Potrero Launch Apartments

Great location and great staff. They have a really nice roof deck with views of the bay and a really awesome brewery downstairs, Triple Voodoo Brewery and Tap Room. Dogpatch is a really fun place to live!

The modern building has great facilities from the fitness center, rooftop garden with killer views, underground parking to concierge garbage pick up at your door. The location along San Francisco waterfront is beautifully central for walks, freeway access and local dining. Over the last year, the staff has really made some great improvements that are ongoing. They are very friendly and accomodating.

I recently toured these apartments and loved them! Nice amenities and really nice people! Heather and Janelle both were so helpful and friendly. I love the rooftop area! I’d love to talk my husband into moving here. I wasn’t sure about the area at first, but it’s really close to a lot of public transportation and easy freeway access. There are some cool restaurants and bars close by.

Started this review in April 2015, finally got around to finishing it up:
This place has really gone downhill since I first moved in in June 2014. In the beginning, my only grievances were that maintenance was a bit slow and the apartments were tiny, but that things weren’t too bad. I probably would have rated it a ³⁄₅.
The carpets have slowly become covered in filth. There’s a weird stench in the elevator from the carpet.
The office staff take at least half a day to process your package, and you’re not allowed to pick it up until they do, even if you *know* it’s there. It’s held hostage until it gets through their system. If it does so (which might take half a day), good luck picking it up between 9am and 6pm, especially since the concierge doubles as a leasing agent and is missing almost all the time.
I have to call out Rocky, the assistant manager, as one of the rudest people I’ve ever met. Whenever I asked any questions about charges that didn’t make sense, he put on this attitude like I had no idea what I was talking about and that everything was obviously normal, and that I was too stupid to understand.
When I moved out, I got billed for 4 months of water usage that I «didn’t pay.» But I paid the same amount every month that I lived there, so how could I have forgotten to pay 4 months? Does that make any sense? Either I didn’t pay all 12 months, or I paid for every month. Maybe I misunderstood something, but this is why things should be put in writing. So people can read and re-​read them, in case your verbal communication is terrible.
There are random water shutoffs, or concierge closes, and they notify you with usually 1 day of warning, sometimes same day (!).
There’s a mandatory trash pickup fee every month, and they only pick it up between 6 pm and 8:30 pm. Excluding Friday and Saturday, days where you have to go to the garage and throw it into the trash room yourself anyways. Which would be fine if the room wasn’t overflowing with trash to the point where people are forced to leave bags of trash outside.
The apartments are pretty small. The going price for my 1 bedroom 500 sqft apartment is $ 3600, $ 3700. That’s not including utilities and the terrible, terrible trash collection fee. That’s over $ 7/​square foot! Save your wallet, there are much better deals.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. We lived here for most of 2015 before escaping. The recent positive five star reviews of Potrero Launch mentioning «European appliances» and «BBQs» look like an inside job by the management to get the ratings out of the gutter. Just to address some of their points… The BBQs didn’t work for six months on the roof deck and when they did function they were fixed with ignitions with exposed wires, a huge fire hazard in combination with unlabeled gas valves. The European style all in one washer dryer takes 4 hours to get your clothes semi clean.
The biggest knock on this property is the smell of dog piss inside and the smell of defecating dogs outside the entrance and exit areas. There are also flies at each entrance/​exits because owners don’t clean up after their pets. Once a week we would see dog piss INSIDE the elevator (the north elevator) and see dog piss puddles in the parking garage.
The neighbors are sometimes friendly, but you rarely see the same people twice because the property management looks the other way allowing AirBNB and short term subletting (just look on the BNB app, you can easily see those polished concrete floors mentioned in the glowing reviews). This property is also heavily used for corporate housing of various types as evidenced by lock boxes on many doors and cleaning/​housekeeping vehicles in the garage area. Lots of strange folks wandering the property makes me think of safety, do the people subleasing or short term corporate renting get the same level of scrutiny as a direct renter? Does the property manager inspect the units to determine if more than the number listed on the lease are dwelling in the unit? They didn’t when we lived there in 2015.
Yes the cost is high (as mentioned in the positive reviews) but the value is low. Look at the competition in the mission Bay Area (MB360, Channel, etc.). My advice is to stay away from Potrero Launch at all costs (and yes, the cost is even higher then initially mentioned on the property tour). They add random fees to your rent that aren’t clearly disclosed up front (plan on 4−6% more than the rent they initially quote you and I am not talking about parking fees as they are a separate amount). With so many corporate tenants they nickel and dime everybody hoping that nobody notices.
There is no property manager on site 24 hours nor is there a permanent security guard at the entrance. Many times you could see shady characters tailgating into the main entrance door, with many UPS packages sitting up for grabs just beyond. Security is a joke to this property management company and I would feel uncomfortable recommending this property to my female friends, colleagues, and family members for that reason. The Illinois street entrance is also dark at night, adding to the insecurity. The management lets light bulbs go un fixed for weeks at a time. Many of the cars in the parking garage do not display parking passes, and enforcement is non-​existent.
A few positives… The windows are triple paned so the road noise is minimal. The walls are also thick. The new locker system helps with the package pickup nightmare. Gas range is nice as is the view from the higher level apartments on the east and west side. The roof deck is cool (when the barbecues are working and the wind isn’t blowing the scent of the roof pet relief area that is not cleaned/​maintained into the gathering you have planned for your friends).
The positives aren’t worth it if you smell piss all the time (and your guests mention the smell to you every time!). The competing buildings in the neighborhood do a better job at cleanliness, rules enforcement, and responsiveness while offering the same convenience to transit, roof deck, easy walk to dogpatch eateries, and mission Bay Area).
Also, the big tech companies and techno DJs use Pier 70 for their mega concert/​convention events. These events literally choke all of the streets around Potrero Launch with noise pollution, intoxicated wanderers, tour busses, angry über drivers, and litter. It’s cool if you have tickets but not so if you live adjacent…
Save yourself the headache, get more for your hard earned money somewhere else in Dogpatch (unless your company is paying you to live here). Yes, San Francisco is ridiculously expensive, but all those dollars are better spent other places in Dogpatch/​Mission Bay if you actually want some value.

