Avalon Bloomfield Station

Edit: Thank you for the canned response Avalon. Since posting this review there have been several more noise issues from the patio even on Sunday nights. Changing this to a 1-​star until some actual progress is made towards fixing the noise problem.
Pros:
* Beautiful building, all new furnishings and a nicely modern style.
* Very nice gym included as a small fee.
* Very close to Bloomfield station. Great for commuting to NYC and elsewhere in NJ. Though note that the train only comes once every two hours on weekends.
* Close to Montclair and far from Newark.
* Stores below the complex (same triangle block) are very nice, with the possible exception of the Tilted Kilt.
* Good maintenance team
Cons:
* Do not rent a unit ANYWHERE near the patio. Despite management’s policies and assurances, it will be noisy well past the time when the patio is closed. If a former fraternity member tells you it’s too loud, it’s too freaking loud. Audible noise in every room of the apartment, bass so strong that it shakes the plates, and of course smoking on a non-​smoking patio.
* Extremely pricey for the sub-​par area. Might as well move to Montclair at this point. God knows I’m looking. No wonder there is an advertisement for OTHER apartment complexes at said NJ Transit station right across the street from this complex.
P. S.:
* Fellow Unilocal junkie who kept reading this far? Good on you. Pull up my account and see how many reviews I have. Just a few? Whelp then this might actually be worth reading and believing. Trust me I wouldn’t waste my time otherwise. Rock on fellow review junkie, rock on. \m/​
P.P.S:
* So there is also this lovely webcam they installed during construction. Fun fact: its on all the time and was never taken down. Hey all you people on the station-​facing side of the building, welcome to candid camera:

Pros
–Beautiful brand new building
–Easy access to trains into Hoboken & NYC
–Awesome gym with bikes, treadmills, a yoga room, free weights, and some machines
–Shared grills, patio, and lounge area with a pool table & TVs
–In suite laundry
–Friendly staff & maintenance team who are very accommodating
–Grocery store, liquor store, and bars underneath the building
–Cheap utilities
–Packages are signed for and held in the office by the staff
Cons
–Very noisy with the constant buses, trains, and bar/​restaurant patrons. This made it impossible to sleep with the windows opens. Not ideal if you are a light sleeper.
–There is no guest parking. If anyone is visiting you they are subject to metered street parking, or the parking deck fees ($ 1 an hour).
–Aside from whats directly under the building the shops and stores near by don’t really fit the elevated vibe of Avalon (dollar stores, cheap clothing stores, smoke shops, rent-​a-​centers).
–This is a luxury building in a non-​luxury area. Not sure the rent really makes sense for the area, it’s very overpriced.
–It seems as if they cut corners during construction. After 4 months in our brand new apartment the soap dish fell off our shower. The finishes in the bathroom are also very cheap (toilet seat, shower rod, towel racks).
–After only 8 months they raised the rent $ 140.
–If you work late the office hours can be tough (if you need to speak to someone or pick up a package). Closed Sunday & Monday. Open until 6:30pm Tuesday-​Thursday. Open until 5:30pm on Friday. Open until 5:30pm on Saturday.

I am a current resident at Avalon Bloomfield with nothing but high remarks regarding the location, management, the amenities and maintenance here. My apartment is beautiful. Rent is reasonable. The location is only thirty minutes away from NYC. NJ transit is across the street from the complex. Very convenient. There are several restaurants that are nearby and convenient to go to. We have a fresh coffee spot within our grocery store which is located downstairs.
Management here at avalon are very accommodating. They are available and approachable. They will help you as much as they can to make sure you are satisfied. Maintenance are here to help you as well within minutes. They are super supportive and reliable when it comes to fixing or checking anything out.
The amenities at avalon are sweet. Summer 16 will be here soon and I can’t wait to start on grilling outside of the community lounge area. Which the grill has been provided to the residence for their own convenient.
Overall my decision to live here was a choice and a smart choice at that.

I have been a resident here for 8 months, and I have had nothing but a positive experience here. The apartment is beautiful, our amenities are lovely and so well maintained. Our gym is great, and who doesn’t love being able to save money not purchasing a gym membership.
The commute to the city is great as well.
The maintenance team is always available to help with any apt concerns or mishaps. Their response time is extremely speedy, and they go the extra mile to assist you in other things, even things that are not exactly within their job description. For example, If you needed help hanging a painting or a light fixture in your apt they would help you in a heartbeat.
The leasing office staff is a dream. They are so kind and caring and dedicated to making everyone’s experience here better than what we all even expected it could be. In my past experiences with leasing office staff, I’ve never been so comfortable just walking into the office and talking to the staff about anything and everything, but at Avalon Bloomfield Station, I am.
There has even been a tenant forum set up so that tenants could voice their concerns about the apt, and the leasing team and management have done their best to fix and assess every tenant’s concern.
I am so grateful for them. They are also concerned with every tenant getting to know one another, and have set up a few community events to get the tenants together. You simply can’t beat the wonderful service we get as tenants of Avalon Bloomfield Station.

I’ll start by saying the apartment itself is great. No complaints. Super cheap utilities and good maintenance team. NYC commute cannot be beat.
Do be aware you are getting an apartment in a municipal parking garage complex. Apartment management has little if any control of anything outside the door of the building.
If you have a nervous dog — stay away. Very loud and chaotic area especially during rush hour. Dog walking is limited to right around building or a nearby park (nice, but not after dark.)
Building has businesses — the bars at the far end tend to have outside partiers on weekends.
One of the businesses is a hooters-​like restaurant, FYI. No judgement but I will say I am not fan.
Disappointing as it is super expensive and I have endured months of construction, fire alarms and noise.

They claim to be pet friendly, but if you dig deep enough on their website you will find that not only do they charge a pet security deposit (understandable and reasonable), they also charge ‘Pet Rent’ on top of that. 50 bucks a month. Not really sure how a cat or dog can use the amenities or utilities to the point they can be charged rent, but hey, if there’s a way for a company/​corporation to rip off the consumer you know they’re going to take it.
Claiming to be pet friendly and then hiding the pet rent on your website is a deceptive advertising practice to be sure. And if they’re willing to deceive consumers that way, you know they’re willing to deceive you every other way.

This was a potential location to live with Boo Boo. Overall, its very expensive for our budget but if you have the money I don’t see why not. It’s right next to Bloomfield train station, There’s a amenities fee for gym that you can use of not use, car parking fee, and if you have pet (s) there’s a fee for that.
Not every unit have a balcony. I like to have an outdoor space. I don’t want to pay up for it.
Another downside is that Bloomfield downtown does not have the downtown feel like a Hoboken the Avalon is trying to sell with their fancy depiction on their brochure or poster. You are pretty much living in an apartment that is a stone throw away from your commute to NYC.