Moving to AUS - Downtown Apartments + Commuting Questions (Austin: apartment complexes, rentals)

[grym02]

My girlfriend and I are moving to Austin this summer (June) from North Carolina, and will be visiting in a few weeks to look for apartments. We are in our late 20s, so still enjoy the bar scene on weekends and are planning on living downtown for at least a few years before buying a house.

We have visited Austin several times, but this upcoming trip will be our first extended apartment hunting session. We are looking for a larger 1br with study/den (girlfriend works from home) or a smaller 2br. Pool is a must, along with (relatively) easy parking for guests. We do like nicer properties (i.e. willing to pay up for a great location + nice finishes, even if we have to sacrifice on sq. feet).

After many hours of research online, here is the options we have put together so far:

- Gables Park Plaza
- Ashton Austin
- Whitley
- The Monarch by Windsor
- Gables 5th St Commons
- Gables Pressler
- AMLI on 2ND

Is there any other communities we should add to the list? Any other areas we should be considering?

Since we will be new to the town and won't know anyone, our biggest priority is meeting people and being close to things to do. Any feedback on these complexes would be much appreciated.

Commute
Also, for the second part of the question. I'll be working outside of the city right off of 360 near the Pennybacker Bridge. Driving hasn't been pleasant in our few visits so far, and we are prepared for it to be pretty terrible during rush hour (based on stories we've heard).

We'd really like to live close to downtown if possible, so with that in mind:

- If we live in one of the above properties, how bad will the commute be from downtown to the bridge?
- If I have some flexibility on my work schedule to hopefully avoid the worst of the traffic, would that make a major difference? What kind of hours would be best?
- Would it make a huge difference in commute time if we lived in a place on the eastern side of downtown (like the Whitley) vs. the western side (near WFs)? Basically, is that few blocks across downtown a big pain?
- Suggestions on best driving route? We'll be visiting in a few weeks, and plan to wake up early one day to see the traffic first hand

[CptnRn]

Since your driving pattern will be the opposite of most people (commuting to downtown in the morning and out to the suburbs in the afternoon), it probably won't be too bad. But I agree you definitely should test it out before getting locked into a lease.

[EzPeterson]

The AM drive will be decent, although there's no good straight shot there - you end up having to backtrack a bit to get started. It'll be the afternoon/evening drive that could get touch and go on you.

The 2244/360 drive is pretty though. It's not like you'd be stuck on some eight lane freeway staring at bumpers.

[alwaysmiling]

Definitely 2222 and it doesn't matter which side of downtown IMO. Personally I'd rather live closer to whole foods and town lake. The reverse commute should be fun except for north on mopac which will suck until you get to 2222. Cheers.

[AustinGuy]

The reverse commute down Mopac in the evenings especially starting at 2222 is no walk in the park. Mornings can be a bit slow as well, but definitely not as bad as going into downtown.

If I were you, I'd also look for rentals in some of the downtown condo complexes. They usually have nice pools and are generally nicer places to live than the apartment complexes.

[EzPeterson]

You'll likely end up with two routes, one for the AM drive (Mopac N to 2222 to 360), and in the afternoons head down 360 to 2244 and come up the back way to avoid the parking lot on Southbound Mopac.

Figure 30 minutes each way, using the AMLI as a point of reference. Not horrible. It'll be worth it to be able to keep the ride parked and walk anywhere you want at night.

I would lean toward the west side, since those streets tend not to get closed as much for the various events held downtown. Also, the bar scene on that side is a little better for the late 20's crowd. You can still head over to Rainey or Dirty 6th by pedicab or just walking fairly easily.

[jakobv84]

Mopac in the afternoon isn't great, but 30min would be max. I've lived at 'The Monarch' the last ~2 yrs and it's been really great. There's a good amount of price and quality difference, although they would all be considered fairly upscale. To me Ashton & Monarch (and maybe Amli on 2nd) stick out as a notch above the rest(and maybe Whitley which I've not seen, but sure looks nice).

[waitressinthesky]

I live in Tarrytown (a mile-ish west of downtown), but I used to live in a small complex behind Waterloo Records, and I will agree that I'd look toward the west edge of downtown if you're looking for a little less congestion. Also, there's a lot more parking that direction. (For reference, I lived pretty much around the corner from Gables Pressler, which looked pretty nice.) Also nice because you can walk to Whole Foods/Town Lake/Waterloo Records/BookPeople24 Diner/etc. from there.

[grym02]

Thanks for the comments so far. Looking at Google Maps, it's roughly 10 miles and 17 minutes without traffic, so a max of 30 minutes on most days doesn't sound terrible for rush hour, and it seems like there are at least two routes if things get backed up. It sounds like consensus is that the afternoon commute will be a bit worse? If I had some flexibility on the work schedule, would a 7:30-4p workday miss the worst of it?

jakob, waitress, EZPeterson - thanks for the comments on the apartments and locations, very helpful. I think we would much prefer the west side of downtown (easier drive, walk to whole foods, etc.), but some of the nicer buildings (like the new Whitley) are unfortunately not in that location. It also seems like the Amtrak train could be a problem for some of the newer buildings over on that side? Any experience with the training rolling through in the middle of the night? Any of the higher-end apartment complexes that should be avoided (bad management, overpriced, poor quality finishes, etc)?

[jakobv84]

In terms of traffic I don't think you'll have an issue in the morning regardless of time. Leaving at 4p will avoid traffic on most days, but likely not on Fridays. I think you'll find it's really not a major deal. You don't have to cross the river so you'll quickly find a route that isn't too frustrating.

I think you should go visit Monarch, Amli and Ashton if that's the level you're really thinking. I checked out all the Gables buildings ~2 yrs ago and they just weren't the build quality I was looking for. Too much wood, too little concrete. I was looking for condo style build qualities.

I drove by Whitley today and they're still working on it; I don't know when it'll open, but think they are open for tours. I'd imagine they'd be ready by June.

Regardless of building there'll be some noise. It is a city after all. In The Monarch, based on what I hear from neighbors, the train can be heard mostly on the lower floors. The higher up, the less of a problem (and the higher the rent). Either way, it's not something that wake us up even if we have the doors open. The building itself is very, very quiet and I've literally heard my neighbors maybe once or twice a year. If the doors to the balcony are closed the train can barely be heard. I purposely steered away from other buildings (like Amli 300 on Lamar) because of the closeness to the train. I've also heard that living on the corner toward 5th St on the lower floors there's a bell at Whole Foods parking/deliveries that rings a lot and can get on people's nerves.

I've heard unconfirmed that the noise issue is actually larger at the Ashton (despite the rent being higher) apparently due to the windows used and the higher level of foot traffic. I know one guy who chose to move from there to here citing that as the reason. May be something you want to research further. Regardless I wrote it off as I didn't think the premium price was worth it.

With regards to Amli on 2nd I was extremely close to signing a lease there for one of the penthouse apartments. The style is different (more loft / concrete) and their top floor penthouse apartments are pretty nice (higher ceilings). They do/did not have 24/7 concierge, but they certainly also don't have any train noise. The largest downside (which caused us not to be able to ultimately agree on a price) is that all their 2BR/2BA floorplans are North facing (toward the park). I was specifically interested in floor to ceiling windows and those flats just didn't get the amount of sunlight I was looking for so I chose a slightly more expensive one at Monarch.

Finally you'll probably want to consider the feel given the type of residents. Amli has more young and 'lively' residents whereas Monarch has more families and just a quieter overall vibe. Again, Ashton is the highest price so naturally attracts a pretty upscale clientele.