Techno D.
Yelp
I lived at Elevation for 3 years, just moved out.
Pros
- New building, new appliances, modern amenities, hardwood flooring. Nice decor all around. Actually even floors. Actually well built. Cabinets and drawers open smoothly, not as if 12 separate gangs of Neanderthals lived in the apartment before you. No antiquated AC system. No random cutouts in the walls. No dead phone/cable/internet jacks/boxes left over from times 'o yore.
- Next to the NoMa Redline station. Super convenient.
- While I can't speak to every floor, my floor was exceptionally quiet in terms of neighbors the entire time I lived here. The clientele here are mainly young professionals, who are mostly courteous and professional.
- Trader Joe's, 3 min walk. Harris Teeter, 5 min.
- The staff have always been top-notch in my opinion, very good crew.
- W/D in every unit.
- FIOS internet, always worked well.
- Top pool deck with view of the Washington Monument. If you get a higher northern view you'll have possibly the best view in the city of DC's illegal 4th fireworks shows. Seriously, they're incredible.
- Next to the Metro Branch Trail.
- PLENTY of resident parking. Lots of spaces in P3. Unassigned parking - which can be a great thing, depending on who your parking neighbors might have been. Unassigned motorcycle parking in whatever in-between unused spaces you can find.
- I haven't had a major rent increase the entire time I've been here. Kind of shocking.
- Unlike with older buildings, utilities here are submetered per unit, not averaged. So you only pay for what you use, not for what your neighbors use.
- Uber/lyft drivers have mostly figured out where this building's front entrance is. Mostly. Be thankful. It was a rough couple of years there.
- Union Market, within walking distance, 10 mins.
- Adult-sized toilet bowls. Don't know why, but a lot of buildings in the DC area are built with comically child-sized toilets. Not Elevation.
- Gym. Not bad. Usually pretty orderly too. I know, shocking.
Cons
- Being a pet friendly building, & knowing pets can't hold it in forever, & knowing that owners don't always get home in time, there is often animal pee in the elevators and hallways. Just a fact of life living in a pet friendly building.
- The neighborhood, while in the process of being "gentrified", is not yet still. Crimes, up to murders, do sometimes happen within blocks (or about a year ago, feet) of the building.
- It seems the AC has shared air intakes. Whenever I turned mine on I instantly smelled my neighbor's cooking.
- Most of the local establishments cater to working people during work hours. This is the main problem with the area, it's more a business location than a residential neighborhood.
- Hot water. There's not a lot of it. Enough for a shower, yes ... but not a long shower. Def not enough for a bath.
- Somewhat loud location in terms of street traffic, ambulances, police cars, motorcycle races, etc.
- Parking ... (sigh) ... Partially run by Elevation and partially by a parking company. The Elevation part is fine, but the parking company part - which you have to drive through to get to the Elevation part - is not well managed AT ALL.
Other
- North and east views are VERY good, sunsets over the city, no tall buildings (yet) blocking your view of the city, really beautiful. East view is relatively unobstructed, though the rail yards are your primary view. South views, other than top floors, are of other office buildings.
- There's a 24 hour McDonalds nearby, and an open late Wendy's. Filled with people you'd think might frequent these places at odd hours of the morning. Including me, several times, when I was drunk. Also 7-11, 5 Guys, Dominos, Subway, Potbelly, etc.
- The Elanore is a nice eatery that's in the first floor of the building. A lot of shops have come and gone from this spot; maybe the Elenore will make it.
- The area is weird - between sleepy residential communities, office buildings, and a warehouse district. There's no "city center" around.
- Lots of new buildings are being built in the area, commercial and residential, but no parks. I fear this area is going to become rather ugly in the coming years if this trend continues, a random collection of highrises, and not much else; a lot like what Navy Yard is becoming.
- Resident parking is not particularly cheap, but is the cheapest in the immediate area.
- Every once in a while there's the smell of cannabis. Though supposedly a smoke free building, not every resident abides by this rule. It is DC, after all.
- Elevators weren't down much in my experience. Being I lived on the top floor, that was welcome.
- H Street, with all its restaurants and social scenes, is a brisk 15 to 20 min walk away. Not close enough to be a Pro yet not far enough away to be a Con. It's there, it's just not near.
- Pool. Don't expect to actually be swimming in it. More of a lounging pool. Deck is cool.
Sum
Building itself - really nice. Local area - meh.