True North

Ok, so I have been living here for 3 more months since my last review.
I still think it is worth living here for a variety of reasons, including considering the deal I got. Expect to pay the same square footage that other buildings charge, but with a slightly better quality than the average.
PROs:
— some bedrooms are hardwood floor. Soooooo practical to clean
— Everything is always very clean (EVERYWHERE)
— Staff is very responsive, nice and genuinely interested in you
— Rooms are pretty decent: not so much noise from the neighbors. I am particularly picky in terms of neighbor noise and I can tell you that I barely hear them. I still hear my upstairs neighbor walking here and there, but that’s ok. I prefer this than these crappy carpets that other places offer
— common areas (double roof top and nerd room downstairs) are waaaay above the average
Cons:
— NO AIR CONDITIONING. They say it’s because teh environment or blabla, but seriously, tons of certified buildings do have AC. I think this is a big deal.
— The gym really sucks (and they didn’t do anything about it). There is not much space, but it is possible to improve it: there is a bench but not a chest press. I think this is kind of basic for any gym. No work out for legs either. The bouldering wall is cool but not a lot of people actually use it. I personally end up using an outside gym. It costs me $ 20/​month for a full set of gear. I wish a fourth of this equipment was available here (like, literally).

I enjoyed living here for 1 year but when I moved out they tried to charge me a $ 1500 cleaning fee. I had it professionally cleaned before moving out, took pictures and did a move out inspection with one of the leasing agents.
The leasing agents backed off when I showed them the move out inspection and pictures but I’m still being harassed by debt collectors. Probably have to consult with a lawyer now… Don’t live here unless you like getting scammed.

My fiancé and I have lived in True North for almost 2 years, and while we clearly loved it enough to renew our lease it doesn’t come without its drawbacks (hence the 3 stars).
Pros:
–Staff is friendly, attentive and all around great.
–Amenities are nice — dog run, lounge/​kitchen, game room, and ability to rent kayaks and paddle boards is pretty great
–Apartments are new with new appliances (ours even has 2 ovens) and green so utilities are low
–Wired for Condo internet so you don’t have to pay outrageous Comcast or Verizon internet rates
Cons:
–Parking is expensive if you have a car
–overall you are paying quite a bit more for location
–other tenants seem to be more transient so they don’t care about the space (people don’t pick up after their dogs in the dog run, our newspaper has been stolen a few times, people leave all their junk mail strewn about in the mail room)
–Location! it is not quiet — the building is situated between an on ramp and an off ramp for the 99 (great for access, lousy for noise). At all hours people are at the Dexter/​Aloha traffic light with loud radios, shouty homeless people walking up and down, and garbage collection at 6am as well. Plus with all the construction around you constantly hear cement mixers with loud brakes.
Overall if you’re new to the area, it’s close to Amazon campus, close to Fremont and downtown and bus routes so it would be a great first place to love while you learn more about Seattle. But if you’re looking to live somewhere for a while that provides some quiet and privacy, I would look elsewhere.

I have lived in True North for about a year now, and I would highly recommend anyone looking for an apartment in Seattle. The pros are.
1. The Amenities are amazing, there is a game/​rec room great for storage and drying off camping equipment. Which you can rent from them. The room also has big storage lockers for $ 25 and lots of extras. Like flat screen Tv, pinball, and other arcade games. There is also a little library area where you can borrow hiking and camping guides in the front.
2. The roof top has a beautiful view of Seattle, a huge area in and indoor kitchen and a flat screen TVs, hammocks, and a pizza oven. Great spot during the summer, and most people a really good about cleaning up after themselves. Also, you can rent space out for special events.
3. The rooms are nice and new. All new appliances, and wash/​dryer in unit. Pets are allowed, bow cats and dogs (and there is a dog run at the top of the building). Noise has never been an issue for us with neighbors.
4. The gym, just your basic apartment gym with equipment. But it is open ²⁴⁄₇ and there is a rock wall in the gym. Which is cool and unique!
There are only a couple of things I wish better/​had are having an AC in unit (but I think every person in Seattle after this summer wished they had AC in unit.) Also, it is on the pricey side, but that’s everywhere in Seattle.
Overall, I highly recommend the building you can’t beat the location and the staff is great. Defiantly should check out if you are looking to move.

This review is way over due! We’ve been here over a year and still love this place! True North is in a great location and within walking distance of Lake Union and Seattle Center as well as Herkimer Coffee (the BEST). The staff is always accommodating and so kind to our fur children. Upscale building with wonderful amenities, great location, friendly staff and pet friendly.
The only drawback is the lack of AC; however, this seems to be common in the Seattle area. We are West facing and things tend to heat up in the Summer. We made adjustments with a portable ac and fans. We do have a rockin’ view of the Space Needle and Queen Ann Hill, which makes it well worth it! Overall, I highly recommend True North.