Lived at the building for 2 years, I was so sad to leave! It’s not cheap, but it’s the most impressive building that I lived at. I really like how they kept the spirit of the industry feel and turned it into something super modern with polished concrete floors, European appliances, high ceilings, etc. I looked at many places in SF when I moved there but there is nothing in the city that can compare to the place, especially the roof deck and the view are just amazing. The team is going through great lengths to make living there as comfortable as possible and especially Rocky helped me out a lot. Now it’s the South Bay for me and while I’ve found an impressive new home, I’m still sad that I don’t live at Potrero Launch any more (and my friends too who miss my invites to a Sunday BBQ on the deck).

Quite possibly the coolest apartment building in the dog patch! Industrial design, amazing entrance/​courtyard, lofted ceilings, stainless appliances, and a spectacular rooftop oasis with 2 commercial grills, flame heaters and a spa! Located right on the bay with unbeatable views of a historic boatyard, I don’t think you can find a better home in SF! You can’t beat the walkable neighborhood with multiple breweries and wineries along with tons of amazing restaurants! With the muni and call train just outside you can get anywhere in the city as well! I love living here!

We have been living in Potrero Launch since May, and it is the best decision we have made!
The management is friendly and helpful. The updates they made with the new self retrieve mail lockers, new carpets, bbq grill and roof top jacuzzi were great.
It’s nice to live in an apartment complex where the management cares about the people that lives there and updates the utilities used on a regular bases because those were the selling point when we signed the contract.
Thanks guys for your hard work! I know you guys are the first line of defense when things goes wrong in the apartment complex and works hard to get the logistic done and utilities fixed so people don’t have to meddle with broken utilities! Thanks again!
PS did I mention that they have to manage another complex too?

