The Constellation

1) Shower heads are atrocious, one of the worst showers I've ever had the displeasure of using. Additionally, the water heater is rather poor, barely hot enough for me to shower. Often times the hot water just doesn't work, seems to be at random whether or not I actually get hot water in the shower some days. 2) AC constantly breaks, currently there are building wide AC issues. 3) Blinds are rather awkward to use, and aren't that great at blocking light out. They tend to slam up/down.

I lived there for a year, starting in August 2013 when the building was just barely finished. While it is an okay place to live, I will not choose to live there again. These are my reasons: - Management: they were very difficult to work with at times. I walked into the office and asked for the fitness room's temperature setting to be lowered from 85 degrees to 75 degrees, but it never happened. Additionally, they were extremely unprofessional and unapologetic about the constant fire alarms that went off in the middle of the night during the work week, as well as the blinds that weren't installed until weeks later after we moved in. The fitness room that was supposed to be part of the amenities also wasn't completed until much later, which caused people to need to sign up for gym memberships elsewhere (MPM did not offer to reimburse these). - Not winter-proofed: the giant windows are of poor quality and have many leaks. Despite MPM saying that the building was inspected for leaks, the inside of our window constantly had ice around the edges. MPM argued that it was because we did not let the air flow around enough. - Location: advertised as a very quick walk from the capitol. It's a brisk, uphill 15 minute walk that passes through some sections that I don't always feel safe walking by at night. If one of the reasons you choose to live downtown is so that you can walk to and from bars on weekends, then living at the Constellation sort of defeats the purpose. There are worse places to live, but if you're planning on paying about $800/month + $100/month for parking, live somewhere else.

Despite not experiencing any of the fire alarms like other reviewers, I too felt that living at The Constellation was a mediocre experience. Like the others mentioned, management is my top complaint as all questions/concerns sent over email were replied with some form of denial or dismissal. The location is not ideal, but the rent isn't compensated for that factor; it's a solid 15 minute walk to the Capitol, so if you're meeting friends factor cab rides into your rent in the winter. There are some wonderful bars and restaurants in the neighborhood though. The building is new and has some nice features, but we were also discouraged by some decisions on the interiors too. Why can't we paint over the ugly teal accent wall that you chose for every unit in the building? The lighting in the units is harsh and the kitchen fixtures were brown in our unit. We lived there from August 2014-2015. In spring of 2015, the electric was shut down overnight from 2am-6am and when I inquired why, management told me it was for new construction in the ground floor and that they wouldn't be compensating residents for the inconvenience. I think that event was pretty representative of how issues are handled. Also, it seems like the commercial renters downstairs take precedence over the apartment renters. We didn't stay for a second year and for good reason. If you pay rent prices like those in The Constellation, you should enjoy the complex you live in and appreciate how management handles your concerns, neither of which are true for this building.

Update to their update: NONE of my requests were taken care of in a timely manner. And if your employees don't want to be called out for their poor behavior, they should act professionally. Grow up.

