The Flats at Ponce City Market Apartments

I’ve lived here for a year and the cons far outweigh the pros. Overall, it is by far the most over-​priced place you can live in Atlanta. Definitely not worth paying double what you would pay anywhere else.
Pros (which end up being cons too):
1. «Affordable Housing» is available. Ask about it if you make under the Atlanta median income. However, you’ll be in a studio facing North Avenue where you can hear everything going on in Old Fourth Ward Park, traffic, honking in the parking lots, construction, drunk people below yelling at 11 PM on a weekday, etc. You cannot escape this noise because your bed is by the windows that don’t block any sound.
2. Location. I love being a walk away from the grocery store, picking up dinner, going shopping. But honestly, the crowd here is so terrible and overbearing. You can’t quickly grab a bite to eat because the lines for food are too long. You have to avoid tourists everywhere you go, and it’s a pain to drive through the parking lot to get in/​out. It’s far too hectic and busy to live your life here.
Cons:
1. The constant noise. Everything echoes around Ponce City Market so you can hear everything. The windows aren’t soundproof so everything sounds like it’s in your living room (the windows also do not open in most apartments). The construction was supposed to stop in Fall 2015, but it continues and lasts from about 6AM-​11PM. There are constantly events in the park across the street, so you can’t sleep in. One time, I woke up at 6 AM on a SUNDAY by a guy screaming on a megaphone.
2. The Parking Deck is a NIGHTMARE. I live on the West Side, so I have to drive through the building and across the Beltline access. When it’s busy, there is no one to stop foot traffic, so you just awkwardly wait between the gates for people to stop crossing in front of you. Also, every spot is next to a round parking deck pole that takes up space — every car I see either has a dent, scratch, or paint mark from them. All-​in-​all is takes about 5 – 10 minutes to maneuver through the parking deck coming in or leaving, so you’ll need to make sure that’s part of your commute time. Add an extra 10 minutes for driving around the parking lot on a busy weekend. Also, this is the only place I’ve visited that charges for parking — $ 50 a month.
3. The leasing office is the worst. They are completely unorganized and don’t respond to individuals’ emails without following up at least 2 – 3 times. They did not give me any documentation for my lease renewal until I followed up 3 times. The leasing office also lied to me on my tour, saying that all parking outside of West Elm would be free for Flats guests. There are 4 spots per wing, and they are always taken. Other than that, your guests still have to pay to hang out with you.
4. The management doesn’t seem to care about residents. They were hired to help Ponce City Market make profit, not to help and respect residents’ living space. They are constantly adding construction and acting like people living here is the biggest inconvenience for them.
5. There’s a fire alarm/​test EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. And the sound is deafening.
6. The appliances are pretty bad and constantly break. I have to manually raise the hose to let the Washer drain. I have to run my dishwasher all the time because the smell that has lasted since the last resident won’t go away. Seriously, have to hold my breath every time I open it… even when it’s «clean».
7. They aren’t very pet-​friendly although they claim to be. They try to force residents to stay in the only two dog areas by North and Ponce, but dogs aren’t allowed to be around the landscaping which is everywhere. We recently got an email saying dogs were only allowed in those areas… so I guess you can’t take your dog on a nice walk? And I don’t feel safe walking a dog to these areas at night because security does nothing about the homeless people on the property.
8. The gym is a shoebox with no windows.
9. The required Internet ($ 40 per month) is constantly broken. It is also MUCH slower on weekends and weeknights when everyone is home on their computers/​streaming services. Usually, I can’t watch Netflix and be on Wifi on my iPhone or computer at the same time. It’s supposed to be a gigabit, but it’s usually under 20mbps speed. I’ve actually seen it under 1mbps speed before — that’s absolutely terrible!
10. You have to use Concierge/​Security for everything. For the most part, they are nice and welcoming. But sometimes they get really annoyed when you forget your key fob (you can’t get in or out of the building without it). When I have people over or food delivered, you can’t just buzz them up because Concierge has to call you and let people up themselves.
11. All entrances/​exits are blocked at 11 PM except for North Ave which is monitored by a cop. It feels like a have a curfew, and this all happened because a few of the stores were broken into.

