The Astor

Most Recent Comments

• March 2024 by Angel Riddle
  I came to visit a friend at The Astor and really enjoyed my time. The view from the roof was great, there’s so many fun gathering spots! I especially loved the vault basement and the amazing gym!
• February 2024 by Seth Ziolkowski
  (1/2) This is an honest, detailed, and extensive review of my personal experience as a tenant at The Astor.**For prospective renters, I urge you to read the review in its entirety****Read separate post as the initial post exceeds the character limit****If the following issues are adequately addressed, I will consider changing my characterization of The Astor’s “livability****My frustration is not directed towards any staff member at The Astor. Responsibility for addressing building issues and tenant complaints ultimately falls on the managing entity—Thrive Communities. In my experience, staff members have always been kind and courteous. They will greet you and make small talk as you pass them in the lobby (especially the maintenance fellas)**TLDR: In my experience, two significant issues that appropriately characterize The Astor as UNLIVABLE are the street noise(s) and apartment windows (which go hand-in-hand). Most concerning was the significant amount of mold build up on our windows due to standing water. There are other, more minor issues I could nitpick but for the sake of brevity, these are not included (see other reviews).PREFACE:In June 2022, I and my partner moved from a ‘vintage’ studio apartment in Stadium District to The Astor. We were excited about the prospect of staying in Tacoma, improving our living conditions, and being one of the first tenants to live at the historic and newly renovated Washington Building. More or less, we were sold on the convenience of the location (quick access to I-5, walking distance from bars/restaurants, and a short drive to my partner’s job at St. Joe’s MC). At the time what felt like a no-brainer quickly turned to deep regret.NOISE:As noted by several other reviews, the noise on Pacific Ave is horrendous. By ‘noise’ I’m referring to cars and motorcycles backfiring, cars doing donuts atop the parking garage catty-corner to the building, and deafening ambulance, police, and fire sirens—all of which occur Monday through Sunday and at all hours of the day.To some degree, noise pollution is expected when city living, but the root cause of this issue boils down to the ‘historic’ single-pane windows (which I will further address below). And no, earplugs do not adequately fix this issue. Even if the noise were my sole complaint, it would still be enough to characterize The Astor as UNLIVABLE.Be prepared to be jolted awake between the hours of 11:00 pm and 3:00 am regularly. Be prepared to frequently pause your conversation, television, Zoom meeting, etc. as you wait for the noise(s) to stop. Be prepared to sacrifice your peaceful mornings and restful nights for the entire duration of your tenancy. Be prepared to grit your teeth and white-knuckle your way to sleep every night, regretting the day you signed your lease.WINDOWS:As mentioned, all apartment windows are single-pane and original, intended to be preserved due to the historical significance of the Washington Building (ironic considering they drilled brackets into every window, compromising their ‘original’ state). At the time, this minor detail seemed fine-and-dandy, and was easy to overlook as a cause for concern but we quickly learned otherwise.In the summer months, the apartment does indeed feel like a “greenhouse.” This was especially concerning because we have cats. Our first summer here, we swiftly invested in a portable A/C unit, only to learn it didn’t fit due to the brackets installed to prevent windows from opening more than 4”. Desperation led me to drill out and remove the brackets (doing so after notifying staff that I would reinstall them before moving out). As other reviews note, a portable A/C is not sufficient in keeping the apartment temp below 80(ish) degrees. There is no reprieve from the July and August heat.In the fall and winter months, harsh winds cause the windows to rattle, often keeping you up at night and adding to the cacophony of outside noise... (continued in 2/2)
• February 2024 by Mr. Gibhuss
  I had a great experience at The Astor! The leasing staff was very informative and friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a place in the heart of Tacoma. Thank you, Astor!
• October 2023 by Jackie Lane
  My husband and I recently had the pleasure of moving into one of the furnished apartment in the heart of Tacoma, WA. The views of the city and water are absolutely breathtaking, and they provided a stunning backdrop to our stay. The apartment is well-appointed with modern furniture and decor, making it feel like a home away from home.The amenities, including the gym, rooftop deck and speakeasy lounge areaa are fantastic additions. The gym is well-equipped with a variety of machines, and the rooftop deck offers a relaxing space to unwind while taking in the picturesque views.The location of the apartment is convenient, with easy access to shops, restaurants, and even a wine bar (The Buried Bottle) a block away. I highly recommend this apartment to anyone looking for a comfortable and luxurious place to stay in Tacoma.