I have lived at True North for close to a year now and love it. I would, and do, recommend it to people I know and meet.
Building. The building itself is very modern and well fit out. The quality and appearance of the apartments is very good and sits towards the upper end of the market. High-​end appliances, granite bench tops and nice floorboards. The apartments themselves (at least the ones I’ve seen) all appear to be well laid-​out.
Community. The building has a great community feel. The team put on regular events, from bouldering sessions to trivia nights, which are a fantastic way to meet others in the building. There are plenty of communal spaces (a reading and map room, a games and storage room, two entertaining areas, a huge deck and the fitness center/​bouldering room) that are perfect for spending time with others. To top it all off, the staff are simply awesome — they’re very helpful and genuinely want to get to know you. I haven’t come across a better set of people running a building. As for the community itself, in my experience, True North is primarily made up of young professionals
Location. True North is walking distance from the Amazon South Lake Union campus. It is walking distance from Lake Union, which is a beautiful place during the summer. It’s a very short drive to the I-​5 and backs onto the 99. There is a bus stop a minute’s walk from the building and a Pronto bike rack a minute further.
Amenities. True North has a great slew of facilities: the fitness center has two treadmills, two elliptical machines, an exercise bike, an adjustable bench and dumbbells, a cable strength machine and an indoor bouldering wall. There is a games room with a number of arcade machines, a couch, bike storage, a bike service area and an space for drying off adventure gear. There are numerous grilles, a caterer’s kitchen, numerous TVs and a large deck. Right outside of the building, there is a great coffee shop a minute’s walk away, a very handy deli and a dry cleaning shop.
Drawbacks. As they say, nothing is perfect. Many of the apartments do get very warm in the summer, although this is not uncommon for Seattle. The team are working to address this by making portable air conditioners available for rent. The construction of JUXT over the road has spoiled the view for many of the east-​facing apartments. The immediate location does not have that much «going on», which is a shame. A number of the nearby buildings have empty retail spaces, so it is simply a matter of time until they have tenants move in and add to the atmosphere.
All-​in-​all, this is a great place to live. As someone who has relocated to Seattle, this community has made me feel at home. I’ve made many friends and really enjoy coming home to True North.

We loved staying at True North. Brand new apartment with a tons of amenities. Safe and secure. Office staff was very nice and accommodating. Chad Mains really stood out and took care of all of our issues and exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend this place!
Construction next door was a bit noisy at times but considering all the foundation noisy work is done, i don’t see any issues.

The time has come; I’ve been here for 5 months and absolutely love everything about it. I couldn’t ask for a better living environment, staff, maintained grounds, amenities, access to South Lake Union Park or coffee shop (Herkimer). :-)
The staff makes all the difference in the world!
— The staff here is very friendly, polite and simply amazing. I can be a bit high maintenance at times (self-​proclaimed at least) and Jill, Chad, Caitlin and Jennifer have always been there to hear me out. Like many others around this area (home of Amazon if you didn’t know that already) I order a lot of things online and I’ve never had an issue with my packages and I can tell you there are A LOT of packages that the sales folks manage on a daily basis — bravo to them! One thing I’ve noticed is that anytime I walk through the door I’m always greeted by whomever is within view of the door. You would think it would be easy for them to keep their head down and keep working but someone ALWAYS looks up and acknowledges me and ask how my day is. That is the simplest yet most crucial thing they can do in my opinion. Again, the people here make all the difference in the world. A huge thanks to the maintenance staff here as well as they are doing a phenomenal job keeping every inch of this place orderly and enjoyable.
The amenities are plain ridiculous!
— I’m a huge fan of the «Map Room» (at least that’s what I call it with the maps on the wall :-)) so don’t be surprised if you catch me in there lounging when you pay TN a visit. The pet area on the roof is very convenient and with spectacular views of Seattle and Queen Anne hill. I think I enjoy going up there more than the pup when we do, lol. As odd as it sounds, yes there is a rock wall here and it’s pretty slick. I like to go down there and get a killer 20min workout in just because especially when I’m restless. The 8^th floor has a killer sun deck area which is perfect for those midday power naps (come on you know you love’em).
The apartments are REALLY nice.
— I relocated from GA and specifically the suburbs so I’m very used to certain finishes, style, etc and True North delivers. I have one of the Urban 1-​bedrooms with a view of the Space Needle and wouldn’t change a thing. Even with a 90lb German Shepherd the floors are bulletproof (not really but you get my point). The bathrooms are very well designed and the kitchen appliances are all of good quality and design. And the best part… there is NO noise between apartment walls; talk about a relief! :-) Even the windows are well insulated. I’m fairly close to Aurora Ave and the difference from window open to closed is amazing.
I would absolutely renew my lease here when the time comes but we just purchased a Condo a few blocks away to settle in more for the Seattle life later this year. If it weren’t for that opportunity there is no question of my status as a resident at True North during my time in this amazing city.
I highly recommend living at True North. I was once in your shoes shopping around for the right one and I have ZERO regrets about my decision. Hope to run into you in the map room one day.