The Flats at PCM is the place for you:
1. If you want to rent in a building where construction wakes you up before the sun does, and it’s not just on weekdays, but also on weekends.
2. If you like overpaying for a tiny one bedroom apartment that is less than 655sqf, and having to pay extra for trash, Internet, water, electric, parking, and more (pet fees, etc). When in Los Angeles you can rent a 2BDR in Los Feliz (artsy hip neighborhood), for less than $ 1600 with all utilities included.
3. If you live with someone who also has a car and you don’t mind having only one parking spot in the building (you can’t even pay for an extra spot even if you wanted to, and even though you suffer through the construction of yet another adjacent parking lot), but it’s cool — if you don’t mind, you can pay an extra fee for a spot quite far away (and shuttle in after a long day of work), or you can just park at Whole Foods or Murder Kroger.
4. If you love a Management company who appears to be so on top of things until you move in, and then you get attitude, no flexibility (on rent renewal rates, or parking, or anything really).
5. If you don’t mind living above a shopping mall, that is continuing to become more and more crowded with shitty corporate shops such as Sephora.
6. If you don’t mind being surrounded by yappy dogs and finding shit and piss in the hallways (I have dogs, but mine are well trained).
7. If you love overpriced food that you can buy at your local Chipotle. But it’s ok, you can pay five times as much for the worst mediterranean salad you’ve ever had (Marrakesh), or a mediocre burrito (Mineros).
8. If you don’t mind your friends, visitors, cleaning ladies, etc. all PAYING for parking because there are only 4 guest spots for each wing of the Flats, and they are hard to come by.
9. If you like apartments with windows that don’t open.
10. If you don’t mind not having a pool, or a gym the size of a closet, where the water is always empty.
11. If you like having your mail and packages go missing, (or handed off to other tenants by mistake).
12. If you want to walk down half-​empty hallways, and past apartment doors with eviction notices.
If you have answered yes to ONE or MORE of the above, then The Flats at PCM is definitely the place for you.
PCM Management oversells, and under delivers! You do NOT get good value for the price you pay. And PCM Management acts as if they are doing YOU a favor. You are much better off moving in to one of the apartments across the street. We are looking to move into the AMLI apartments as soon as our lease is up in July.
A recent issue we are coming across is rent agreements. If you sign a lease for less than a year your rate is much higher, but once your lease is up, you cannot stay month to month. You either pay MORE to stay (this is unheard of), or you move out. Peace out PCM! The people who work in the management office are extremely unlikeable, and borderline arrogant. There is a very strong air of «we are too good for you» here, when the truth is, the apartments are practically empty and they offer incentives to residents to get people to convince their friends and family to move into the building, because they don’t have enough residents. Nobody who lives here stays here very long. There is a quick turnaround, and once you are here for longer than a week, the novelty wears off and you are stuck in an overpriced apartment, with crappy amenities, and no parking for you or your friends.

I am an Atlanta native who was super excited to be a part of this historic site renovation. My grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins all shopped here when this was Sears. My mom worked for Sears Executives in the building Sears when she was in high school. We were first adopters who moved in November 2014. Yes, the construction was super LOUD (we lived in a loft on the 3^rd floor — right above the food hall) and it was h-​e-​l-​l. We didn’t move out, because we were attached to the building and all the promises of «things to come». A year and a half later, with the food hall and retail mostly complete, we remain UNDERwhelmed. Ponce City Market is great place to visit, not a great place to live. Things we like: The location (access to the Beltline, grocery stores, and CVS all within walking distance), the actual apartment is cool — (finishes, flooring, appliances), security (no problems with internal theft or car break-​ins), and on-​site retail. The things we don’t like: No pool (we were told there would be a pool on the roof when we looked at models and toured the property 4 years ago); paid guest parking (we were told guests would have free parking in the lot by West Elm); unfriendly dog property (we were told there would be a fenced dog park and dogs would be allowed on all green spaces and natural areas — in reality — there are signs EVERYWHERE — that say, «Keep dogs away from plantings»); subsidized rent for lower income individuals and students (we are paying 3x what other people are paying for the same apartment/​floor plan and we were not told about this up front); and the Food Hall (We prefer the restaurants at Krog Street Market, so we drive or Postmates takeout rather than walk downstairs for dinner). If you like unhealthy, overpriced restaurants, don’t have a dog, or friends who want to drive to visit you, then this is the place for you!

PCM is cool. Apartments are stunning, all my appliances work (sorry to those who don’t) my view is amazing and the concierge treats you like family. Scott personally is my favorite. I look forward to coming home and being greeted my that friendly smile and island accent great guy! Only downside is the noise (which isn’t that often, and only lasts a few mins) and the valet trash you are forced to pay $ 50 every month for. There are trash shoots on every floor but, hey…
Great place, friendly staff, beautiful apartments, great appliances, easy belt line access.

Great place to live! Amazing amenities just a step away. Awesome apartments with loft details. Feels like NY in the middle of ATL.