*** To respond to the response below: I was scheduled to see the apartment with Daniel on 5/9/2014. I am not sure from my phone if the time zone updated, so either 3PM or 5PM likely. I won't post the phone number I have for privacy reasons, but would be happy to share it if you want to reach out to me directly. You were able to search if I had see the appointment, so you should have my contact information. *** I would strongly discourage anyone from living here. It is NOT downtown living. It is NOT a luxury building. Management does NOT act in the best interest of the tenants. Parking alone should be a reason not to live here, why build a building without enough parking? I am writing this review as someone who stayed there a significant amount, helped a friend move in, and signed a lease - but ultimately decided not to stay there. The small hallways are the first thing I noticed when I went in the building which gave it a college dorm feel. Passing someone in the hall is uncomfortable as an experience. Once in the apartments, it is clear that corners were cut. awkward angles, and weirdly placed support columns make the spaces difficult to work with. Cheap cabinetry and appliances that are not well set only add to the cheap look. In the unit I stayed in, no door on the closet which is less than ideal - and a very low entry to the closet - felt like I was entering into a cave whenever I needed something, a dark and unwelcoming cave. For the new unit we were going to rent, it was not accurately described by the floor plan. Second bedroom was barely usable as an office. Two large columns were in the room. The floorplan showed a bed in the room that would not be possible given the columns and door opening into the room. Terrace wrapped directly in front of this bedroom, but without it's own access suggesting again that this would be better served as an office than a bedroom. Washer and Dryer were not were identified on the floor plan. Management is difficult to work with. When contacted about concerns and issues, they become petty and it feels like you are dealing with a child. I raised issues with the floorplan of the unit we rented (sight unseen - I did try to see it, but the individual didn't show the first time and I don't reside in Madison) not matching the actual floor plan. I haven't decided on my course of action. The company wants a re rental fee despite having lost no income as it was re rented prior to us moving in. When I asked for them to pull in their employee who rented it initially to us, i was told they no longer work there as if that is a legitimate reason to not answer a customer question. That is MPM in a nutshell in my experience. I have contacted the Madison Renters group to find out about the legality of withholding an amount. I do know that having a clause in a lease that is against the law is not legal.

My husband and I have lived in The Constellation for a year starting July 2015. Its location close to the Capitol, Willy Street, Johnson Street and Lakes Monona and Mendota is perfect for us. We walk everywhere: so many amazing restaurants, music venues, beaches and events. We have the most incredible view of the Capitol and both lakes, and having Festival Foods next door is so convenient. Madison Property Management has been easy to work with and our property managers, first Eric and now Sarah, have been outstanding. They are professional, helpful, efficient and communicative. Any problem we have had has been handled promptly. The overall care of the building has been impressive. The public spaces are kept very clean. Updates are common. Routine maintenance particularly window washing can be counted on. MPM's generosity has been much appreciated. We received a Bucky Book as a Christmas gift. Also in December, there was a gift wrapping station with quality paper, bags, bows, ribbon etc. made available to all Constellation residents free of charge in our lobby. Most recently, there have been social gatherings for Constellation and Galaxie residents at Breese Stevens Field with free food and beverages. With the selection of apartment buildings in the area, we feel The Constellation has been a good choice!

What a joke of an apartment. I am positive the place is put together with bubblegum and bandaids. I knew they were in a hurry to complete the project for tenants to move in and August 1 and it it clear that it wasn't ready for move in. Blinds were not even put on the windows until two weeks after move in and the door entry system wasn't up and running until a month later, and mine still does not work. Like the other review mentioned, the "hardwood floors" are cheap and scratch easily. They thought it would keep up with a sleek design to not put door knobs on the closet doors which later yielded it impossible to function and all units had knobs added. When I had moved in I couldn't get the air conditioning to work on a simple thermostat and thought I was losing my mind because I couldn't figure it out. When I had contacted them they came to look at it and said it was working. Mind you that my window doesn't open more than 2 inches due to safety concerns the location of my unit. When they came back a second time if was finally fixed but it doesn't have the capabilities to go lower than 73 degrees. When it came time to finally give in and turn the heat on, I had the same problem. I woke up one morning to a brisk 58 degrees when I had set it at 70 when I went to bed. When they FINALLY came to look at it again they mentioned about 20 percent of the units in the building were having this problem and were installed improperly. Nice. The maintenance man gave me a space heater for the night and said good luck, someone would be in tomorrow. It's now fixed but I still have problems with the hot water. I've never taken more than a luke warm shower here, no matter what time or day it is. With a building this large and a property management company that has many properties and experience as they have, I would think they could account for hot water for all tenants. Other than junk amenities this place has endless problems including parking and not letting the city offer street parking permits, so if I am home M-Sat I am moving my car every 2 hours to avoid a parking ticket. Also, there are times I come home from work around midnight and there is puke all over the lobby and it is absoluetly disgusting. They seem to be more worried about installing the soda machines in the lobby rather than taking care of residents needs. They also start construction on the building at 745am so forget about that extra 15min of sleep you crave if you rise at 8 or later. One of the elevators is continually out of service so it takes eons for the one functioning on to do all the work, you're better off taking the stairs to the 9th floor. Lastly, as the previous review mentioned, the fire alarms are always going off because some dust during the construction is tripping them and it always seems to be around 11pm or later on the weekdays. This place is not worth paying a "luxury" price for, and I am really disappointed with Madison Property Management because I know they usually do good work.