I’ve been living at True North for the past four months and I thought it was time to give my assessment. First thing I’d like to share is that when I moved from Texas to Seattle in August I looked at quite a few apartment buildings in the SLU area and some high rise buildings downtown. True North was clearly the best place for me and here’s why:
Safety. Not only is the building secure and requires badge access to get in, but they also have a security guard watching over us every night. This part of SLU on Dexter also feels very safe. I feel completely comfortable walking around at night outside the building because there aren’t panhandlers around here. This is in contrast to the high rise buildings downtown. The buildings were safe, but once you step out the front door its like you’re in a third-​world country.
Amenities. True North is a new building and all the amenities reflect that. The gym has a really cool bouldering wall if you like to rock climb as well as some weights and cardio equipment which is all brand new. The bicycle storage room has a mini arcade and there’s lounge area to relax and watch tv. They also have DirectTV with all the movie channels and the NFL package! There’s an Amazon Locker in the mailroom area which is one of the best things ever if you shop on Amazon a lot. The rooftop area is probably the nicest rooftop in Seattle! There are three gas grill, outdoor fireplace, lots of comfy seating, fantastic views of Lake Union, Downtown, and Space Needle. The best feature though is the outdoor pizza oven! The indoor lounge area at the rooftop level is pretty amazing. One side is a full kitchen and dining area with tv so you can host large dinner parties. The other side has a 70″ tv and comfy couches to lounge on and also has shuffleboard. There’s a dog park area on a separate part of the roof. I don’t have a dog so I haven’t been up there, but I haven’t heard any dogs barking while I was enjoying the rooftop views. They also have a couple of kayaks and stand-​up paddle boards for our use on Lake Union for free!
Staff. I have nothing but glowing reviews for the True North team. They are always courteous and professional. Any questions or concerns I may have they are quick to address them. Because I’m the first person to ever live in my unit, I expected to have a few maintenance issues. The few issues I’ve had were addressed the same day by the maintenance team! Another nice perk of living here are the resident’s events that True North hosts. So far they have all been catered and have an open bar complete with a bartender. How sweet is that?!
My Apartment. It’s beautiful! Stainless appliances, Quartz countertops, etc… Every person who has been to my apartment is very impressed and jealous that they don’t live here. When I give my friends a tour of the building I hear «Wow» a lot. lol! Other reviewers mentioned their apartments got very hot in the summer. I got lucky with my location in the building because my apartment never went above 76 degrees and I don’t have air conditioning. I face a courtyard and don’t take any direct sunlight, yet I get plenty of natural light here. This may be the exception, but I’m not sure.
The Residents. I don’t know many of the people who live here, but it seems mostly like young professionals. The best part about my neighbors is that they’re quiet! I never hear anything from inside my apartment. Most apartments I lived in before I could always hear the people above me and to the sides of me. Not here!
Rent. Its not cheap to live here, however, the rent is inline with the neighboring apartment buildings who don’t even come close to offering the same amenities.
Ok, time for the bad. The only thing that bothers me a little is having to pay $ 200 a month for parking in the garage. If you don’t own a car, which is easy here because there’s a bus stop in front of the building, then parking is not big deal. The street parking right next to the building is not metered, so if you’re lucky you can snag one of the free spots there.
Overall. I couldn’t be happier to live at True North!!!

I love living here at True North! The office staff are friendly, maintenance quick to fix any issues (very minor issue on move in, but it was a brand new apartment), and insulation is great! Can’t hear my neighbors at all. Location is perfect for me, and work. Also have friends that live near by, so the roof top is a great spot to meet up together on the weekends.

I lived here for the summer for an internship, and it was one of the worst buildings I’ve ever lived in. I was on the 8^th floor facing west, and the sun would beam in all day. I could barely get the apartment below 90 degrees, and I was facing Aurora which had so much noise. The fixtures were not stable (drawers and handles breaking off). The gym is super small. The deck is beautiful though, lots of outdoor space and grills. I actually slept there once because my room was so unbearably hot.
Take a close look at the apartment and building if you decide to live here… Most of the other interns I worked with were really negative about their experience here too.

Brand new apt
Looks great
Cannot wait to see in May
Price seems high
But compared with elmhurst New York, my current one is 1525, which was built in 1961.
Really old. U will see mouse and bugs.