I have to echo the other posts here. We moved in last July and left last month. It should come as no surprise that rent was increased. That much is pretty common around the Bay Area. However, there are many other issues that I will raise.
1. My car was broken into during the fall of 2014. (No items left out in plain view; my windows are tinted.) I was told they had no way of seeing who did it, but that they would review the tapes to help determine what happened. We pay $ 250/​month for gated «secure» parking.
«This is the city, and things happen.» This issue was explained away by the old manager, Alex. It took over 4 weeks to get a response if they were going to be able to assist the police in maybe tracking down a culprit, or at least determine if it was someone off the street or someone from within the complex.
Finally when I heard back, it was revealed that there are only 1 or 2 cameras in operation in the garage, and only on one level. I raised a concern that if something more serious were to happen to someone in the dark basement garage, how would they assist the police with only 1 or 2 cameras? «It’s not in the budget for this year, but I will try to bring it up for 2015.» Wow. Really safe. They responded to these issues by having a security guard patrol? Never saw anyone.
2. Anybody off the street can just walk in from any number of entrances. I often see doors propped open, doors not locking properly, the large freight garage for moving open with no one moving in/​out, and people letting others they don’t know just come waltzing into the community. These issues are likely the root of the cause of my car break-​in.
3. Trash and smells have been an issue for almost 6 months now. The trash area is absolutely disgusting. They’ve made strides to fix these issues lately, but it’s still a mess. The garage itself smells like garbage and the floors near many of the elevators down there need a good power washing and scrubbing. *NOTE* They recently addressed this a month before we moved out and improved the situation; but it took a long time.
4. The roof was the biggest selling point for us when we chose this community. The two grilles were not working properly for nearly 3 months, and I’m not sure if they’re even working now. The knobs and controls are all worn-​off, so unless you know every setting by heart, you could be damaging the system further.
Additionally, the gas seems to just leak out. If it’s not working, put signs up there so no one tries to use it. If it is in-​fact working, then put up some instructions to direct others on the steps to turn them on if you’re not going to invest in some proper repairs of the controls.
Also, the hot-​tub was non-​operational for nearly a month recently. Keep these things in mind if you’re getting a tour. **Check and verify that the amenities you like are actually working!**
5. Package pick-​up is annoying. Their hours are 9 to 6. Most people are at work during those hours. So if I have an important item, I have to leave work early and rush home. It’s not the worst thing here, just a minor annoyance. If you want to pick-​up on the weekends, the same hours apply. But usually there’s just one employee and you often will find him out doing a tour, so you’ll have to come back later. However, I will say that the front office staff is nice. **NOTE** They recently installed something called LUXE, which is basically just a bunch of lockers with an iPad in the middle so you can enter a code and pick-​up your items at any time. Looks expensive. I wish they had put that money toward better security for their residents.
6. We had neighbors a few months back that would blast their bass at all hours of the day with no regard for working schedules. We were told they were warned about this a number of times, but nothing ever changed.
One particular Sunday night/​Monday morning around 3AM, we woke up to what sounded like a physical altercation with the guy throwing things, punching a wall or a person, and screaming «This is what happens when you do that!» over and over again. It was terrifying.
We called the cops, they showed up and found/​did nothing. 20 minutes later it started again and then died off eventually after we banged on the wall. I told management about this and was later told they were «warned». Obviously this is a touchy situation for all parties, as management legally cannot intervene in the personal affairs of others. I’m not sure how else something like this should have been handled, but a warning just seems really lax to me.
The bass issues continued for months and I never really saw any resolution with management. I’m not a stick in the mud. I love music too and we play a ton of it in our apartment. But not to the point where my dishes are rattling and things are bouncing around at all hours of the night.
All of these issues aside, it was a decent community to live in, but not for what you pay. It’s insane, and I’m happy that we moved out.

Where do I start. Besides the Property Managers who walk around with the worst attitudes and an a seemingly absolute disdain for any resident that asks a question, this place is the ultimate rip-​off. After the property manager told us we could expect monthly bills of around $ 80 – 90; these soon ended up in the ball park of almost $ 200, as they have an absolute idiotic practice of splitting the whole apartments bill between residents for utilities based on a magic formula they will not disclose. Secondly, upon move out, and after we had cleaned our apartment absolutely spotless, they decided to take another $ 600 off the original deposit, not letting us know what it was for. Apart from the ridiculous add on costs — dealing with the property managers is like dealing with a bunch of teenagers who hate that you might ask them to do something which their job title would suggest they should do; they hold grudges, try and manipulate costs so that you have to pay more if they personally do not like you, argue and shout with you on the phone etc. How they still have jobs is beyond me. It seems Greystar as a property management company as a whole obviously does not at all care about the interests of their residents — otherwise they would have thrown this bunch out. They run the apartments like a mafia. Actually, I would rather live in a mafia run building than with this bunch. Do yourself a favor and run far, far, far away.