This business probably pays to have some reviews blocked/not used as my previous review is not counted towards the score as my previous review is hidden unless you click on reviews not included in the rating. My first review is included at the bottom. Here is an update. 1) PROPERTY MANAGEMENT HAS HORRIBLE MANNERS: Lindsey M. of The Constellation - your time would be better spent relaying the message that Eric, the property manager, treats everyone here without respect. Instantly applying the strong arm tactics and using "rules" (which as some ppl noted below are not even real rules or legal) to get his way is disrespectful. I hope your company has a way to review Eric's behavior with residents. Just try talking to a few of them. My view will be consistent. 2) DIRT REMAINS EVERYWHERE. I hope you enjoy vacuuming every day. We have an automatic vacuum as a result. 3) FIRE ALARMS GO ALL ALL THE TIME: Just read the other reviews. They are not taking this problem seriously as they say. If so, put your money where your mouth is. Why not give the residents 5% off their rent for the month if another false alarm goes off? If you mean, it you would consider it. Old review below: Do not live here. Let's just start with the top issues: 1) AIRBORNE PARTICLES EVERYWHERE - Constant building construction has debris and particles flowing through the central AC. There is a layer of dust regardless of how often we clean. We have reported this and they say this won't stop until well after construction. No apologies. 2) FIRE ALARMS - The fire alarm goes off all the time because it gets set off by the airborne particles. Ask any resident, they will attest to getting out of the apartment at 3 AM several times, because it has happened over 5 times. One time, the alarm went off twice in one night! 3) DRUG CENTRAL - Constant smell of weed. Look at the bottom of the doors in the apartment, it has gotten so bad that residents put towels to prevent the smell from flowing into their own apartment. 4) DIRTY - Vacuum is not done often enough. You will be tracking dirt into your apartment. 5) UNTRUSTWORTHY MANAGEMENT - Madison Properties. Enough said. This is not your high end apartment solution. Save your money and GO ELSEWHERE.

I would not recommend the Constellation to anyone I know for multiple reasons: 1. It's TOO pricey for the quality of the building. You can definitely tell that corners were cut in the construction of the building. There are no lights in any of the closests! I moved into a BRAND-NEW apartment and there were nicks and scratches on most of the wood cabinets and floors. There isn't enough parking in the building for everyone, so they have to "ration" it to only 1 spot per apartment. Which of course you must pay for on top of a hefty rent. 2. Terrible Management. If you ask the management to do any tasks that management normally does at any other DECENT apartment complex (i.e. please oversee construction in my apartment during business hours), they refuse, claiming "it's not their job" and "you should just make time in your schedule". I've also caught one of the management individuals walking into my apartment WITHOUT any advanced noticed - which is illegal. And while they say they have a 3 day advanced notice policy, that's not always followed either. I've had management call me frantically barely 24 hours ahead of time to schedule showings. Honestly, the Constellation Management is just rude. They are constantly condescending and if you have a complaint, they don't take the feedback. I'm shocked MPM has kept the current management despite complaints that they are unprofessional. For example, a friend mailed in a rent check since she was unable to drop it off in person. When she called MPM, they said that would be ok and that she would not receive a late fee since she had called to let MPM know it was in the mail. She then called the Constellation management and passed along the message. What happened? Two months later, she gets hit with a late fee from the Constellation (NOT MPM). First, it's not her job to make sure that MPM and the Constellation are on the same page. She already took the time to call each party and confirm. Second, trying to nickle and dime your tenants as they attempt to pay you the rent is unhelpful and obnoxious. To put it simply: DON'T LIVE HERE. The apartment is not worth the cost and the management is not helpful, unless it comes to collecting rent and trying to charge you unnecessarily. I know good housing is hard to find in madison, but don't let MPM and the Constellation take advantage of you.

