Skye at Belltown

My fiancé and I have lived at Skye for over a year and a half now and it’s been fantastic! We moved up here from Dallas, TX for work and didn’t quite have the time to actually come see the building before we had to make a decision. Itzel took the time to send additional pictures and walk us through the entire process online/​over the phone, making it super smooth and easy. The customer service from the front desk staff and maintenance has been phenomenal since the day we moved in. Normally I would be hesitant to sign a lease sight unseen, but she made everything so easy and painless.
Compared to a lot of the other apartments in the Belltown area, it definitely ranks high on my list that we’ve seen so far. It’s definitely a more dog-​friendly building with the number of dogs in the building (we have two of our own). So they get plenty of friends to play with. They even have a nice sized fenced dog run on the large outdoor patio so you don’t have to venture out of the building. The new patio is great as well with heated outdoor seating, fire pit, etc.
My only headache would be the laundry facilities as a lot of the washers/​dryers are frequently out of order or just plain old and don’t work that great. They get the job done, but an update would be nice :) (I’ve heard it’s in the works but haven’t seen anything just yet.)
Other than that, we really enjoy our building and it’s great location to most everything in Seattle. Rent increases are reasonable for downtown and we plan on staying here for awhile!

My review is based off of living here for one year — I still have two months to go (it was a lower rate to do a 14 months lease). I moved in right after they implemented an amazing rooftop patio that includes: two gas grills, a gas fire pit, gas fireplace below a flatscreen television, lots of couches, patio chairs, lounge chairs, an area for your dogs to do their business and a bocce ball area.
Pros:
— the patio space
— the complete renovation of the unit I’ve rented, which included: laminate hardwood floors, granite countertops, new sink with two function faucet, ceramic top range with convection oven, custom built cabinets and tiled kitchen backsplash
— heated floors
— concrete walls
— maintenance is great, they are well staffed
— great for those that enjoy walking or don’t have a car
— it’s right in front of the E Line
— current leasing staff is nice
— security guards are there on weeknights and weekends
— nice and cool in the spring and summer
Cons:
— noise from: patio space, police, ambulance, nearby fire station, random people yelling in the street, dogs barking all the time, construction noises from units being renovated throughout the day, and somehow for concrete walls I can hear my neighbors converse, snore in their sleep, showering, flushing their toilets, etc.
— the backsplash for the kitchen wasn’t installed until a year later when it became available
— the w/​s/​g will get you, initially when I got the first bill ~$ 90/​month they said it would go down but it just keep getting higher the most expensive was ~$ 170/​month (remember to add that onto your rental budget)
— laundry is used with a chip card you have to purchase in order to use it, I was told that they were going to make it so you could use your credit card but that never happened (the washers/​dryers break all the time)
— it gets humid and the windows fog up, but this is more of an usual whether we’ve been having as it normally doesn’t get humid in Seattle
— the notice that your lease is up (2 months before it is up) poses a red flag as it is confusing and doesn’t follow with the signed lease (20 days notice for Washington residents)
Overall, if not for the noise, utility bill and rent increase I would consider renewing my lease or even consider transferring to larger unit. I can recommend this place as it is better than most new builds (it was built before the Space Needle).