I hesitated to update my review for a long time now in hopes that things would improve, but I’m sad to agree with everyone else: I won’t invite guests over anymore because I’m ashamed of the filth that plagues the common areas and the fact that everything on the communal roof is perpetually broken. This place needs a thorough cleaning starting with a power washing — especially the stairwells and garage, and the exterior of the building which is starting to reek of pets. The dust bunnies and trash that accumulates in the stairwells speak to how often they’re swept. The stained and smelly carpets are long overdue to be torn out. The apartment staff is nice, but a larger maintenance budget and staff is desperately needed here.

Manager called a few days after I wrote my initial review. She was apologetic and claimed they were in the process of cleaning things up, then expressed concern about the fact I had posted a Unilocal review. I told her that I would be happy to update it once they fixed things, as she said they would be doing shortly. Three months later!!! nothing has changed. The elevators and halls smell awful. Fire alarms are an ongoing problem. Trash everywhere. None of the disgusting flooring has been replaced. What another poster said about being nickel and dimed is accurate. If you still think you want to live here, add $ 200 on to what they quote you in rent for all of the «extras» that will show up on your rent bill.

I am moving out in two weeks and feel that in the the time I have been here (over two years) this property has seen a steady decline. Some of this decline can be attributed to the tenants, some is the property management. 1. The place constantly smells like dog shit (the carpets in the elevator were going to be replaced a year ago and that has yet to happened) and the people that live here seem to let their pets defecate anywhere they want 2. The grill on the rooftop has been broken for months and I’m pretty sure is now a safety hazard. 3. None of the lights on the rooftop work nor do the heat lamps 4. Lights in the apartment go out on almost a monthly basis which leads me to believe the wrong bulbs are being used 5. There used to be someone manning the front desk that is no longer so packages are left to sit out even if you are out of town for anyone to pick up 6. We used to have security patrol after a series of vandalisms, car break ins and sketchy individuals on the premises. That lasted about a month with zero subsequent communication with tenants. 7. Staff here has become increasingly non responsive. My emails are consistently ignored. 8. Over the last year I have been woken up at 4:50am every morning by the furniture moving people upstairs and nothing has been done about it. 9. Don’t be fooled by the quoted rent prices: you will also be paying for valet trash, additional utilities above your PGE, and a service charge for who knows what.
Besides the great neighborhood and brewery downstairs I don’t see any positives in paying an arm and a leg to a management group that is clearly just looking to capture as much ROI as possible during this housing crisis without any consideration to its tenants.

Moved here in February and now I’d say it’s a mixed bag that seems to be improving for the better.
There is a paltry amount of closet space, made much worse by the closet doors. We’ve made it work and bought furniture for storage. They nickle-​and-​dime you to death on the bills — parking, trash valet, etc.
The design within the apartments is modern sleek with glossed concrete floors and the absence of trim, though the veneered cabinets point to some corner cutting.
There have been quite a bit of improvements over the past few months if anyone had seen my prior review. The management has responded to many of the worst criticisms. Package receiving was completely smoothed out by a Luxor storage system (24 hour access). Staff has both improved in responsiveness and increased in numbers. The manager, Rocky, continues to do an impeccable job, is highly professional, and is always friendly. They’ve replaced the worst of the carpeting (in the elevators) and refurbished the dog area on the roof. The roof grills are well loved and could use some repairs and there have been non-​functioning space heaters the whole time I’ve lived here. The views both from my apartment and roof are, admittedly, quite enjoyable.
Repair requests are promptly taken care of and the appliances are up to date.

