Lake Street Lofts

Thanks for the positive write up. We try to do what we can to keep our residents happy. To kitfo(ny)18 below who has way too much time on your idle hands, you should spend more time doing something constructive, as you have left multiple feedbacks first as a prospective resident, then you comment as if you know me personally. So if you never even lived here, why are you commenting? And in accordance with your post on another review, thanks for choosing to live somewhere else and not here this past February, for you are someone else's problem to deal with. My staff and myself have no time for phony game-players.

Amazing how none of these issues were ever brought to our attention while you were here. I also have no reason to respond to gutless, anonymous name callers. But I will give you an honest response. If you were an excellent resident, we would do whatever we could reasonably do to retain your patronage. If you were an excuse-filled deadbeat or problem starter, I'll guarantee you we did not renew your lease, and thus I am sure that you fall in that category. I will be honest, though, we have had difficult relationships with some of our residents. Usually if something happens and it is our fault, we try to rectify it. If they are difficult with us, we do not renew them. Let's leave it at that.

Sorry you didn't like it here. For a lot of these it is easy to tell who wrote them, but it is not worth it for me to even respond. Glad you were able to find somewhere you could be happier.

Funny you failed to mention why we did not renew your lease...

While I regret you did not enjoy your time at Lake Street Lofts, the libelous slander and mis-statement of the facts are a major issue here. First of all, Reserve and Chromium are closed, and have been for some time. We invested a lot of time and money (first supporting the cause of having Chromium's late hour license petition denied, second, the license complaints that led to the eventual closing of this establishment) to help rid the neighborhood of such nuisances, and yes, those clips on the web were very true. I know who recorded them, and saw this well before it became publicized, and were already working for having this establishment closed down. But your distortion of shootings and homicides in the area is false, making this sound like it happened on an hourly basis. Check the Police records. This is one of the safest districts in all of the city. Blame bureaucracy for them being open as long as they were, not us. Besides, a moratorium has been passed prohibiting any new exclusive night clubs from opening in this area. Second, accusing me of writing reviews is nonsense, everything posted here, be it positive or negative, is actual testimonial. Third, I do not make rules, I enforce what is mandated by the building ownership and the management company. Are you upset because you were caught having bulk deliveries through the main entrance, and utilizing improper moving procedures? Why did you fail to mention that your actions led to damage to the entrance lock? This led to several residents not being able to gain access to the building for about an hour. I would think your lack of regard for such a reasonable policy is more questionable. These policies, afterall, were clearly stated in your lease. Then you bring up the train. You both viewed the loft you rented, why make an issue of it now? You make it sound like we put it there after you moved in. More slander in your other remarks: This is a building that is largely populated by female residents, has been at maximum occupancy, and experienced record renewal percentages since 2007. Why are they staying? If we are so bad and non-responsive, we should be half-empty right now. If you did not like it here, fine. I will never say we are flawless, we do have our share of mishaps and issues, and work dilligently to correct them. But if you cannot even tell the entire truth about your experience here, be it good or bad, how can anyone take your attempts to slander our building and myself with any credibility?

Thanks for the kind words, but for those making the unfounded comments, maybe you should spend more of your time working instead of lurking on websites. Just because someone has a positive experience does not mean you have any right to make implications. If you didn't like it here, fine. You had your say. Now move on.