Favorite place I have ever lived! I’ve been on a tour of the Southeast (Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta) in the last several years for work, and hands down, this is my favorite apartment I have ever lived in. The location CANNOT be beat, the apartments have so much character, and neighbors are quiet and respectful, not to mention all that Ponce City Market has to offer. If an apartment is open, I wouldn’t hesitate to sign another lease.

The whining from the folks who knew full well that they were moving into a live construction site should be dismissed as poor planning on their part. I have lived here for about eight months and have had a great experience. Yes, there is construction noise and yes, we were fully informed that it would be there in advance. That said, common sense should have been all that was required in order to predict that there would be noise.
The PCM staff has been great and friendly, the units are fantastic, and the amenities are first class. The upside of living in PCM as it has been built is waking up to wonderful new additions on a regular basis. It is exciting to be experiencing new features at PCM first knowing how many folks will come to enjoy those same features in the years to come. The mild construction noise is a small price to pay for quick access to so many pleasures.
So in short, if mild construction noise is going to be a life changer for you, please listen to the leasing staff as they explain this inconvenience to you in advance. Even better use that grey stuff between your ears and figure out that a giant crane looming over the building may be an indication that there is still work to be done.

I advise you to sign a lease here if: You love a discourteous concierge who is of no help whatsoever, if you have no friends (because there is no guest parking), you like having broken appliances the day you move in, you like a disorganized and misinformed staff. Like the others have said; apartment is pretty, shops are cool, but is it really worth it? I don’t think so.

Ok so I have to agree with the other reviewer. When I originally moved here, I loved it. Aesthetically, these are some of the best looking apartments in Atlanta right now. It’s also cool to live amongst all the happenings at PCM. But I have to say, there has not been much consideration for tenants from management. I essentially pay $ 1700 a month for a studio once you factor in all the miscellaneous fees for things you’re not allowed to opt out of. The noise is plain awful. I fully expected construction noise when I signed my lease and have been ok with it up until the recent construction the other reviewer mentioned being done on the top of the east wing units. I have been woken up every single day for the last couple of weeks at 7 am on the dot. No need in even setting an alarm anymore. The entire building literally shakes and the noise is completely unbearable. Also, I’m all about Jamestown vision and forward thinking for Atlanta. I buy into the paid parking model, as Atlanta continues to evolve. I pay $ 50 a month to park my car and I completely get why PCM visitors need to pay to park. But there has to be a better way for visitors of tenants. My friends are completely deterred from visiting me now, for fear they will have to pay $ 10 to park every time. When I signed a lease, I was told visitors of tenants would always park for free. Now they have like 6 – 8 designated visitor spots for all tenants. Yeah, not good enough. Also the gym is awful. For the amount of money we are paying, very little thought went into the gym. It is super small and just inadequate. All in all, I’m very disappointed. As much as I want to love this place and as much as I love PCM, it’s clear that tenants are not a priority for management. If rent were cheaper until construction is finished, I would feel a lot different. But I looked all around Atlanta before renting here and I’m pretty sure these are some of the most expensive units you can rent. At the moment– not worth it.

An absolute nightmare that is getting worse. When you move in expect multiple appliances to not be working (ice maker, washing machine, loose light fixtures, dirty cabinets and closets). A lot had to be replaced and this is the case with multiple tenants I have spoken to. The monthly lease fee includes a trash valet of $ 25 which I never use because my hands and legs aren’t broken (there are trash chutes on every floor). Also when you sign a lease they said your guests could validate parking (now there are 4 guest spots per EACH wing and they are always occupied). Your guests will always have to pay for parking.
The biggest failure of renting here is the construction noise (it starts at 6:45−7 am everyday with loud drilling noises that resonate through every floor). Unfortunately the last few months was just the beginning as they have decided to build additional office rentals directly above the East Wing (guess they figured no one was renting the storage units so they have decided to convert them into more lucrative office space rentals). In more detail they are starting to demolish walls on the upper floors and cut through an entire floor of concete slab to build a staircase and other electrical conduits in the first phase of building office spaces. They will then rebuild the storage units next to office spaces. I would expect this to last until at least Spring 2016 but maybe that’s optimistic.
In addition to internal construction noises, every morning for the last 2 weeks they have been chainsawing the brick façade right outside of our windows making lines in the brick for who knows what. Hopefully he will dress like Jason from Friday the 13^th and scare me out of bed on Halloween (please make this come true Jamestown Properties!)
Work on the roof has not even commenced yet but hopefully I will be finished with my lease by then. Thanks Jamestown and Greystar Management for filling up your rentals, getting all of the restaurant tenants in and then starting construction after the fact. Save yourself the misery and rent nearby. That way you can walk over to actually enjoy the Food Hall and other beautiful stores because this is hell.