Downtown Harrisburg (Riverside, Penn: apartments, city hall, lease)

[andrewlizlady]

I am looking to move to downtown Harrisburg. What does everyone think about some of the apartments along the river? Specifically, I was looking at Grayco apts on North St. Does anyone know anything about it? I'm just trying to figure out a price range for a nice apt in a nice area of downtown so I know which apts to avoid. I live in Baltimore now, and if I saw an apt for $800, I would know that it wouldn't be in a good area. I definately want to live downtown because I like being close to everything. If anyone has suggestions, I would love them! Thanks!

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Hi, and welcome to the board!

Earlier this year I toured all the major downtown complexes (The Grayco, Executive House, PA Place, Old City Hall, and Towne House) myself. Ultimately I decided on Executive House, but your needs / wants may be different.

The Grayco is one of the better choices. It was built in 1938 and spent a long time as a dump. In 2000, a new management company took over and did a complete 180. If you haven't taken a tour yet, I suggest doing so ASAP as they tend to stay near 100% occupancy. The hallways are carpeted in the original cream-and-navy-blue style of the building, the apartments all have hardwood parquet floors, and the building itself has a lot of character. The building's location is great, as you are within walking distance to Riverfront Park, City Island, and all the downtown nightlife. Plus, your rent includes all utilities, including electric, making budgeting very easy.

My major gripes with The Grayco were what it was missing: parking, dishwashers, and air conditioning. On-street parking is always available, but you may wind up parking several blocks away. The kitchens are fairly small, leaving no room for a dishwasher. And they will allow you to install a window AC unit for an additional $30 / month to cover the electricity (plus $10 / month if you want to rent an AC unit from them). And given these shortcomings, The Grayco isn't exactly cheap: After factoring in the cost for a zone parking permit and AC fees, they wound up being about $25 / year cheaper than my present building. If those things don't bother you, then you can't go wrong with The Grayco.

You should also consider Executive House. They are in the same price range as The Grayco, and EH also includes all utilities (including electric). EH is slightly more modern, but compared to The Grayco, EH gives bigger apartments, balconies, air conditioning (included in rent, by the way), dishwashers, and reserved parking in the attached garage. EH also has very thick walls -- I never hear my neighbors and they never hear me. Like The Grayco, EH is within easy walking distance of everything downtown. I especially like that the train station is only two blocks away. Just a piece of advice: If you choose EH, ask for an apartment facing away from Second Street. The sirens can be a bit much, but if you're on the opposite side, you almost never hear them.

Both buildings are excellent choices. Both have their pros and cons when compared against the other, but you simply can not go wrong with either. I ultimately chose EH for the reasons I mentioned above; YMMV. I spent a lot of time barraging both building managers with questions and they were both very helpful and knowledgeable.

[CluelessreNY]

2nd EH. I lived there for years and loved it! I actually lived on the Hbg Hospital side of the building. Yes, there is siren and helicopter noise but the views were INCREDIBLE! I watched the fireworks on City Island (and at the Hilton on New Year) from my balcony. The river view made the occasional noise totally worth it for me. The rent is relatively cheap (not > $600/mo for a studio while I was there yrs ago...all utilities included, indoor parking, A/C, etc.) Can't bet it IMO. You never know how much you appreciate not hearing your neighbors...until you've lived in places where you hear them all the time. Such has been my experience with every apt since leaving EH. Totally miss having that privacy!

I've heard terrible things about Greyco but have also heard there have been some improvements. It is across the street from the Y. I absolutely love that Y!

Just say hell no to PA Place.

HTH

[AvrilB]

Originally Posted by floor9

...includes all utilities (including electric)...
...air conditioning (included in rent, by the way)... ...reserved parking in the attached garage...

EH also has very thick walls -- I never hear my neighbors and they never hear me.

Thick walls are a huge bonus to me. I'm used to living in a house and like my quiet time.

So, about these utilities: what are rules/catches to it? Is reserve parking included in the normal cost of rent? Does the air conditioning and heating work well for the apartments?

Also, can you give me any idea about the occupancy at EH? I may be moving their myself soon.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by AvrilB

Thick walls are a huge bonus to me. I'm used to living in a house and like my quiet time. So, about these utilities: what are rules/catches to it? Is reserve parking included in the normal cost of rent? Does the air conditioning and heating work well for the apartments? Also, can you give me any idea about the occupancy at EH? I may be moving their myself soon.

I've spent about six years total living in EH (just moved back this past winter). You do have some background noise being downtown and all, but I found that I stopped noticing after about a month. There's the constant dull roar from traffic below, a constant whine from the HVAC units on the south (railroad) end of the building, and screeching from the nearby trains. Again, these are most prevalent on the southern end of the building, and you will start tuning them out as background noise. Also, if your apartment is facing Second Street, you will may some pedestrian noise (especially late night on weekends) and you will hear sirens from the hospital and firehouse. The x05 apartments are probably the worst for noise. I just wanted to make you aware so you know what to expect -- it is a city, after all.

