The Jefferson at Capitol Yards is quickly getting a reputation as being something of a frat house, a dorm, a party apartment. This owes largely to the management's aggressive pursuit of tenants without much regard as to who those tenants are. Sure, you can't discriminate, but bending the rules to fill the building has resulted in a preponderance of "young" tenants, reportedly several to a one bedroom apartment, who are still living out their college years. Woo hoo!Sunday the 20th. Redskins game day. Heading out to watch the game and....whoa!! Puke down the wall and on the carpet of the lobby level hallway. Beautiful! Someone evidently had pasta last night with a marinara sauce and perhaps a half dozen Jager's.
You know, I like a good mix of people in a building. It makes a place interesting and it gives a building its personality, but if that personality includes puke in the building hallway and a backwards "Sox" hat I'll pass thanks.
I was on the roof yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day and as I scanned the city's skyline I looked over the edge of the building and...lo...a "stash" of crushed Bud Light cans on the roof. Guess the trash cans nearby weren't "convenient." Being on the roof during the weekend evenings is a real experience. Depending on the weather it can be downright unusable due to a preponderance on drunken knuckle-heads piggishly creating an unsavory atmosphere.
I was walking to Capitol Hill last Saturday and on the pavement below the rooftop deck at the Axiom, the Jefferson's sister building next door, were a bunch of broken bottles. Did they get there by some of the tenants tossing them over the edge? I don't know, but a bunch of broken beer bottles laying at the foot of the roof top deck might lead one to believe so.
Yet another Saturday night and yet again the Pub was rented out to a party full of strangers. I really hope Jefferson Yards doesn't plan on charging an amenity fee going forward because I think it's tremendously unfair to have the "amenities" monopolized and unusable by people who don't even live in the building.
What this all comes down to is that there is no one minding the building once the rental office hours are over. These issues can be placed directly at the doorstep of management and they are the responsibility of the management. They cannot continue to be so complacent about these issues and still expect tenants to pay luxury apartment rates without quality service.
Hmm, I live on the lobby level and I didn't notice anything yesterday around 11am/noon-ish. So maybe they cleaned up rather fast. Still, people should have more respect for everyone else than to just leave that in the public spaces; same goes for the beer bottles. This isn't Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Could the management at least put up a sort of passive-aggressive note reminding people to pick up after themselves?
ReplyDeleteI never really go to the rooftop, so I don't have a sense for how rowdy it is there. The Pub area on Saturday afternoon or Monday night is usually pretty fun for football, though.
"This isn't Sigma Alpha Epsilon."
ReplyDeleteAh! Isn't it?
A tenants group might be a really good idea before the building gets out of hand.
I moved in at the end of April 2009 and have had mixed experiences.
ReplyDelete1) Still no copy of my lease.
2) People need to respect their surroundings - what's the point in living in a luxury building if those around you treat it like trash? The sign-in sheet must become mandatory for ALL visitors - including people renting out the club house/rooftop. Anyone violating tenant rules through noise, garbage, or other pigish behavior should be fined - these fines should be used to keep up the grills, grass, and other amenities. Too many fines/complaints should equal eviction.
3) The dog situation must be addressed. I am a dog-owning resident. My dog does not bark, and I clean up her poop. There is not a lot I can do about the brown grass, since right across the street is the quickest access and she simply will not wait (though I, too, am grossed out by the smell on a humid day). Most owners DO clean up after their dogs, but those who don't MUST BE CALLED OUT, FINED, and, if it continues, EVICTED. Same goes for people with dogs with barking problems who disturb the peace constantly.
4) J@CY must come to terms with the fact that if they want to charge these prices, they must address tenant concerns about apartment sharing, groups areas, noise, and canines.
I think a tenant issues committee is a great idea - it is clear that we need to organize if management is to take us seriously. I would be happy to attend meetings and be crafting solutions rather than continue to complain and be unhappy with the state of things. Jefferson, let me know at tchell_99@yahoo.com if you need help organizing something.
post your name if your really that upset
ReplyDeleteI don't have an issue with renting out the pub room as every tennant has the option to do so. I do have an issue with the thin walls, constant disregard for other tennants, and the managements utter lack response to any questions/requests. I pay too much to be disregarded by the management which is why I am terminating my lease at the end of the term. I'm so over this place.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletepost your name if your really that upset"
LOL!!!!!
"I don't have an issue with renting out the pub room as every tennant has the option to do so."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you will have an issue with not being able to use the pub when you're paying a yearly fee for it?