• October 2023 by Transcend Resorts
  Allowing us to reserve the elevator is a tremendous assistance to moving in. I really do enjoy the package delivery room so I know my items are secure. The elevators work very quickly, and the key fob system keeps the building secure, which I appreciate.
• September 2023 by Marcela Mateus
  I was ready to provide my notice this upcoming fall. I moved almost a year ago and there was issue after issue with the previous management and nobody to address it since they never had maintenance available and the leasing office was closed. There seems to be different management that has actually helped me with previous issues like my utility bill in a timely matter. Vanessa and Kiley helped my new roommate move in since I just renewed my lease and my dog Luna is always wanting to visit them for a treat.
• September 2023 by Joanne P
  I really can’t begin to describe how terrible my experience here has been. I have been getting contradictory requests for rent to be paid from the leasing office, even after moving out. Gotta love being blindsided with news after you move out on the 1st of the month that you owe thousands of dollars for that entire month instead of one day’s prorated rent, even after you receiving an email sent by said same leasing office earlier informing you otherwise. Other negative experiences: 1) There’s nowhere to take your trash if it doesn’t fit into a *very small* trash bag, as the only service they provide is “valet trash service” who will refuse to take your trash if it’s “too large” (actual experience with a standard “tall kitchen” trash bag I filled after a week and placed outside for trash valet. It even fit the size of the trash container each unit provides!). I ended up having to physically walk my trash a block away outside to a nearby establishment’s publicly available trash dumpster, while still paying $25 a week for trash services. 2) There is no AC, and only a a few windows of out many will open—and not even all the way. Maybe 5-6 inches at most. Good luck getting a breeze to offset the sun beating down on your apartment with no AC. I was provided a portable AC unit for relief, but even at full blast all day it did nothing. I had to spend multiple nights at friends’ houses to get some sleep because it was so unbearably stifling hot. 3) All of these units have single pane windows which do nothing to isolate noise from outside. Get ready to be serenaded to sleep by street racing, homeless people screaming at night, weekend partying from the bar crowd, and gunshots. There’s also a fire station nearby and the (constant) sirens are deafening. I work from home, and the daytime noise was so loud that my clients could hear it over a Zoom call and I would have to constantly mute myself. If that gives you any idea of how severe the noise levels are. The Astor will not tell you about this crucial little detail during your tour, nor do they advertise this on their website. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
• September 2023 by Joel Larson
  This building has great potential, but is poorly managed and provided little amenities that would qualify it as "luxury living" The building is a giant greenhouse, the only built in AC is in the basement and roof lounge. They will charge you extra for an AC unit that doesn't fit in the window opening and tell you to use cardboard, and it's barely powerful enough to make it comfortable.They promised public spaces and amenities that never were finished I lived there for a year. And after 6 months they said those things were never in the plans, even though they were the featured concept picture and listed as an amenity on the website.The old property management company was friendly, but was focused on renting units, and not creating a community. They nickle and dimed you for everything on top of the monthly rent. The property management company changed in the middle of my moveout without any notice to the residents until the day it happened. The new company took a month to provide me with a moveout statement and even then it was incorrect, it took them 2 more weeks to "investigate" and admit they were wrong and in fact owed me money, and not the other way around. The billing company then told me they weren't responsible for making payments, only collecting them.The property did not return emails or phone calls to inquiries about getting the refund check. The check showed up 2 months after my lease ended, and 2.5 months after I moved out. I deposited it on the day I received it, and a week later it was returned as "unpaid." I have left messages (phone and email) with the property, which I do not expect to hear back from. Thrive Properties said I must deal with the property directly. I have also contacted the property owner, who are looking into it.It is disappointing that this review will probably be what gets them to respond to me.Update: 9.2.23 - The regional manager from Thrive contacted me (I assume from the urging of the propert owner) and reissued the check. However, it shouldn't have been this challenging.
• August 2023 by Christina Carmichael
  Terrible, terrible, terrible!!! I have had the worst nightmare going through their third party screening . On-site is their name and they are very unprofessional and incompetent. I work for the school district and they could not even understand how school district employees get paid. The building has water damage even though it is a beautiful building but that clearly is the reason why rent is so low. The switched management and I heard that previous management was terrible. That I can’t confirm or deny, but new management does not have a clue what they are doing. I almost want to say because I’m a women of color I felt unwelcome and not wanted as a resident even though they are currently 78% unoccupied. I took tour and it was like a ghost town in there. Beautiful building could have lots of potential if they had more competent people working there! All they did was play the blame game on each other. Screening company very rude and unprofessional. Long wait times to encourage you to hang up promises of call back and follow up but none. Provided them with documentation meeting more than what the rent was and they still played games. I spoke to a Mike, Anna and a Mark and all three were extremely useless in helping me. Apartment staff nice and professional but yet of no use to helping me figure out the situation.Update: leasing manger told me that on-site makes decisions on approval but spoke to screening company and they said no it’s the apartments decision. Soooo as I mentioned a lot of blame games and maybe some racist discrimination. Was told by leasing manager that she wouldTry to contact, screening but they said she never tried to call them. SoThat’s final opinion! Moving on to a legit property that takes care of their business with honesty and integrity!