There's no catch to the utilities. Use all you want. Years ago I ran about a dozen computers in my apartment 24x7 and I never heard a peep about my usage. They put it all in writing in your lease, so it's not some "first month free" gimmick or anything like that. And it is truly all utilities: electric, water, sewer, gas, trash, heating, and air conditioning. And for what it's worth, I have never, ever had a power outage there, not even for a second.

The HVAC system is fascinating (to me, anyway). It's similar in design to an old steam heat system. You have a radiator / fan box in each room, and you control that by adjusting the fan speed (high / medium / low / off). Only instead of pumping steam through the pipes, they send liquid. And in the summer, instead of heating your apartment, it cools it. It is very effective and very energy-efficient.

The only catch is that you don't have as much control as you would with a true central air system. You can't set a thermostat and have a 90-degree apartment in the winter or a 50-degree apartment in the summer. But the system does keep it comfortable. I'd say if you leave all the blowers on, your apartment will probably hover around 70 degrees in the summer and around 75 in the winter.

As for the demographics, it's a mixed bag. The residents are mostly single, as the building really doesn't have the space to raise a family. There are a number of retirees, but I'd say the building is mostly 20- and 30-somethings. I live on 14, and my floor is mostly 20s & 30s. I don't know what their current vacancy rating is, but a friend was looking for a studio about a month ago and they had nothing available. However I do know that a mid-size one-bedroom next to my apartment just opened up a week ago. I also saw some carpet rolls in the basement early this month (they replace the carpets every time a tenant moves out).

If I had to find something to complain about, it would be the outside. The balconies are in dire need of a repainting. The rust stains make the building look like third-world housing projects from the street.

Take a tour and let me know what you think. I'm also curious to know if they have anything open. Try to get one of the apartments facing away from Second!

[lilamint]

Will definitely check out EH when I get to town in the spring. The location sounds ideal for someone who won't be bringing a car. How loud are the train horns and how early do they run in the late night/early morning hours?

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by lilamint

Will definitely check out EH when I get to town in the spring. The location sounds ideal for someone who won't be bringing a car. How loud are the train horns and how early do they run in the late night/early morning hours?

The trains run 24x7. You don't hear many horns between 10pm and 7am. What you will hear is the squeal of the train wheels on the tracks. I have heard it on some of my late-night returns to the apartment, but after about a month, I really tuned them out. They really sound more like a distant whine than anything else. My girlfriend, upon spending her first night in the building and hearing the late-night trains for the first time, thought I left a trance CD playing softly in the other room.

The main Amtrak & Greyhound terminals are about two blocks from here, and a major city bus hub is one block. Our regional mass transit is not that great. Bear in mind that our bus service is nowhere near as robust as you would find in a larger city. You can find more information on that here: CAT - Capital Area Transit

EH is located within a half mile of everything downtown, and is about 3/4 mile from midtown (our blooming arts & cultural district). It takes me about 15 minutes to walk from EH to midtown at a regular pace. As someone pointed out in a previous thread, Harrisburg isn't as pedestrian-friendly as some other cities. With that in mind, Executive House is about as centrally-located as you can get if you plan to rely on mass transit and/or your own two feet.

If you are planning on coming without a car, I would definitely take a look at The Grayco. One of its major shortcomings -- lack of parking -- won't apply to you, and the building is well worth a look.

[lilamint]

Thanks for recommending the Grayco, I checked out their online brochure and really liked what I saw so far. I called the manager and was told to get back in touch with her around the beginning of March so will see how that goes. My first choice would still be to live on the west shore so maybe I'll cave in and consider getting a car after all. Tough decisions!

[Radrook]

Be aware that there are no large grocery stores, clothing stores, furniture or electronic stores in downtown Harrisburg. Neither are there any movie theaters. There was a JC Penny once at the Starwberry Square complex which houses mainly offices but it packed up and left. All the stores are small and their prices of course will be a bit higher to compensate for the higher rent they pay for prime location. On the other hand public transportation is centralized there and is excellent. You are also walking distance from Riverside Park which offers and excellent place to jog and take in the beautiful sunsets. City Island offers boating and home-team baseball games as well as occasional concerts. The library is walking distance as is Amtrack as well. The police station is also located there. Lived downtown Harrisburg for two years never had problems with crime.

[ki0eh]

This may not be strictly in the few block downtown but just around the corner: Welcome to Eddies Furniture & Mattresses-Your one stop shop for all of your furniture and mattress needs-including beds, dresses, mattresses, dinettes, couches, chairs, entertainment, lamps and much more (http://www.eddiesfurniturehbg.com/ - broken link)