There are not that many parties that have been hosted, again you have the ability as do all other residents to sign it out for what ever reason and pay the fee associated with that reservation. In any event, I won't be around here long enough to have to pay the fee, when my lease is up, I'm out of here.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! Get a life.. You guys are so negative. I just renewed my lease here and I love it! The only things I hear everyone complain about has nothing to do with the mngt company - It has everything to do with our neighbors. MAN! Somebody has too much time on their hands..lol
ReplyDeleteWould love to know how your lease renewal was delivered and how long in advance?
ReplyDelete"Would love to know how your lease renewal was delivered and how long in advance?"
ReplyDeleteDelivered? In advance?
The pub was was pumping once again this Friday and Saturday with a bunch of strangers and a lot of noise.
ReplyDeleteYou Mother Doesn't Work Here
ReplyDeleteHeading out for some last minute Thanksgiving dinner ingredients this afternoon I was greeted with the ever-so-delighliful smell and visual of a huge puddle of dog pee in the elevator. As I exited the front door - thrilled for fresh air - I had to hop over a pile of dog poop left in front of the flower beds. Here's a thought: If you're old enough to own a pet, you're old enough to clean up its mess. Don't leave it for your neighbors or the maintenance team to clean up.
I moved in 3 weeks ago and its a nightmare. Dog feces left in the hallway and the concierge refused to do anything about it, its like a frat house with people shouting and running up and down the hallways into the early hours EVERY night.
ReplyDeleteThe tenants are awful and the management don't even care. I cannot wait for the lease to finish.
THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!! GOD HELP YOU IF LAUREN ANSWERS YOUR CALL
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the building for a little over a year now and I would have to say that, despite the maturity level of some of the tenants, I have been pretty happy overall. This is the first time I have been on this blog and, while many of the comments caught my attention, this discussion surprised me. I for one like the policy of requiring guests to sign in and show their IDs. The original comment in this post was surprising and it makes a number of assumptions that I disagree with.
ReplyDeleteIt is suggested that the policy of requiring guests to sign in and show their IDs is an “undue burden” and is “unreasonable, invasive, and ineffective.” Really? Let’s break that down.
Is the policy really “unreasonable?” It takes less than a minute and requires guests to write their name and show their IDs (it’s not like they are being asked to fill out an information form and do a retinal scan).
Is the policy “invasive” or, as the comment suggested “embarrassing?” I have no intention of offending anyone so I apologize if this is blunt, but I have trouble imagining the difficulty someone must face on a regular basis if they are embarrassed because they have to sign their guests in and ask them to show ID. We are asked to show our IDs in a myriad of everyday situations, and I fail to see why showing your ID to enter a “secure” building is embarrassing. My friends have never thought twice about signing in and I doubt they feel embarrassed when I have to show my ID to get into their building (they live at the Axiom by the way which has always required them to sign me in when I visit). Also, I would think that a security guard constantly posted at the front, as was suggested above, would cause more embarrassment than showing IDs.
Is the policy “ineffective?” This is the strongest argument in the comment above, but I think it misses the point. A policy is not “ineffective” just because it doesn’t work 100% of the time. I agree that it could probably be better, but that does not mean this policy is “ineffective.” If someone signs their guests in and their guests decide to throw bottles off of the roof, or vomit in the entryway, at least management has a name (which was verified by the showing of ID) and the residents responsible for that guest can be held accountable.
Finally, no one is required to live in the building. If the policy is horribly offensive there are other buildings in the city that do not have a similar policy (although it was wrong to suggest that no other buildings in the city do). I’m not saying “take it or leave it.” If people have strong suggestions for alternatives they should offer them, although I think if people are going to expend energy on something it should be more important than the check-in policy. Maybe concerned residents should ask management to impose an alcohol policy or do other things that could have the potential to stop the “bad” residents from acting like college frat kids.
Anyway, that is just my view. Thanks to TJ for maintaining this blog!
On a POSITIVE note...we have been residents here for a year and a half and have been very happy. We love the area, the amenities, etc. The staff here have been wonderful to us and take care of our every need. Melanie has been GREAT and the facility/maintanence staff are very helpful! Regarding the policies (alcohol, guests, etc.) that management had to recently put in place, it seems to us that they have to enforce these rules now because not all residents were abiding by them! So we just wanted to say thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you "Happy"!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen puke or animal waste, yet. There have been a number of mornings when I get in the elevator and it smells like beer and my shoes stick to the floor. Easily solved by people not opening their beverage until they get to where they are going.
ReplyDeleteI take issue with the gym. The TVs on the treadmills do not work. I have been zapped in the ear by electronic current on one. Others suddenly go to the highest volume possible and others just breakdown. I moved here to safe a bit on things like the gym. I find their equipment unacceptable.