Vista St. Clair Apartments 1000 Southwest Vista Avenue, Portland, OR 97205

"** I’m updating this because I think it’s important for any future residents safety. There was a fire in the building last month- rumored to have been started by a live in building managers air fryer- only half the floors evacuated because there are only fire alarms on EVERY OTHER FLOOR. I live on the 8th floor and we only started to evacuate AFTER the fire had been put out because we could hear the firemen running up and down the center stair and smelled the smoke not because of any fire alarms. Sus. Management never acknowledged what happened- there were no emails sent out and they send emails about literally everything else. I currently live here. When I was given the tour I mentioned that I work from home so I need quiet. I even mentioned that my apartment at the time was so poorly insulated that I could hear my neighbors TV as well as them talk and sneeze. She assured me that this is a full concrete building and that wouldn’t be a problem. I have been in full concrete apartments, this is not. The walls are hollow, I can hear my neighbors voice and laugh vibrate through the walls making it sound like constant, dull, low bass. I can hear my neighbors walking around above me. I can hear my neighbor peeing. I didn’t expect silence but this is not what I was led to believe I was getting. It sounds dramatic but the walls are so thin that it’s almost like the people next door are in the same room. If you work from home and need quiet, I would suggest looking elsewhere. The studios have mini fridges with a tiny freezer and as Ken says- don’t really freeze anything. They tell you that you are free to get a larger fridge but I just think anyone You are facing a wall of apartments- they can see you and you can see them. If you are in a studio, 75% of your blinds will be shut most of the time if you want privacy Parking is a nightmare and spaces are limited and very expensive. ***Positives: The maintenance and front office people are super helpful and nice. The building is safe and away from the drug issue that seems to be everywhere in Portland even just a few blocks down on Burnside. The location is close to hiking trails, restaurants, grocery stores and not far from public transportation. The gym is never super busy. There is a cute outdoor patio with tables, grills and fire pits. There is a small community/ study room that is able to be reserved. Garbage closets that are collected daily on every floor. Lots of washers and dryers you can use your phone to pay with. Amazon lockers are amazing and so convenient. Free coffee in the lobby during office hours Mixers periodically. Scooters and Nike bikes are usually available"

"I've been a resident for almost two years and submitted my first maintenance request yesterday. Cole in the maintenance team responded quickly, and went above and beyond to fix the problem. Additionally, I was impressed by his ability to find a creative solution to a seemingly intractable problem. It's nice to live in a place that has a maintenance team with such skilled and awesome people. Thank you Cole, and Vista!"

"A perfect example of a "landlord special" apartment. - Could hear my next door neighbor sneezing and burping through the wall, the children in the apartment above us, and any time someone used the restroom above. - Weeks after move in, they began renovating the unit above us - we didn't know this at move in - and from 8-5 Monday through Friday, we dealt with loud drilling, banging, grinding construction noise above us, and my roommate worked evenings and intended to sleep in past 7:30AM when they arrived and started walking loudly to set up every day. Some of the days the construction even vibrated the walls, or would be so loud it would sound like it was in the apartment with us. Multiple days it was too loud to have a conversation or hear the TV in our own apartment. We also lived in one of the newly renovated units, but every 2 feet we would find examples of the painters being careless, or the flooring being uneven, or the other installations obviously being done carelessly or by someone who must have been in a big hurry to complete the job. - The office management puts on a great "customer service" performance, other than the times I've waited outside the office while they are on the phone and they roll their eyes while answering basic questions for a prospective resident. I also had issues when moving in, they give inadequate instructions on how and where to access the loading dock, the only place they allow you to move in through. TL;DR: I am relieved to be moving out and no longer have to worry about hearing my neighbors on all sides, or the construction, or the sloppy, poorly "remodeled" apartments; New paint and carpet doesn't mean much if it's done poorly. I'd advise looking elsewhere for your next apartment."

"Nice location but avoid this building at all cost. We had a full suspension mountain bike stolen from the bike room. There were multiple similar incidents of break-ins in the building but I hardly ever saw an email about any of those. It's like management doesn't care much about safety in the building (even though they say they do). Also, given this year's uncertainty, we ended up extending our lease for six months. However, for them, SIX MONTHS is a relative number, just an indication. They extended the lease for SEVEN months. When we pointed out the error, they said...sorry, that's what it is. We don't control that, it's the system, not our fault, your fault for signing a mischievous contract! Usually one extra month is not big deal, but at this point, it's too much in this place. Also, it's noisy, really noisy! It seems like the apartments nearby are always under construction. During this WFH period I have not had a full week go by without having at least one day of laud construction noise coming from some apartment nearby or the street. I can hear any step my upstairs neighbor takes, I also hear anytime my downstairs neighbor laughs. If my next-door neighbor watches TV, I hear that. It's like we all live in the same tiny studio. The patio is supposed to close at 10pm but that's not enforced. A whole section of the building faces that patio, which means more noise on summer nights. So, all in all, nice location, but don't move to this building. I'm sure that there are plenty of places in Portland that can offer a more pleasant living experience. Finally, check, double check and triple check your lease! The first time we caught their "mistake" on the dates but not the second time. That time you don't catch it, it will be YOUR fault because of their system."