We had to find a place to live in a few days before moving across a few states, and in those few days, we found that Roosevelt Square was our best option. We opted for a unit in the industrial/loft building (Building A) because we LOVED the finishes. I absolutely loved the stained and polished concrete! If you like a loft feel (this isn't a true loft, but more of a "soft loft," but you're lucky to find even that much), definitely go for this building. It will cost you more, but after seeing the other units, I was so glad we paid more for the industrial building. I hate carpet!

Another beneft to the concrete floors was the hellacious heat in the summer. If you have carpet, your unit will be a lot warmer than if you have nice, cool, cement under your toes. Save yourself on AC costs!

Anyway, we asked if we could paint before signing the lease, and our consultant drafted a letter stating that we could paint as long as we painted over it with a COAT of primer when we left. Having this letter handy on our move out was key, because they tried to charge us for having to use more primer before blasting the unit with white paint after our lease ended. KEEP YOUR PAPERWORK! Document all communication. And it really doesn't matter where you live, with all the staff and management changes at apartment communities, having this paperwork will save your butt.

We also had to do a month-to-month after our initial lease ended, and when we went to go to the office to find out exactly how much we owed (because the month-to-month was going to run a 100 extra bucks a month), they told us our rent had increased over 200 dollars. We weren't notified of this change, and said so. They said, "Oh, we sent a letter to you with this new amount, " and we said, "Uh, no you didn't." The new manager then whipped out a binder with the copies of the letters they apparently sent out to all month-to-month peeps with the increased rate, and there was NO letter to us! Since they messed up, they said we would only have to pay the extra 100, and nothing more.

One negative was our NOISY neighbor. He would be up watching movies until 1-3am, and the bass would be vibrating the wall of our bed and our bed as well. He also invited people over and they would be singing at the top of their lungs after 11am. We approached the neighbor about this noise issue twice, and he usually complied with turning it down. However, we had to call the 24 hour help line a few times because of ridiculous noise. Be warned that the walls are paper-thin, and that you WILL hear your neighbors.

The parking situation was great, as the community has a parking garage. Sometimes the gate would get stuck open, which WASN'T COOL. Especially for building A, because the first level was for retail and CHURCH parking. You will learn to dislike the church crowds if you live in building A, because they are always crowding the first level and blocking the alley with some kind of event. If the access gate was left open, then the church people would begin taking the resident-only parking.

Direct access to your floor was great, though...especially with groceries!

I also found the kitchen cabinets were kind of cheap, and the laminate was peeling off on some.

As far as more positive notes, you are in the middle of the Art district, so First Fridays are awesome! You can walk right out your door to experience all the galleries and shops open every First Friday of the month. The Fair Trade Cafe is cool. They are usually short-staffed, so you have to wait a while if there is a line, but the people are nice. I would recommend the spinach and feta croissant. Portland's is a cool restaurant to start the evening with a few drinks or pizza.

The gym and pool are GREAT! Having the grills poolside was awesome for BBQs.

As far as the homeless peeps, there were usually only one or two that might be walking along the sidewalk, but they didn't bother us.

The construction on the new condo place across the way was annoying on the weekends, as well as the light rail construction. I wouldn't choose a unit off of Central for this reason.

During our stay, they passed around surveys that asked if we would like upgraded interior finishes, i.e. granite countertops and services like a massage therapist. Its great that they want to improve their options, but this will sky rocket prices, so watch out.

If you need to live downtown and have a decent sized budget, this place will work. Lock your car doors in the garage, keep copies of your paperwork, and you should be in good shape!

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