not really impacted by traffic/street noise.

Move in:

Ben made our move in seamless. Residents have access to reserve a large alley right next to an entrance with commercial sized elevators. We backed in our U-Haul and had no issues. The elevator is designated to you for the mov-in, thus, there is no waiting around.

The apartment provided us with resources upon move in for: laundry services, cleaning services, dental services (with free whitening), local things to do, and a nice house warming gift bag.

Final thoughts:

If you’re looking for an apartment with everything you need, high end finishes, and A+ amenities/community events, look no further! Combine that with Ben (and staff’s) first class service, and it’s hard to do better...

I'd been looking for a new rental for my wife and me for quite a while, and I think I had visited The Smyth a half dozen times at least as we explored different units and compared amenities and value with so many other places in and around Stamford. My list of possibilities started out at around 20-25 different apartment complexes, and, after a month or two of trial and error, we narrowed it down to The Smyth, Life Time (next door), Element One, and BLT Harbor Point.

Above all, the entire leasing team at Smyth (Max, Jacqueline, and Ben) have consistently been head and shoulders better and more knowledgeable than their counterparts at all the other places. Specifically, the leasing agent(s) at Harbor Point have repeatedly been dismal and uninspired. The bubble that is Harbor Point is nice and all, but the units at Allure, Anthem, and Escape in particular also come across as being somewhat dated and, in some ways, quite unremarkable.

Sure, much of this is due to the fact that Smyth and LifeTime are so brand spanking new and absolutely gleaming. Still, while the amenities at all 4 places are great, The Smyth feels more genuine and homey while Harbor Point comes across as being posh and pretentious at the other end of the spectrum. To each his own, I guess.

Yes, The Smyth and Lifetime are a little more expensive than the others, but, in this case, the entire package including their location, walking scores, top of the line amenities, and, most of all, their team of representatives put everyone else to shame. Today, after putting Max at The Smyth through his paces, we finally applied for a unit there, and we have since started our lease. We'll be moving in officially next month.

To date, I have nothing but nice things to say about everything and everyone...