I’ve been living here for almost 8 months now, and my renewal contract has shown only a $ 75 increase (a bit over 4%) in my monthly rent (given a 12-​month contract), which is pretty reasonable for Belltown. While I’m heavily inclined to just take that and move on, I wanted to first write a review before going out to do my due diligence when it comes to looking at other apartments.
First off, there’s a lot of really nifty things about this place that I really like. One of them is the sheer amount of closet space. I have:
— a Walk-​in Closet in the main area (great for general storage)
— a hall closet near the front door for jackets
— a bedroom walk-​in-​like closet for clothing
— more than enough pantries and cupboards to store all of my cooking supplies, as well as snacks /​drinks /​plates /​etc. (I haven’t even been able to use them all, which is surprising given that I *always* manage to fill all of the storage pantries/​cupboards to their limits)
Like every other place, there’s good things and bad things. Tradeoffs are made to live here, however I believe most of them to be worthwhile. Here’s the few observations I’ve made so far.
Let us start with the «Bad stuff»:
— No control over water temperature. Most apartments in the Seattle area have the individual apartment capability to control the water temperature. This isn’t the case here — the water temperature is controlled by some central system that isn’t in any given apartment (although you do get all of the breakers for your own apartment in your kitchen nook area). More than once have I had to take a less-​than-​warm shower because the water heater had either cold or lukewarm water to shower with.
— Fitness center no bench and no squat rack, which is pretty ridiculous given that there are dumbbell weights and kettle bell weights, along with *plenty of open space* in the gym area. There’s ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills, but any kind of basic «full-​body» weight training is off the table, causing me to spend more money elsewhere on gym memberships that aren’t really worth it (especially given that the rest of the gym here is pretty decent). There is the (precisely one) «weight machine», but it doesn’t simulate enough of the movements required to have a useful workout.
— Lockout policy: The one time I (groggily) locked myself out of my apartment throwing out the trash cost me $ 80 to get back into my apartment, simply because the security guard doesn’t have the ability to let us in. I understand there’s liabilities involved and whatnot, but if the security is being provided to the building at all, the least the building could do is pay the requisite fees for liability insurance, etc to ensure that the residents have somewhat less of a painful time waiting 45 – 90 minutes for a «locksmith» to shimmy their door open.
— No washer/​dryer in unit. It has a dishwasher/​fridge/​oven/​stove, however this is the *only* apartment complex in Belltown (within my price range and within reasonable walking distance from my workplace) that did not have access to a washer/​dryer in-​unit. Granted, the laundry facility on the 2^nd floor isn’t *terrible*, but it is pretty annoying that we have to watch washing machines stay broken for up to 5 weeks before maintenance is able to bring someone onsite to fix them.
— External painters/​construction/​whatever can randomly close the window (which I can’t access because I put up a screen to accommodate my A/​C unit) without telling you, severely inconveniencing me *every single day* for almost three months. Luckily this has stopped as of late, otherwise I would be happy to move, despite such a low rent increase — this kind of pain was clearly stated to management that I was unhappy about, and given that they were supposed to be done in August, but didn’t finish until October, I was a pretty unhappy resident.
But don’t fret! There *is* a good side to all of this!
— The rooftop deck is *stellar*. I’m still pleasantly surprised by the amenities in general, in the sense that given the building is old, the rec room, rooftop deck, fitness centre (for the most part), and the laundry room are all fairly modern and comfy to be in /​look at (in other words, I’m not sketched out by any of the quality improvements that have been made recently).
— The refurbished rooms look *incredible*. I was lucky enough to snag a room that was newly renovated (first tenant after the update!), and I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by everything. The layout looks awesome — flooring, marble counters, appliances; I feel like I’m living in a premium apartment, but paying a normal price!
— Speaking of prices, less than 5% rent increase? Heck yes I’ll take that!
— Even though the floor plan *says* 659 sq. ft, the apartment *feels* much bigger than that. I’ve visited apartments that have been 700+ sqft and felt *tiny* in comparison to this.
— Makes good use of floorplan space. No wasted areas!
— Package pickup is *awesome* because security guard can get it! (almost ²⁴⁄₇!)

