University Park Apartments

I have lived in a one-​bedroom top floor unit here for almost two years. The good of this place definitely outweighs the few drawbacks.
Pros:
Location — Across the street from Cowen and Ravenna parks. Easy walk to Whole Foods and the Cowen Park Grocery is one block away. I also used to walk to UW every day during school.
Transit — There is a stop right in front for the 71, 72, and 73 routes, which will take you downtown (and usually express) via the Ave. The 48 on the other side of the block will take you straight to UW.
Staff — Super friendly every time I have talked to them. They organize events for residents, gave me a potted herb when I renewed my first lease, and are always helpful in receiving and dropping off packages for me when I can’t be there.
Maintenance — Common spaces are cleaned regularly. It’s obvious that they are actively trying to make it better here with small fixes (adding mirrors to the garage exit to check for pedestrians or repainting the laundry room, for example). Maintenance staff is also friendly every time I see them.
Rent — I’m definitely happy with what I pay.
View — On the top floor, I have a view to Greenlake (not the water but still nice) and the park (especially after they trimmed the tops of the trees).
Parking — Garage parking is $ 60 (recently increased but still cheaper that other places) but street parking is always available within a block.
Cons:
Noise — Bus noise from the Ave (and rowdy bar patrons across the street) can be distracting when your window is open. Can barely hear it from the bedroom though. Can hear my neighbor’s music sometime but they always turn it down after a knock on the wall.
Fixtures — Oven is a little old and kitchen cabinets are showing some age.
Size — The living and bedroom areas are fine for me, but the kitchen is just tiny. Not an issue most times, but if I want to cook something complicated, it gets crowded quick.

I have been in a studio apartment here for almost 3 years. I have truly enjoyed staying here! I always feel safe, respected and cared for by the staff. Any issues that arise are dealt with/​fixed quickly with upmost cheerfulness — even the occasional need to call in the evenings/​weekends.
Boundaries and any rules are clear and dealt with professionally. The place is maintained very well, and kept clean. The staff is very friendly, as are the residents. I like that the management has events throughout the year to create community, which I feel strongly, even though I can rarely attend. The courtyard is a friendly place to hang out and talk to others if you want as well.
The location is excellent! Across from Cowen and Ravenna Park, on the boulevard, and within walking distance to the University District (without the noise and parking issues), Whole Foods and Roosevelt shopping area, University Village, Burke Gilman Trail, and Greenlake. Also, I-​5 is only 1 mile away.
If you want a simple, yet small, professionally run apartment in an awesome location, I highly recommend the Dolphin Apartments.

Currently I’m living in this apartment building, and I really do enjoy it. As the guy before me said, the staff is super friendly and easy to get along with. They warned us about things that we need to know about, helped us out a lot with some paperwork we needed to get processed and informed us about things they didn’t need to but were polite enough to do so.
I don’t hear any of my neighbors… in fact, I don’t even see most of them. I don’t know if it’s more typical than I think, but it’s nice. Everyone keeps to their own business, but when you do see them they’re friendly and polite.
Plenty of street parking around the building, you really don’t even need to pay for a parking spot. Both my boyfriend and I drive our own cars and since we’ve moved in 4 months ago we’ve parked on the street.
The rooms are really, REALLY small, and pieces of our apartment fall apart every now and again. Also, be prepared to pay relatively expensive heating bills in the winter. But it’s reasonably priced, a wonderful location and a nice place to live all around.

I just moved out of the University Park Apartments after a generally satisfying nine-​month stay. If you are looking for an, errrr, economical place to live in the U-​District, where you can still have pretensions of adulthood, you could do a lot worse than this place. The studios here are TINY. I mean, really comically small, but they have a full-​sized bathroom and full-​sized appliances in the (eancy-​weancy) kitchen. The building is also in very good shape and very sound-​proof. I never heard a sound out of my neighbors the whole time I was there. The management is also very responsive and easy to get along with. From moving in to moving out I always felt like I was being treated fairly and that any problems I might have would be dealt with swiftly.
The building is corporate-​owned, which was a first for me as a renter, and I appreciated it very much. Everything is done by-​the-​book. No surprise visits from the landlord (48 hour minimum notice), no dealing with shady or unreliable maintenance people. No dangerous appliances, fire hazards, leaks, or smells. Parking is available, both in the back lot or underground for a reasonable price.
I lived on the top floor facing University Way, which had its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, I got great natural light and beautiful sunset views, but on the negative side the apartment really heated up on sunny days due to all the light and the Knarr is right across the street. You’d never guess how far the voices of drunken smokers can carry.
So, besides the bar across the street and the (really, truly comically) small apartment, I thought this place was good. Certainly a great value for the money in the neighborhood. So, if you’re done with roommates but don’t quite have the budget for the Belltown condo yet, this might just be up your alley.