Arclight (21 Clarence Pl apartment complex), now managed by Potrero Launch) has provided an extremely unsafe living environment in which unsecured animals can and will literally attack and bite you, your family, and your pets. It is an environment in which you will be terrorized and ignored.
I have lived in this building since January of 2014. Our management has refused to do anything whatsoever about dogs running loose throughout the building. It’s an extremely unsafe living environment: even if your dog is leashed and entirely under your control, a strange dog can invade your space, aggress, and trigger a dogfight. I’ve contacted management repeatedly about this issue. I’ve been contacting them since December 1^st, 2014. I’m writing this review on April 26^th, 2015. I am still seeing dogs off leash on a daily basis with no repercussions for the people responsible.
On April 3^rd, an off-​leash 200 lb. Great Dane (a breed theoretically banned from the premises in the first place) attacked and bit my dog on the flank. Arclight/Greystar’s property manager told me that she had discovered who the dog owner was, and that the tenant was on notice to move out of the building anyway and that the problem would address itself. In short: she did nothing! Moreover, she refused to report the dog owner’s name and address to animal control within a business day as required by San Francisco law (section 39B of the SF Health Code).
I spoke with animal control and with the SFPD Vicious and Dangerous Dogs Unit about these issues. Sgt. Hicks of the SFPD made the same suggestion I have made to management repeatedly: if we had security cameras in the corridors and dog run, the people responsible for this environment could be fined and eventually evicted. They certainly aren’t going to restrain their animals out of the kindness of their hearts! Every time I made this recommendation to management, I received no response. We have cameras at the front doors and in the garage, so their certainly isn’t some philosophical objection to the idea. It’s pure negligence on their part, and the lawyers and police officers with whom I’ve spoken all agree that Greystar will be liable for damages from dog attacks.
I tried to direct my complaints further up the chain with Greystar management – nobody in any office, either the San Francisco or regional offices, ever returned my calls. I sent emails. I wrote facebook messages to regional directors. Nothing.
In the ~16 months we have lived here, we have had three different property managers, and apparently the most recent manager has just quit or been fired. We are waiting on the fourth manager to start this week!
At this point, I am watching and waiting for the next dog attack to occur. I am peering around corners before starting into hallways and through doors. I am wondering, on a daily basis, if my wife will be the next to be bitten.
On top of these issues? Exorbitant prices, completely inconsistent with the level of customer service we’ve experienced. I urge you to try elsewhere, if only for safety’s sake!

Potrero Launch is a fantastic place to live. I lived there for a year and enjoyed it tremendously. It has amazing amenities (i.e.: awesome gym, large rooftop patio with stunning panoramic views of SF bay, etc.). The staff is super friendly, professional and very attentive to resident needs.
Potrero Launch is in SF’s Dogpatch neighborhood which has some great restaurants, bars and shops… with more on the way. The neighborhood is generally quiet while still having an emerging up and coming buzz to it. The Muni Metro T line’s 20^th Street stop is directly in front of the building for easy public transportation access to Downtown for work or play.
I strongly recommend Potrero Launch as a place to live and enjoy life in SF!

Beautiful building with very comfortable units, great location (love the Dogpatch!) and friendly staff.
However. At this kind of rent ($ 2700 for a 550 ft² 1br «loft»), I don’t appreciate being nickel-​and-​dimed. No-​one ever mentioned bike storage was going to be extra, until they put a lock on the door and started charging $ 25/​month. Now their next innovation is «numbered bike racks». Want to store two bikes? Well, that’ll be another $ 25. Valet waste pick-​up is great for the lazy, but another mandatory $ 30 charge. With rent going up more than $ 200, I’m not renewing my lease. Once you add utilities + $ 250 for parking, our total rent would increase to *dun dun dun* $ 3300/​month ($ 6/​ft²). You can get a (nice) place twice the size for that kind of money.
tl;dr: If you can afford it, live here! It’s totally awesome.

Place is great! Moved here in December. I have absolutely no complaints regarding other tenants. Everyone is nice around here and when your inside your apartment no one bothers you. They have a hot tub and bbq on the roof. Free cocoa machine and TV in the lounge. A really small gym that has most of the basics (plus a TRX) and a ping pong table (have to go to the office to get the actual balls and paddles). Place is relatively quiet and this place is very pet friendly. The T train and the 22 Bus is right outside so that’s great for transport. You cant hear the bus or train pass by at all so that’s good. Nice and silent. Moving in here is and/​or was in my case easy as can be. They had us pull into a section of the garage that was probably meant just for moving in and they locked one of the elevators so that we could be the only ones to use it for moving in. Pretty neat.
Now for the not so good details about living here. My bathroom tends to start stinking up of tobacco or marijuana! I absolutely hate it and have had this problem at the last place I used to live in. This is probably due to some other tenant so I bet not everyone has this problem. Probably just me. Oh and the bedrooms have no ceiling lights just like my other place… What’s up with that??? What room has no ceiling lights? On the other hand some apartments come with windows that open and some don’t (Some have balconies too). One thing that was sort of cool but not anymore is the washer/​dryer in one. I have a lot of clothes and each wash takes 4 hours! Not sure if its the settings on mine but… it’s a real pain to get all the laundry clean. But maybe that’s where laundry locker might come in handy… (Not sure bc I haven’t tried the service yet).