I just moved out of Skye after living there for 3 years, due to the fact that my apartment was due for renovation and rising rents in the area in general. I had lived in this building before when it was Archstone around 2010 – 2011 (when rents were ~1/​3 cheaper), and loved it enough to move back when my job changed.
Honestly I’m not a fan of the recent changes and renovations; I prefer the old concierges over the security guards (not that the security guards aren’t nice), and I prefer carpet over cold, impersonal hardwood floors. One big drawback of the new hardwood floors is that the place is just louder than it used to be. One of the biggest reasons I loved living there was the fact that I rarely heard my neighbors save for the industrial strength toilets flushing and front doors being slammed by impolite neighbors. Now they’ve managed to make it so you hear your upstairs neighbors stomping around, which is my biggest pet peeve of apartment living. Sound carries from neighboring apartments more readily as well. Construction noise has been a challenge the last couple of years but if you are just moving in, it shouldn’t be much of an issue unless they are renovating an apartment nearby and you are home during the day.
Be warned that this is an old building, and it’s a bit like putting lipstick on a pig. The elevators broke frequently during my residency and repair times were not quick, though it seems they finally dumped some sorely needed $$$ into them and they have been much more reliable the last year or so. Water leaks in the lobby and hallway out to the rooftop garden were also frequent. When the automatic door button broke, it took over a week to fix it. So check prices against newer construction.
The spaces themselves are fantastic. I lived on the 10^th floor in a corner 1 BR and the views and light were fantastic. Lots of closet space for storage, lots of windows, lots of ventilation. You might get some noise from 5^th Ave (Seattleites still can’t figure out the double turn lane from Wall onto 5^th and honking is inevitable) and there is the fire station one block away at 4^th and Battery. The area does have it’s fair share of homeless sleeping in doorways but since the mini-​park on the northeast corner has been cleaned up it’s less sketchy.
The maintenance crew and staff are top notch and any issues are resolved quickly. It was a bit annoying that I got charged a professional cleaning fee on move-​out for an apartment they are about to destroy and renovate, but whatever. Also, even though there is an overnight security guard they will NOT help you if you lock yourself out of your apartment at night (due to the nature of the doors you WILL lock yourself out at some point), you will have to call a locksmith. I think this is bogus given the amount of rent you are paying, but it is what it is. So it’s a good idea to give a spare key to a friend that lives nearby.
Go with CondoInternet (now Wave Broadband I think) — $ 60 for ¹⁰⁰⁄₁₀₀ service, no caps! I will miss this for sure.

I stayed here for more than two years starting on Feb 2014. The building has it’s downs but it’s a lovely place to stay. I had no issues in the two years. The building has Condo internet (please use these guys if you lease here). The management are super awesome. They respond to all queries and requests almost immediately. The night guards are some awesome and patient. I was in the 13^th floor and it had good sunlight and excellent ventilation and a great view of the Waterfront and the space needle.
The only reason am moving is I feel the rents have risen to a level when i need to move (it’s not just Skye, all apartments in downtown and belltown have shot up.)
Some Cons:
(i) No in unit washer/​dryer
(ii) No heater vent in the bedroom (am not sure if it’s only my unit that was so)

I lived here for over a year and found the staff (including the night duty guards) to be very helpful and pleasant. Overall its a nice apartment complex with a well-​maintained community center and apartments. I liked that my apartment had a lot of natural light, was spacious, and had ample closet space and great views of the denny triangle.
The only con apart from the separate washer/​dryer that I found was the building does not have an elevator that goes into the parking lot which becomes annoying at times when you have a lot to carry.

I stayed at Skye at Belltown for 4 months while subleasing an apartment. The building is surely one of the older communities in Seattle especially when you have a new building coming up in every two blocks in Belltown/​SLU. That being said, the management has been tremendously helpful in solving moving out issues with respect to security deposits and other utilities. Moving out is usually super hard and it’s not uncommon to hear about leasing agencies taking a cut off the security deposit. However, the guys at Skye went out of their way to provide me the security deposit ahead of time by agreeing to settle it with my rent and cleaning utilities. A big shout out to Mark, the community manager, whose been an absolute rockstar throughout the process and has patiently answered my billion queries about the moving out charges/​utilities and any payments I might have made during my stay.
Pros: A great community room, spacious apartments, patio facing the space needle, apartments are easily 30% cheaper than other smaller apartments in relatively newer buildings.
Cons: One of the older communities in Seattle, no washer/​dryer in the unit (which was a deal breaker for me)
Yes, I’m a fan

I am updating the review to 5 stars. I had to move out for a job else where, and the move out process was smooth.
I am impressed with renovation work done, the gym is great and the rec room is really a nice spot to hang out and watch a game with friends

