I smell dead people! Apartment Review

Update on apartment search

I finally decided to expand the geographic range for my apartment hunting. With new housing limited in the downtown area, I decided to explore nearby locations.

USE YELP
I used Yelp to give me an idea of what other people (past and present) had said about the apartments. Of course you need to take into consideration, that a number of the reviewers will be disgruntled former tenants (I fully intend to Yelp my experience at my current condo -- once I'm safely out), anyway, I think you can get a pretty good overall consensus of the pros and cons.

One of the areas I have been considering is the tiny city of Emeryville, located right next to Oakland. Emeryville is an up and coming location that was once the home of warehouses and industry.

Photo source

Emeryville is a vibrant community located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area in a world-class bayside setting. Our eclectic and lively city enjoys a high quality of life and an exciting, diverse culture. The City is a truly livable urban experience, with a beautiful Marina Park (and boating berths); and a variety of residential experiences, including live-work/lofts, condominium living, rental apartments, and single-family home neighborhoods. The City is perhaps best known as being the home of Pixar Animation Studios, but has long had a reputation as a regional center for artists and artisans. Source: City of Emeryville

In Emeryville, the biggest obstacle I have encountered, is the ever present noise of the many trains that pass directly in front, behind or beside the numerous apartment buildings. Of course while you are touring, the discussion of train noise is limited to a mere mention, something  like "oh, we're close to the train and you might hear them going by. We have double paned windows" and the tour continues. (and btw- the rental rates in no way reflect the inconvenience of the noise - the rates are just as high as anyplace else I've checked)

When I went to Yelp I saw many reviews similar to this one:

"What ever they tell you about the trains, it's a lot worse. There may be double panes, but these are the busiest tracks around, I'm talking about 20 trains a day (AND NIGHT) sometimes. To make it worse, because of the location of the crossings, the trains all blow their horns right outside the apartments. MANY times, most so far for one train is 23 times... geez.. Oh and the double panes make no difference in the summer (no AC) when they are open. The trains also rattle the building a bit. " Source Yelp

So I decided to steer clear of the apartments near the train tracks!

But...the most disturbing review I read, was the one I happened upon last night. A few years ago we watched as a very nice building went up near Pixar Studios. The neighborhood is nice so I went to the website to look at the pictures, amenities, etc  - all very nice. I was ready to go by to see them today. I decided to check Yelp as an after thought, because I really figured, "what could possibly be wrong?"

Well, was I surprised when I found this review:

This is NOT the real smoke from Emeryville!!
I just added for comic relief

I lived here for a year lease and you know what....

"I smell dead people..."

First of all, there is the APOLLO CREMATORIUM right adjacent to the building.  There are two smoke stacks that sit no more than 50 feet away from apartment windows and balconies on the west side.  So you will most definetly periodically smell BURNING BODIES if you live at this complex.  Also, if your car is in the 2nd floor lot, you will have to get it washed often because there is black ash (dead people?) that will accumulate over your car every 2 or so days.

This is real!

The bad thing about it, is that under law, they must alert you to the fact that there is a crematorium there because harmful substances such as mercury can be found in the exhaust.  The way these slick bastards get around it, is that they have you sign the lease, and then once you move in, they have you sign an addendum that then finally mentions the fact that the BUSIEST crematorium in Northern California is 50 feet from you.  You just spent tons of time and money to move all of your stuff in, you've changed your address, gotten utilities hooked up...so of course you're not going to say "screw it...I'm moving".  Cheeky...I tell you.

Steer clear of this place. For you safety, sanity, and financial well being. Source: Yelp

BTW- No one knew the crematorium was there and before the upscale lofts and condos were built in Emeryville they tried to relocate and use the city of Richmond as their dumping ground. Richmond is a predominantly African American city with many low income families and plagued by high crime.  I can't believe it, but the residents of Richmond got together and stopped them! story here  Recently a new senior citizen residence was built almost next door to the crematorium. How convenient! 

Well, that was certainly enough for me! My search continues. Stay Tuned!

***Note: Take advantage of the internet. I have nothing against Emeryville, it's a great place to live. Just do your homework BEFORE making a decision, and that goes for A N Y PLACE you are considering moving to.