I moved into this place in February and love it. The glass bedrooms walls are definitely unique, tall ceilings, beautiful roof deck with BBQ, Jacuzzi, and heated tables are great for entertaining guests. It also has a modern 24 hour gym and wonderful club house for rent if you’re having a large party. It was also a big plus that we were the first to occupy our apartment. The staff is very nice and willing to do what it takes to make you comfortable. Very convenient dry cleaning with Laundry Locker onsite, and washer/​dryer in units.
Why did I give 4 stars and not 5? I’m sure every apartment community goes through growing pains and most things have been fixed since I moved in, but I feel they could have done taken care of them a little quicker than they did. Blinds were on back order for 2 months, jacuzzi on deck took 2 months to repair. If you are having a guest over they have to use the rear entrance because the front entrance has two doors to get into the building, but it only lets them into one door after you buzz them in and the second door is still locked. If you receive any packages you can only pick them up from 9 – 6 during leasing office hours, so if you work during these hours you have to wait until the weekend to pick them up.
I love this place even with it’s hiccups, and hopefully they are working towards a solution to improve the quality of living here that is expected with such high rent.

I’ve recently toured Potrero Launch Lofts and was really excited about living in a brand new building after spending the last decade in the typical 100 year old SF Victorian. After dealing with ongoing plumbing & electrical problems that come along with these quirky old houses I was hell bent on finding a home that would have the simple luxuries I’ve lived without for what seems like a lifetime!
I was very excited to see Potrero Launch on Craigslist as it met my criteria however I must say I had sticker shock with the rental prices!!! I called and booked a tour with the property manager but was a little disappointed she wasn’t willing to show me the apartment that night? I could only make it by 5:30pm for majority of the week but was refused even though their hours advertised say that they close at 6pm? I ended up just dropping by later in the week and that was more successful even though the manager seemed extremely inconvenienced by my walk in and that she had to end her personal call. I was quite shocked by the rudeness & body language from her!
We went up to the apartment that was listed on Craigslist for $ 2925. The apartment was approximately 550 square feet which caught me off guard. I really was expecting to see a substantially larger apartment as the building is in a transitional neighborhood and bordering the city outskirts. The apartment was very sleek & minimal which I really liked. The stainless steel appliances and modern fixtures were very attractive however the washer/​dryer is a universal machine which I’ve used in Europe but have never seen in the U.S. They take forever!!! Plan on 4 plus hrs to do a small load. Even though I was expecting a more traditional stacker set up I still consider this a huge luxury!
The deal breaker other then the size was the bedroom and a flaw in the wall. There was a weird cut out in the concrete that would be problematic for any bed to be positioned. The manager noticed my reaction and must have assumed I was done with my tour & not going to lease? We got in the elevator and she took me back down to the lobby? I was shocked that she wasn’t even going to show me other options or the amenities? I asked if i could see some more and was told that I was free to walk around?
I was fuming but decided to take a look on my own since I was already there. I discovered that there are actually 2 buildings. In the elevator I was fortunate to be met by a couple that just moved in and to my surprise ended up showing me around. They seemed to love the building but warned me that they have been living though construction and disturbances and I should expect fire alarms going off randomly & frequently. Also I was unaware that a percentage of the building is affordable housing. They made comments about the poor/​lack of management and that this same individual I toured with lives on site and has been rude with them as well & has screaming matches with her boyfriend late night and on a regular basis!
Honestly, this couple made me fall in love with the building! Sadly, I decided not to lease solely because of the service… or should I say lack of! I ended up leasing a great place above the whole foods and love it! I’m paying $ 2850 for a 700 ft 1 bedroom with parking & all the urban luxuries of living in 2012.
Hope this helps! Happy hunting!