McKenna Estates

McKenna Estates is, as far as I know, still your best choice by far when it comes to spacious apartments at a fair price. I imagine the price has gone up since the time I lived there (2000 – 2003), but so have the prices everywhere else. We had an enormous ground floor apartment with a very large living room, a bedroom that was twice as big as any apartment bedroom I’ve ever seen (so plenty of space to set up an office), a utility room the size of another bedroom, and an upstairs bedroom with a huge bathroom as well.
The management under Bryan Chastain was fantastic. Even though Bryan passed away a decade ago in a terrible car accident, I am not at all surprised to find that the –only– Unilocal review on here is also about Bryan! We loved living here when he managed the place. He had no problem with us having pets, wouldn’t charge us if we locked ourselves out by accident, even in the middle of the night, as long as he was around to let us in himself, and he always addressed any issues very quickly (though we rarely had issues, since McKenna was great).
After Bryan the management was not so good. The last year we lived here, we were below neighbors who regularly threw very loud, busy parties. Not a huge problem in itself for us, since we always stay up very late, but these people would let guests park in every resident spot around.
After coming home for the tenth time or so, unable to park ANYWHERE in the complex because there were party guest cars all over, I called the tow truck on McKenna’s sign. I explained to them that I was a resident, not a manager, but that was no problem they said. They sent over two trucks immediately.
The trucks arrive and start towing cars, when the management finds out what’s happening (they lived in the complex). The manager actually goes out and STOPS the tow trucks! Not only does he not allow them to take any cars, but he doesn’t even make the party goers remove their cars. What. The. Fuck.
So even though McKenna was great under Bryan, I found management far too lax under the new managers. Letting stuff slip occasionally is fine, but regularly coming home to the entire lot full of permit-​less guest cars without management doing anything about it is annoying. Having management actually PREVENT those cars from being removed is going too far. We moved out a few months later.

Make no mistake about it, McKenna Estates featured the largest apartments I’ve ever had in Eugene and it was a fantastic place to spend my college years. The tenants in the apartments are quiet and the parking lot was usually never much of a problem (except for Duck games). Having lived in a one bedroom as well as the ultra spacious two bedroom (over 1,200 sq ft) I was impressed with the amenities and the size made for a generous bonus in addition to the reasonable rent ($ 750 for the 2BR — summer deal).
Another thing to note is that the apartments are not furnished like they are in the other nearby apartment complexes. It is most definitely a pet friendly place, is situated in front of a bus stop to the UO campus, and has free basic cable. There is an area for laundry hookups and a balcony for all apartments.
The staff when I was there was sensational, namely Bryan Chastain, who was the apartment manager here at the time. Without a doubt, he was most definitely one of the finest people I’ve met in my life. I probably would have not lived here had it not been for his zest for life and excellent humor. I have living here, but not more than I miss Bryan who touched everyone who lived there.