It is 4am and I am writing this review as I stand outside the Constellation, because the fire alarm has been going off for 45 plus minutes. This has happened multiple times in the past year.

Living here is just ok, but not enough to where I plan on renewing. The location is mediocre. It's not close to downtown but still in walking distance. The apartment is nice but it really depends on your floor plan. I've seen some floor plans with rooms that could probably not even fit a bed. The floor is fake wood that chips and scratches pretty easily, but still it's not a big deal. The appliances are nice and the washer and dryer is nice. I wish that the closet in the bedroom came with a door, but it's also not a big deal. For the first 5 months of living here, I had no problems. I also haven't had problems with management being rude, although Lindsey M (whoever she is - I've never met her or heard of her) seems rather abrasive in her responses here. However, things have slowly worsened. -I have experienced two fire drills since moving here. One happened on a morning while I was getting ready for work, luckily I was able to just leave and head to work and not deal with it. The other is the one most people seem to complain about that happened on a Friday on 8/2 (I believe). It was inconvenient, but nothing has happened since then (unless I've been out). This is just a minor inconvenience to me though. -If you have an apartment with east-facing windows, the blinds that the apartment comes with are not at all enough to block out the sun. If you want to sleep in, you really can't once the sun is up, which during the spring and summer can be around 5 am. I emailed management and asked about this, and they told me they wouldn't be able to provide better blinds as the ones that come with the apartment are standard. I guess this makes sense that they would be unwilling to upgrade my blinds to ones that actually block the sun, but still, it brings down my overall satisfaction of living here. -There is now construction in the field across the street. I'm aware that this obviously not up to MPM. But it's extremely loud and starts around 7 am every day. It is not the kind of construction you can sleep through. I also emailed MPM about this and received an apologetic email saying they have no control over when the construction starts, but it should be quieter at the end of December. I also don't fault MPM for this, but again, it detracts from my satisfaction of living here. No one wants to live across from a construction site. Additionally, if the building across the street ends up being as tall as the constellation, which I've heard it will and that it will contain apartments, it would be awkward to have your apartment window facing someone else's window. I think MPM would be smart in spending the money to upgrade the blinds for the apartments facing that direction (again - east facing windows). -The nights/weekends parking prevents you from parking from 7:30 am to 6 pm. I think it would be way more convenient to have it be from 8 am to 5:30 pm personally. Just adjusting by 30 minutes on each end gives residents more wiggle room when leaving and coming back from work. I have never complained about this though because it's a minor inconvenience. -I used the gym and it was decent enough until now. The lights in the gym are oddly dim and don't make it a good atmosphere for exercising. None of the cardio machines have working TVs. They physically have the TV component on the machines, but there is no cable hooked up to it. There is no way to connect to wifi at the gym, so you have to use data if you want to listen to pandora or watch netflix from your phone or something while working out. Just a couple weeks ago, the one and only elliptical broke down, leaving two treadmills and a bike for cardio. As you can tell - the gym is very meager on equipment. Then about a week later, before the elliptical was repaired, 1 of the 2 treadmills also broke down. Despite signs saying maintenance is scheduled, nothing has been fixed since, and there's always a wait to use them. -There seems to be no real security. Although the doors to the apartment side of the building require a key fob thing to get in, it's easy for some stranger to just follow someone in. Literally just this night, I had a guy knock on my door and then before I could answer, he WALKED IN to my apartment (because I didn't realize I didn't lock it after walking in the door from work). I asked him who he was and he said he was looking for another apartment (514)... which I'm not entirely sure exists. I told him I would walk around the floor with him to see if I could help him find it but could not seem to find an apartment 514. I kept trying to ask the guy if he knew where he was and if he had someone he could call. He seemed very confused and was mostly unresponsive and it was very alarming. He began knocking on every door on the floor and then jiggling the handles to see if the doors would open. It almost made me consider calling some sort of security in the building, but there is no security that I am aware of.