Many reasons for the bad reviews here are because of construction, which hasn’t bothered or effected me all. So maybe those intrusive projects are done now.
The staff here are great and super helpful. The night guards are both SO sweet and always offer to help if your hands are full or something. Christopher is also really nice (and sassy in a fun way)! I’m fact, everyone I have interacted with has gone out of their way to be helpful! Plus they have a locked area for packages.
The apartment location can’t be beat. 4 coffee places in less than 2 blocks! Dozens of restaurants nearby! Super close to the Cinerama and IMAX movies at the Pacific Science Center whenever you want! Whole foods is 5 blocks away, there is a convenience store in the building, as well as hair salons, a USPS store, etc. Handy handy handy!
Catching transit from here is a breeze as well. The Rapid ride to Ballard takes 25 mins, The E line will take you straight downtown if you don’t feel like walking, and there is a 70 five blocks away to get you to the UDistrict. It’s 15 min walk to Pike Place Market, and a 9 minute bus ride to capitol hill. It’s a glorious location.
The apartment itself is really good too, in my humble opinion. No, there’s no washer dryer in unit. Sigh… that was a deal breaker for me… until I saw the apartment and fell in love. Who can resist a ginormous space needle outside?
The finishes are all classy and new, and I’m proud to show my apartment off to the in-​laws and my friends. If you’re IN the bathroom, you can hear other people flush their toilets or turn on their shower, but you can’t hear it outside of the bathroom so it doesn’t bother me. I never hear anyone’s TV or walking overhead or anything.
Price wise, this place is a steal for comparative apartments nearby (because of the WD situation). I feel very happy living here!

I waited a little bit to write this review.
So I shopped around Belltown for apartments and ended up choosing Skye. First of all, the price for the unit was pretty great, and COST of parking (not the parking lot itself) is decent. I have 5 closets, yeah, FIVE closets in my unit, and one of the walk in I use as a spare guest room for friends who are small enough to fit.
My unit is newly renovated, even though the exterior of the building is kind of an eye sore. I don’t know, it just reminds me to not judge a book by its cover, which I guess is a pretty relevant reminder in my current life stage. Anyway I digress — my unit is newly renovated with quartz counter top and some kind of wood flooring.
I don’t really hear my neighbors that often, although the walls are pretty thin and you hear them using the restroom in the morning/​getting ready to sleep at night. The community is pretty respectful in that regard, and I just got out of a college dorm room, so I don’t really have anything to complain about.
Pros:
— Dog friendly, I make friends with dogs in the building
— Pretty convenient location/​bus routes nearby
— Basic life needs are met in the little businesses downstairs/​across the street (The small grocery store is ridiculously pricey, but you can haul your ass to Whole Foods to slightly less expensive goods)
— low cost/​ft² ratio
— Security guard present for most of the night
— My oven is brand spanking new and is convection/​my kitchen is pretty sweet (horseshoe shaped vs the linear space saving design)
— Gym/​lounge is pretty nice
Cons:
— Laundry facility not in unit (but that’s fine with me)
— No range hood in my unit !!! (I forgot to check this part before signing the lease…)
— PARKING LOT. I’ve been spoiled by large Californian sized parking spaces for monster trucks. These spots are tiny, the driveways are tiny. I drive a civic and I feel like I need a Smart car to really safely navigate the lot. I’ve had to learn how to back in park and I’m still not very good. I probably make the most use of my parking space rent because I almost never move my car.

I’m a former resident who lived here from July 2013 — June 2014. I’ll share my story and let everybody know what happened to me and how this SKYE AT BELLTOWN treat their potential customer like god but residents who decide to leave like beggar.
At 7÷1÷2014 when I looked up my account in skye at belltown I found there’s an outstanding balance of $ 114.99. That’s the utility for the past two months. I thought I’ll move out of here soon so I went ahead to manually pay the balance online and canceled the autopay. That’s where the story began.
Later I received a move-​out statement. Looking through it I found they deducted $ 114.99 out of the initial deposit. Clearly this is a duplicate charge. However at that time, naïve as I am, thought this is just an accidental mistake and this could be resolved by just a phone call. I called in, I went there myself, they all told me yes, this is a mistake and we’ll send you another check with this amount. GUESS WHAT? I’ve never received that. Till today, I can’t remember how many times I have called them. Eight? Ten? Twelve? EVERYTIME! The man named Sam told me he’ll give me a call tomorrow but he never accomplishes what he promised! I’ve NEVER received a phone call from him or any of those people with a response or at least a explanation!
I went out of US in August and returned back in Oct. I called in, querying them again about my $ 114.99 with no hope. How funny it is, this Mr. Sam even forgot what happened and OK! Another round of investigation began. «Can I give you a reply tomorrow?» «Our financial deparement is in another state and I can’t just give you money» OK. I wait. A few days later I received a call from them, told me the check has been sent and the money is vested. After a few arguments, what they are talking about is actually the first check (with the $ 114.99 deducted), nothing to do with the $ 114.99 at all! Again, wait for reply.
I assume if you looked at this post until now, you can imagine the result. Yes you’re right. No REPLY EVER, NEVER!
My god, isn’t I am like a beggar? I have phoned them over 10 times and talked to over 5 different persons (most of the time Sam) and I still did not see my money and they don’t even provide a reasonable explanation! I really don’t know how can I get my money back, all I think about now is to let everyone knows what kind of management team this SKYE AT BELLTOWN has. Seriously, this is not like noisy, no washer and drier in unit, water outage nearly once a month, THIS IS AN ACTION OF ROBBERY! You paid your balance, they recharged, and YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR MONEY BACK!!!
i used to live in Room 1709. I’m responsible for everything here I wrote. I sincerely hope I could give them 0 star and I strongly recommend Unilocal to add this support soon.

