Jeff K.
Yelp
Final review: I don't know for certain if I'm the longest-tenured Lamar Union tenant to date, but I was the first to move into my apartment in 2016 - I was in Building 1, which opened last - and I didn't move out until the second half of 2022. Suffice it to say my opinion turned increasingly sour about the place since my last review, and there's nearly no chance I'd recommend it today, particularly with the new Fifteen15 complex located only a few blocks south (just make sure not to rent a unit facing the train tracks).
I'll start by noting that there's really not *that* much difference between Austin apartment complexes built within the past decade, or at least the ones located along arterial roads within 2-3 miles of downtown, and I looked at pretty much all of them after deciding to leave Lamar Union. Many are designed similarly, with essentially identical layouts ranging between studios and 2BRs, and many share identical frustrations:
* Revolving doors of leasing-office workers. After the fifth near-complete staff turnover in 2019 or so, I stopped counting, but by the time I left I recognized nobody. (Which is standard in the industry.)
* Packages. I do NOT know why managing packages is so difficult, but they screwed this one up so badly that I ceased getting them delivered there, period. IIRC LU started out by accepting packages at the front desk. Then they installed package lockers, except most residents refused to pony up the negligible monthly fee - and after the leasing office categorically refused to stop accepting them, UPS & FedEx left them at people's front doors, where they rarely lasted more than an hour without being stolen And THEN they got rid of the lockers & now require everyone to use a third-party service called Fetch - the problem being that it delays delivery by at least a day. (You also can't opt out even if you never use it.)
* Pets. If there is even ONE pet-friendly apartment building or complex in Austin that doesn't routinely have asshole residents who refuse to clean up dog poop, I have yet to see it (but it was unusually bad at LU, likely in part due to its sheer size with 400+ units).
All that said, the newest complexes in town have DEFINITELY leveled up on their amenities, and I don't mean meaningless bullshit like rebranding lounges as "coworking spaces." I'm trying, and failing, to come up with a rationale for a $2,600/month 1BR (at this writing) in a unit currently available that's identical to mine, except it faces the rear (and its truly noxious dumpster odor) whereas mine at least had an unobstructed downtown view in return for its exorbitant rent.
Finally, my current apartment has each of the following features that my Lamar Union place did not: quality appliances, including a front-loading (and stacked) washer & dryer along with a fridge featuring French doors and in-door water & ice dispenser. (Also a gas range.) Package lockers that actually *work*. Showers with actual *pressure*. EV chargers. Pet washtubs. And far more progressive management, especially compared to the wholly impersonal experience living at a complex managed by Greystar, one of America's largest apartment operators.
You can REALLY find better elsewhere, especially in terms of leasing rates as well as move-in incentives. (I just noticed they have over 50 apartments available for rent. My new complex has two. This equation is a simple one.)