Aria Condos

LOCATION: 9^th Ave. and Ash Street — and the south end of Highway 163.
UNITS: The condo has 137 units, which makes for a very nice open atmosphere… not too crowded and a feeling of «home.» There are 24 floors of luxurious condos all built in 2008.
AMENITIES: Not only is there a swimming pool and hot tub, there is also a large common room for private gatherings or personal lounging. The common area has a pool table and large television with cable hook-​up. The gym is small, but very sufficient for the size of the condo.
CLEANLINESS: The janitorial staff that supports Aria is awesome! We have the cleanest condo in all of downtown, I am convinced! The entrance to the building makes an incredible first impression to visitors and potential buyers/​renters. If a neat appearance is important to you, Aria is your place!
HOA: Owning here is especially nice because of the newer quality of appliances and overall building atmosphere. The association fees, as described in a previous review, are among the lowest in all of downtown. A Social Committee has recently been established that has already had its first social gathering! The residents consist of professionals of varying ages and some very nice retirees. We are very lucky to live here with such friendly folks!
PARKING: Parking in the underground garage is allocated based upon the number of rooms associated with the condo being purchased or rented. We have only one parking spot in the garage. However, the Cortez area is the only one in downtown with permit street parking (Area F) for residents. I keep my vehicle outside with no issues at all, so long as I park in Area F parking.
CONCLUSION: We spent a few months searching all over downtown San Diego for the perfect place. We found that place in Aria!

Designed by an Australian architect you will find that the design is quite unique and contemporary. Sleek and modern.
LOCATION: On 9^th and Ash by the 163 in Cortez Hill. Relatively quiet neighborhood but close enough to downtown action and Balboa Park since we have no problem walking. A park is located at the northern aspect of 9^th.
UNITS: Our unit is a 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath unit on the 4^th floor with a continuous floor plan with a HUGE patio that we fit a grill, 2 lounge chairs, a storage box, and a table with 3 chairs on it. Fisher Pykel appliances with a dishwasher that’s like a cabinet drawer. Frosted glass cabinets. Glass backsplash in kitchen. Tile floor in unit with carpet only in bedroom. Floor to ceiling windows.
AMENITIES: Located on the ground floor. The lounge area has a large couch and big screen tv. No wireless internet or cable last time we checked. The other part of the lounge area has 2 tables with chairs and a mini fridge with sink and counter. There is also a pool table. The pool and hot tub is located next to the lounge. The pool is small but suffices. Patio lounge chairs are there for use. The gym is also small but very nice. Free weights, exercise bike, treadmill, weight machines, weight bench, balance ball are there for use.
PARKING: Spaces are TIGHT and NARROW. You cannot own a truck or large car here unless you are VERY careful. Hardly enough room for 2 cars to pass each other side by side. I park my car and I have to get out the passenger side because I cannot open my door on the drivers side due to a concrete pole. I could back in but don’t want to risk the damage.
Another advantage of living in Cortez Hill is that it is the only neighborhood in the downtown area that has street permit parking known as the Area F parking permit. It’s only $ 14 per year. In addition you can have 1 guest Area F parking permit per household.
Each unit is allowed 2 bike permits to park the bikes in the bike room in the parking garage. It is a small sticker that you place on your bike.
HOA: Scheduled meetings held. Ryan Figley is the HOA manager and he is very helpful and responsive. The HOA does not hold any events for the residents which I find odd… Where is the $ 600 association fees per month going? Not one event in the 2 months we have lived here so far.
SECURITY: No 24 hour concierge but there is a night security guard every evening who makes scheduled rounds on the premises. They notified us one evening that the lights on our car were on. We have had an incident during the day where someone sneaked into the condo and stole packages from residents’ door steps and a car break in by sneaking into the garage before the gate closed but other than that no incidents since we have been here.
Scan key (FOB) only needed for entrance. There is no FOB required to go to different floors.
CONCLUSION: I love the location and design of the units. Parking spaces, lack of security, and lack of social events are my only complaints and even that I can deal with. Overall I am glad we moved here!