Working / Living at Riverplace (apartment complex, lease, condo)

[golfx15]

Flying down Friday to apartment hunt - opinions on this area ?
I'm aware of The Strand - any other nice options ?
We'd rent for a year before buying
Thanks for any suggestions !
Brian

[projectmaximus]

Assuming you are specifically looking for high-rises on the water, then you'll have to lease from an owner. The Strand is pretty much the only apartment complex of that type. The Peninsula, San Marco Place, Berkman Plaza, and Villa Riva are the newer, updated, condo towers on the river you can consider. There are others that are either old, far from downtown, not high-rises, or not on the water.

I like the area where the strand is. It's got the best views in the city (imo including the beaches), it's easily accessible to downtown (even very convenient to ride the skyway), and a lot of positive activity/development happening within a 1 mile radius. That said, I don't like Riverplace Blvd itself as it's not very pedestrian friendly, but the city has a multi-year plan to make it much more inclusive and attractive, and there are development proposals for many acres of property to the east that make it likely the immediate area will dramatically improve the aesthetics in the coming years.