• August 2023 by Anna Kuznik
  It is definitely an old building with challenges.Thrive was very professional upon my move out and even called me to confirm my forwarding address to return my deposit.
• August 2023 by Herbert Kwok
  ***EDIT 1 August 2023I finally received a response from the leasing office after sending an email to every publicly available corporate email for Thrive, calling the corporate office and leaving messages on the corporate online portal. Turns out things will only get resolved if you make enough noise with this company. I still do not recommend this place. There are better and cheaper options around Tacoma.***EDIT 20 July 2023Not good for military members. The Astor does not make it easy for soldiers to cancel their lease if they come up on PCS orders like I have. I gave a copy of my PCS orders with over 30 days notice (beyond the 20 that WA state requires) and they emailed me back stating that they needed an official letter head orders. I have already cleared post and do not have the ability to get anyone to sign a memo.PREVIOUS REVIEW:This community is under new management and the transition has been rough.The person working on 17 June 2023 at approximately 3:30 pm was very unhelpful. This person was in the office with the door closed and it was not clear whether or not they were working or shirking responsibility. Either way, I was waiting for over 15 minutes before they finally acknowledged me.This new management company is not doing well with the transition. They are currently at over 78% vacancy and I expect that number to increase due to their inability to manage this transition well.If it was not clear from above, this place was really cool to live in at first but became real burdensome once Thrive took over.
• August 2023 by A1 Sauce
  Management makes you wait days for a response and most of the time they forget to even submit a ticket so your request goes unheard. And absolutely zero accountability!! Please please please don't listen to the reviews that I assume are payed for. The astor is an absolute mess
• July 2023 by Hannah Mccrossin
  It is the end of July and for the past month our apartment has been 87 degrees and up. The windows don’t open on certain floors and causes a hot stuffy thick air environment. I would not recommend this apartment to anyone. There’s a bunch of homeless outside in alley way, no air flow, and our Ac unit won’t even work because they have a hole in the wall for the unit to attach to since our windows don’t open. Do not sign a lease with this apartment
• July 2023 by Katharina Jeffcoat
  TO HOT TO LIVE IN!!This apartment may be remodeled and beautiful..and the people are nice who work they, however there is NO AIR conditioning and the units have the old windows and get extremely hot!! Basically paying over $3000 rent and my daughter/ and roommate cannot even sleep there most summer nights if it’s over 75 outside. Worse, Some units windows don’t open at all!! So you can’t even get any air flow.There is only one AC port in the two bedroom we’re renting with the potable AC running non-Stop and it doesn’t make a difference.Paying this much money a month is absolutely crazy when you can’t even be comfortable enough to live there!Definitely go rent someplace else!
• July 2023 by Jacky Culbertson
  TLDR - do not move here. It's not worth it.UPDATE:now I got a move out statement with an outstanding rent amount for June because my rent payment was transferred to the new PM companyDetailed Review:Pros:- Exceptional views of Mount RainierCons:- Hidden fees - my additional fees besides base rent were around 150USD per month for a studio apartment- The Washer/Dryer combo is inefficient - it only accommodates a third of a regular load and requires at least 4 hours to dry such a small load- Windows - They don't fully open, causing difficulties in allowing fresh air into the apartment. They are not properly insulated so it's super drafty in the winter. In the summer you feel like you're in a Sauna (you could rent an AC unit for another 150USD)- Parking - The parking garage comes with an additional fee, I can't recommend street parking due to the frequent break-ins- Overhead lighting - Despite the presence of switches, there's no overhead lighting in the studio apartment- Unfinished shared area - The large communal area on the first floor remains incomplete till today (should be a big hang out area and office spaces)- Bathroom - There is no ventilation in the bathroom either- Cleanliness - The outer windows were never cleaned throughout my stay, with marker writings still visible on the exterior. Big stains on the hallway carpetsThe experience at this apartment complex was far from satisfactory, and I'm glad I moved out when I did. I can't recommend this place to others in good conscience.