The Baycrest Towers

so my building shut the water off for some kind of repairs again. every time they do repairs we end up with no hot water in our unit. it’s been like this since 2009. i am sick of getting told run your hot water 15 minutes and see what happens by management. they can’t seem to fix anything up in here at Baycrest. do any of the management have to run their hot water for 15 minutes to maybe, maybe get just lukewarm water which may or may not shut off and go back to icy cold water at their house. can i come over to their house and shower? the engineers don’t seem to be able to fix this water problem and one engineer came and felt the lukewarm water and had the balls to tell us this is the temperature it is suppose to be according to the code. what code? the «you don’t want to do crap and fix crap code?» they tell us to cut our water usage and shorten our showers by 3 minutes. does that start after the 15 minutes you tell me to run my hot water to get the unreliable lukewarm water. this is ridiculous! can i withhold HOA fees until they fix this problem fully and completely? what you think property managers?
home owner of 2 units since 1995
hot tub is horrible, the switch is whacked. 100% of the time i and others are just sitting in warm water without the jets. my unit along with many and i mean many others (multiple floors and multiple units, at least 5 – 6 on the 4^th floor alone) just got broken into. what are the security guards for unless they are in on it. the security cams does nothing. i find the night security guard sleeping at the counter on duty. the swimming pool is not heated but then it used to be and CAN be. the swimming pool used to have steam rising out of it when i first move in. then they decided that not enough people used it so they stop heating it. what a crock of shit. prisons have better exercise equipment than what they have downstairs. since 1995 — 2015 the carpet has been changed one time and that’s in 2015. sure, it’s an old building compared to others around. there were maybe one building across the street when i first move here and you can see all the way to 3^rd street with no object blocking. baycrest has really gone to shit! at least fix the hot water issue. it’s not just me, my friend with a unit on the first floor has it too.

2 ½ stars
I have been living here for about two months, we decided on this place because of the
«cheaper rent» under $ 3,000 a month. and good location to public transportation.
Pros:
Rent includes Parking and the price was low
IN unit laundry
10 min walk to BART 20 min to Caltrain
5min walk to Muni
3 Block from The Embarcadero
Staff is friendly building is clean and safe.
10 min walk to YMCA
Right by the water and Ferry Building which has good food and a wonderful farmers market.
Tenants seem friendly
So Far the Cons’
Everything in our unit is outdated.
Never any hot water
If your condo is facing Harrison ST durning baseball season and rush hour the noise is almost unbearable.
It is so hot in our unit, 80 degrees in the evening!, windows only open a little and there is no ventilation and no AC. AC didn’t seem important when we looked at the place and the temperatures never get that high in SF but it is needed.
A lot of things were falling apart which we didn’t notice when we looked at the place. Bathtub leaking, toilet wouldn’t flush, refrigerator leaking. So far the toilet was fixed and we haven’t called about the others.
ghost town at night. No restaurants or bodegas. We think this will change when all the new condo buildings are completed.
Would we rent here again knowing what we know now No! are all the units in the building the same no some have been remodeled but you will pay for that. How much do we pay for this studio life of luxury. $ 2800 a month.

We lived at Baycrest Towers for just under one month. It was temporary housing for us in a fully-​furnished one bedroom unit. The place is old and cheap compared to what we paid (we paid over $ 4500 for 30 days… the unit was worth maybe $ 1800). There were two really helpful, courteous and friendly folks that worked there, Jesse and another gentleman that worked evenings. There was another guy that was argumentative and extremely rude: when I disagreed with what he was telling me and informed him I didn’t want to argue and that I wanted to talk with Jesse, he told me to F off and called me a bitch. Pretty outrageously horrible customer service.
There are far better places to live in SF: far better amenities for much lower rent with lovely people and friendly service. Go somewhere else.

Renting? This is a lower-​end/​older building among the fancy tower residences that line the streets of SOMA/​South Beach. Which means it’s still quite nice, but not as nice as other newer buildings. Fortunately, lower prices reflect this reality.
The building staff are competent, the building is kept safe and clean and tidy, and the building-​wide amenities (gym, hot tub, mail system) work as advertised.
The noise question depends on the unit. I faced Harrison Street on a lower-​level floor and needed a white noise machine at night. The bridge traffic wasn’t the issue; the Harrison St cars were. But, the noise machine did the trick. (Still couldn’t open windows during the rush-​hour day without noise overload.) The garden area and hot tub area also suffer from traffic noise in other directions, but it’s not overwhelming.
Web Pass services all units in the building with ultra-​fast internet so that’s a definite plus — it’s not always advertised. (I.e., much better than having to choose between Comcast and AT&T).
The multiple entrances /​exits to the building on Harrison, Main, and Beale streets make it very convenient to exit.
All in all, Baycrest Towers is a great option for renting.