Normally I do not bother to respond to such opinions as this former resident wrote, as I respect the fact that everyone has different experiences, and unfortunately, there are times when regardless of what we do, things can happen that do not go the way we hoped. And I will admit that there are a few occurrences that this former tenant described are actual truths written on their part. Even though they wrote this review 'Anonymous', we recognize who they are and are not pleased that they did not enjoy their stay here. However, many points are exaggerated and need to be clarified, so I will address them point by point. Regarding the bathroom layout in your unit, I will clarify that ALL bathrooms have doors in this building. While many bedrooms do not have doors, and many vanity areas are outside of the bathroom, it is a common characteristic in a loft layout. I also find it strange that you did not have a problem with this when you first viewed the unit and submitted an application within 48 hours after viewing. I will also stipulate that we have had dryer issues. Our dryer exhaust system was not properly designed, and we modified it twice since we have been open. We have also upgraded nearly 2/3 of the dryer in the last 14 months. Even so, prior to that the oldest dryer unit was four years old. In addition to that, beginning this January we contracted a professional duct cleaning service to totally evacuate this system once a month. That being said, we have done a lot to try to remedy, and looks like solve, the dryer issues that have plagued us. But what you fail to note in your dryer critique is that the maintenance staff suggested that you not overload the dryers, as you had been seen putting 2-3 loads of wash in one dryer several times. The tile we installed in your kitchen was a bad choice, and we admit that. Sometimes we try things and they fail. This tile was removed from all the units that had it installed because it would not adhere properly and the finish would dull. But what you fail to mention in your critique is that you turned the staff away the day you were to have your new floor installed because you were home sick, and despite another reminder, never followed up to reschedule. Regarding the Lake Street 'L', we have always provided accurate descriptions of this neighborhood, and are glad to note that in the spring of 2009 a new stop at Morgan/Lake, just one stop sign from the building, is scheduled to be constructed. If the train is an issue, then we respect the decision for those who choose not to live here. Again, why make a point of bringing up the train when you walked by it four times before you first decided to live here? You mention lost potential, but seem to build your opinion on us not having a fitness center while mentioning great rental rates. You rented one of the largest units in the building. You never mentioned anything about your appliances that always worked, your valet package delivery that delivered to your door every time you received one, your furnace that kept you warm when you needed, or your A/C keeping you cool in the winter. Regarding Fitness Centers, many buildings add from $100-$200/month to cover the costs of such offering, while we have a local gym just a few blocks away that gives our residents discounted memberships for a first-class facility. Then, you ridicule having to call a contact number for after-hours emergencies, but point out that on a Sunday, the maintenance staff came to your place in a half-hour and resolved the issue. The work order copy was left with you clearly stating that your upstairs neighbor overflowed his sink, and it was remedied. The buckets were left to catch the water. Leaks, equipment failures, power outages, and other things happen, we are not immune to them. Yet, you complain of a half-hour response on a weekend? While I sympathize that you may have had some difficulties reaching me, please do not imply any calls were not returned, and for the record, I do have an assistant. While I thoroughly enjoy my job as a Property Manager, I also do not consider myself a 'Desk Jockey', as I am on the board or a member of all the neighborhood associations, am on first-name terms with the District Police Commander, and took a hand in having two problem nightclubs not only have their extended liquor licenses denied, but having them shut down as well. The Alderman himself notifies me when new clubs and restaurants apply for licenses anywhere in this neighborhood extending almost to Ogden Avenue on the west, so I think we have established an effective voice in this neighborhood. And by the way, Chromium and Reserve have been closed for months. I have employed off-duty Policemen to watch the perimeters of the building every weekend and major Holiday for over five years. Since you failed to mention that the building has not been intruded upon, nor your individual safety compromised while entering, residing, or exiting the building, if not just to exaggerate your complaints, what point are you making? Then you take time to unfairly insult all of those who work in this neighborhood. The population of this building is overwhelmingly female, yet this is the first time in seven years I have heard any tenant, female or male, complain that they were whistled or approached in any manner improperly by anyone employed by a neighboring business. I can walk down Lake Street almost any time of the day, and not see factory workers hanging out whistling at women. This is an absurd claim, and an unfair attack on the workforce of this community. Besides, since I know almost all of the supervisors and many workers employed by our neighbors, any such incident could probably have been address while you lived here, not in some anonymous message posted several months after you moved out. Lake Street Lofts also launched the first neighborhood petition drive regarding that 'L' stop on Morgan Street more than six years ago. So while I apologize for not being at the phone when you called, it is more because I try to stay involved and know what goes on in this community, not because I take on more than I can handle. Regarding your entry system not working, did you think of maybe calling us instead of 'trying a few things' on your own? You mentioned that the maintenance staff responded in 30 minutes when you called for them, did you think of maybe asking again instead of leaving anonymous messages after you move out? So in closing, while we are disappointed that your tenure at Lake Street Lofts was not more enjoyable for you, we feel that we run a first-class operation and have a solid record proving just that.