I thought that I had found a jewel of an apartment when I moved into Pierside. It's location hugging Federal Hill (and its proximity to restaurants and bars) with easy access to I-95 and easy walk to the Inner Harbor was ideal. Being on the water promised for enjoyable evening walks along the Promenade and quick water taxi rides to Fells' Point. Although not a fan of the rather sterile new construction of the complex, I was wooed by the marble in the lobby replete with tuxedo wearing doormen, indoor garage and tasteful color schemes of the hallways accentuated by oil and watercolor paintings on the walls, and TWO outdoor swimming pools. Despite being a successful professional, I was actually a bit embarrassed by the 'luxury' of my new address, and was concerned that my friends who had known me in more humble times would think that I had sold out my Midwestern roots.

I soon learned however that far from being a luxury apartment, Pierside was instead poorly constructed with unresponsive management and neighbors who seemed downright odd and potentially worse. These opinions are based upon the following experiences:

1. Construction- Although the kitchen appliances are new and the tile in the kitchen is expensive, money was spent on these amenities rather than on basic elements of construction. The walls between units are so thin that any noise from an adjoining unit is easily heard; in fact I could hear my neighbor urinating in his bathroom each morning (and he was not very tall), and could hear my other neighbor's TV at night. There is also a serious problem with ventilation. On my floor, the cigarette smoke from one of the apartments permeated the hallway and was not properly exhausted from the building. In most apartments this is not a major problem; however the doors of the apartments do not fit properly, leaving gaps around the door and door frame which were so significant that I could see out into the hallway from inside my door. Obviously this allowed the smoke in the hallway to easily come into my apartment making it reek of the smoke. Although I have no direct knowledge about the lack of insulation mentioned in other reviews of Pierside, my experience with the quality of the apartment's construction does not make me doubt them.

2. Management- Although very nice when I moved in, management turned out to be impotent when dealing with unruly neighbors who were actively breaking covenants in the lease or the problems with smoke in the hallway. Despite strong language in the lease regarding enforcement of the lease covenants, management proved to be feckless in the face of multiple written complaints from numerous neighbors about unruly tenants. Management seemed more interested in enforcing the terms of the lease related to lease payment rather than the other terms that required them to provide a safe and quiet living environment.

3. Neighbors- Other posts on this site mention that some of the tenants at Pierside have criminal and psychiatric problems- from what I saw, I agree.

4. Move out- Management is only too ready to waive the move-in fee, but when you move out; don't be surprised to see how much of your security deposit they will take. I pride myself on keeping my apartment in good condition, and have had my security deposit returned in full from the last 4 apartments that I have leased. However Pierside management took a substantial percentage of my security deposit (is it standard practice that everyone is charged a $500 painting fee upon move out- a little detail that is conveniently not mentioned before signing the lease)

5. Parking- Pierside has an underground garage with free parking space. The concrete support columns make it difficult to provide adequate space for parking spots. If you have a small or compact car, you will not have a problem; however larger vehicles will find it a challenge to park in such small spots (with a concrete pillar at the edge of your spot). The walls and ceiling of the garage leak, with mini-waterfalls developing after even minor rains or snowfall. If you have friends or family visit, the only place for them to park is on the street (with 24-hour meters). Visitor passes for a gravel lot about a quarter mile away can be purchased for $10/night. This seems to be a bit excessive given the rent that is paid for the apartments.

6. Passcard- A passcard is needed to access the stairwells, exterior doors, and elevators. It does not take long for this to become a major inconvenience (image coming home from shopping with arms full and having to juggle groceries to pull out the passcard not only to get out of the garage but also to operate the elevator). The passcards are a bit tricky and quickly become an irritant.

My experience at Pierside was poor. It is an expensive place to live. As I (and others) have detailed, the construction of the apartment is poor, management is unhelpful and is only interested in collecting the rent check rather than fulfilling their responsibilities as outlined in the lease. Neighbors are 'sketchy' and management is only too ready to nickel and dime tenants rather than providing a living environment commensurate with the luxury that it advertises and charges. This is a new complex, and given the shoddy construction, I don't think it can be salvaged short of tearing it down and starting over. There are many places to live in Baltimore- and with the rents charged by Pierside, you can find a much nicer place to live'.go elsewhere.

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