My roommate and I enjoy living here. We visited over 10 places, most of which were very comparable, before making the hard decision.
We love the view and the interiors of the building. The location is almost perfect. The staff are really helpful and friendly and ensure we know that they’re there to help us. The servicemen that work there are friendly and do a great job in helping to install furniture or to fix any problems in the apartment.
I like the gym, and I use it over 24-​hour Fitness to save a few bucks. All my friends that visit me like the place and often come back.
Note that the place doesn’t have in-​unit laundry. However, there is a laundry room and an online portal to see if there are washers/​dryers available for use. This isn’t a problem for my roommate and I, as we would rather have the extra space for storage.

I have been living here for roughly seven months, and absolutely love the building & the staff! Affordable, convenient location, great amenities, and unbeatable views. The leasing & maintenance office staff are like family too. They always go above & beyond! I highly recommend the Skye at Belltown.

We have lived here for ~2 years (since Sep-​2012) and have had a very good experience overall. Living in a place will have its usual ups and downs and Skye (formerly Archstone) is no different but if you’re looking at convenient, affordable (though 2 bedrooms are a different story), downtown living with modern benefits then Skye is a strong recommendation.
Pros:
1. Location — Less than a mile from Pike Place Market/​Downtown and the Amazon SLU campus (a large number of residents work at Amazon). Also, walking distance to almost all central restaurants and pubs. We hardly take our car out.
2. Renovated Amenities — swanky new reception, a very well equipped high tech gym, comfortable common area
3. Terrace Garden — Great for evening strolls, and more so if you have pets. Stunning and close views of the space needle, great for NYE fireworks (though some newer buildings are coming up and starting to block the views a bit)
4. Friendly and efficient staff — file a ticket and get your light bulbs replaced, bathtubs unclogged, or door handle fixed.
5. Concierge service — takes care of packages and has an automated email system to inform you about any packages.
6. Cool interiors — Can’t speak for everyone but we have had great ventilation and even during peak summers we had to take blankets when we opened all windows. (Like almost all places in Seattle there’s no air conditioning)
Cons:
1. Rents getting exorbitant — While we have been paying ~$ 1.500 — $ 1,550 for our 1 bedroom apartment (besides W/​S/​G and parking), when we tried to look for a 2 bedroom/​2 bathroom unit they asked for $ 2,800. ~100% increase from a 1 bed/​bath to 2 bed/​bath does seem exorbitant.
2. Frequent water shut-​offs — There’s about 5 – 6 such water interruptions every year. Though not very long (maybe 3 – 4 hours), and the management provides ample notice and drinking water to every unit, you may sometimes need to plan a little in advance.
3. Tight Parking — The parking is managed by Republic Parking and tenants need to share the space with daily parkers. The monthly charges are $ 150/​spot, which is in line with other places in the area, but leaves scope for improvement (very helpful parking attendant, helped us with changing a flat tire and didn’t accept any tips in return).
If the jump from a 1bed/​bath to 2 bed/​bath had not been ~100% we would have definitely stayed here longer.

I’ve lived here a couple years. Fantastic location, we have a great view, a short walk to everything. The building is historic, was definitely a bit stale inside when I first moved in but they have recently remodeled much of the place with a new modern look. Very nice improvements. Mark the building manager and people who take care of cleaning and maintenence are always professional, very friendly, and super responsive to issues, which is the main reason I’m giving 5 stars. A short walk to the needle.

If I were writing this review two years ago, I would have given 5 stars no questions asked… But over the past year Skye has acquired new management which has been nothing but a negative experience. They have continually taken away amenities that were once offered and are very poor when it comes to communicating to their residents. The prices are increasing but the service and amenities are drastically decreasing. I would definitely not recommend this building, there is many other places in belltown that are actually worth the higher price. But not this building.

This is a great place and great service. The water maintenance is not that often. Every time they want to interrupt the water, they always give us package (water bucket and 24 bottles of drinking water). I didn’t get effect from that interrupt at all since it happen during my working time (9am-​sometime before 6pm). How good responsibility they are. Think about how much they will pay to do this service interrupt. I believe they don’t want to do this operation that often. (Just twice since I’m here). They always provide us many threat in many events. I got doughnut, pizza, chocolate more than 5 times a year. The elevator work fine for me. I saw some defect that it was canceled the floor I press, but it has been fixed a few day later. It didn’t block me to use elevator at all. Just press it again. Moreover, I can get the package until 10pm (or until 11pm most of the time) It’s good for person who get back late like me. The rental is also reasonable low. Most room have a good view. (comparing to another apartment which will charge you lot more on the view on higher floor like 5^th-​6^th floor) Here, if you live in 5^th-​6^th floor, the price will be very cheap. The building is actually old but they always renovate. Parking is manage by republic parking and it quite small, but always available space

The negative reviews are pretty picky– this building is nice enough and the price is similar to similar quality buildings. Decent laundry room, decent gym, conveniently attached to a small grocery store, right next to bus stops, partial doorman service, and EXCELLENT if you have a dog because there is a garden area for them to go outside when you don’t have time to walk them far distances.
I have had no negative experiences with the staff either, aside from the maintenance man, Brian, who was VERY rude to me once when I locked myself out of my apartment and called to ask if he had keys to get in (his number was on the concierge desk). He basically treated me like a child, saying I was only to contact him for an emergency and this was not an emergency (but to me it was, I had just moved to Seattle, knew no one, had no where to sleep, and had my dog with me).
THE ONE REALLY CRAPPY THING IS: THE PARKING GARAGE. It’s incredibly poorly designed and overcrowded. You can’t even turn corners without doing a 3-​point turn and the parking spaces are so tight that people hit each other all the time. Sometimes I have to crawl over my center council to the passenger side just to be able to open the door and exit my car.

The portion of the apartment that I live in is quiet for most of the time. The management has changed recently, but the personnel have remained more or less the same and have been helpful as always. I did not find any problem with the concierge (s)… unlike some reviewers here. Some of the reviewers have stated the frequent water shutdowns… and they give you buckets and bottled water. It has been only twice over more than one and half years that I have lived here. I will not say that I will live in this apartment for ever… hell I cannot live in one country for ever.

I have lived in this building for a year now. I usually do not write Unilocal review, but I decided to write this one, because I want people to know how bad this building is.
I can not remember how many times this year they have shut down the water. Four times? Five times? Every time, the shut down is at least 12 hours and they gave you a bucket and some bottle water. One time, they told us that the water would be shut down at 9am, so I jumped in shower at 8:20am. Little did I know, the water stopped running in the middle of my shower…
The elevator too, it has broken down at least 2 – 3 times during the time I lived in here.
The building is old. Well, not just the building, the equipments in the units are old too, including the oven and the dish washer. The first time I baked cookie when I moved in, they were all burnt. And no, it is not my fault. It was the oven’s fault.
Also, they were so very inflexible when it comes to terminate the lease early. You can not allow to sublease the place to anybody and have to pay 1.5 months of lease plus whatever rent incentive they gave you during the period of the lease.
They changed the management company earlier this year and the new staffs that work there are not friendly at all. The girl we talked to were cold and not friendly every time I talk to her.
I checked the Unilocal review when I moved in to the then Archstone (now Skye) last year and the reviews were really good, which is so not consistent with my experience, so I decided to share my side of the story