renting? here’s the real skinny:
good:
— packages are held for you!
— location is what keeps this property going as it’s the grandpa on the block
— secure parking, if you can get your remote to work. you will probably get a spot that’s too small. avoid the L level if you have a choice
— easy street parking for short term (2 hrs) although it gets tougher ea year as Giants gain popularity and bridge commute gets more backed up w construction
— everyone in security is nice and they patrol at night
bad:
— soot from the bay bridge falls on this building; they don’t powerwash as you can tell, and i know a few people who developed lung issues living here.
— the pool /​jacuzzi is a bit over-​advertised. i never used it.
— announcements come on over the loudspeaker… a bit unpleasant to wake up to this. eg: «attention: hot water is being turned off now» lol
— they post your name and unit next to the mailbox, wth!
— time for a carpet change… where does the HOA go?
ugly:
— both bldg and property mgmt are wound a bit tight
— if you are talking to citiland, beware, very sketch!

Rating this one is tough. We stayed here for 2 months. These condos have a lot going for them, e.g.,
1) location is within walking distance to FiDi,
2) has garage parking,
3) dog allowance,
4) in-​unit laundry, and
5) decent, nice little gym along with actual weight room;
so that we really tried to force this place to work for us… BUT the noise from the bay bridge was downright CRAZILY UNBEARABLE.
In the end, its proximity to the bridge and freeway entrance overshadowed all the benefits.
If you are considering purchasing or renting long-​term, you should try to live here for at least a month to test if the noise at night affects your sleep. If you can’t test it for at least a month, don’t sign on for a long-​term commitment.
For me, the bay bridge noise at night was just intolerable… all night, every night; all day, every day.
.Nuts. Our bedroom didn’t even face the bridge, although it was close enough (facing the BridgeView condos, 8^th floor of 11 floors). The noise level from the constant flow of cars is something one could get accustomed to like an even din of ambient noise, if not for the insertions of big rigs and Harleys that shoot thunderous reverberations that bounce through and off the bridge to rock your attention from anything you’re doing, including your slumber.
Could not get a proper night’s sleep while staying there. Started working out heavy every day to exhaust myself for deep sleep but to minimal avail. The bridge noise would inevitably wake me sometime in the night at least 2 – 3 times and then I’d have to fall asleep again with my head sandwiched between pillows to block out the car noise. I’m a lighter sleeper so take that into account; however, my husband is a notoriously heavy sleeper — he has slept through decent earthquakes in L.A. which would shake me awake. Even he remarked that the noise was affecting his sleep quality — I found that crazy coming from him. I have no clue how the other residents sleep through the noise… it’s baffling.
Not to mention the noise when you leave your windows open for some fresh air. You won’t be able to hear the tv without jacking up the volume. You won’t be able to hear any conversation if there was some in progress before a big rig or motorcycle crosses the bridge by the units. Essentially, it’s not practical to leave your windows open when you’re home.
In the end, I capitulated after I started to feel like Al Pacino in Insomnia. No matter how much I wanted to de-​sensitize myself to the night bridge noise, I determined with much anguish that I couldn’t live with the noise. This wasn’t just «city living» noise; this was way beyond that. Really wanted to live there since quality of life (minus sleep considerations) would have been much better due to convenience from location to work, laundry access, dog allowance and garage parking.
Also take note in your consideration that the garage is on Harrison side which becomes a parking lot from 4:20 pm to at least 7pm M-​F with commuters sitting in their cars stopped at the lights waiting to get on the freeway. So, if you want to get out of the garage, you’ll be waiting to edge in to sit in the queue. Getting into the garage — similar story. I recommend you leave the garage during traffic hours by turning onto Main toward the Embarcadero.
The homeless right outside the complex was an issue for me. There were consistently anywhere from 2 – 5 homeless men outside the building at night, one of whom I had to deal with day in, day out for a month. He was a fixture right outside the side door that goes into the garage. Every day, while he ate his breakfast, he would leer at me as I exited and reentered the side door for my dog’s morning walk. This made me uncomfortable everytime. The other homeless guys, anywhere from 1 – 4 guys on any night, slept around the corner on Main St. so that I had to avoid walking the dogs there.
The noise alone, without any consideration for the nuisance of the homeless men, warranted a single-​star Unilocal rating for me; however, there were three aspects that allowed for an added star: (1) Noise level between floors is nonexistant — concrete works. I never heard any noises from residents above; (2) In-​unit washer/​dryer — heavenly; and (3) Parking garage is usable. Other plus was that I found the residents/​owners here were friendly, pleasant. I enjoyed meeting each one I encountered in the common areas. Honorable mention — I really liked some of the staffing — Wayne and one of the maintenance guys (I forgot his name; he looked Pilipino) were great –both were always friendly and went out of their ways to help us.
UPDATE: After we moved out of Baycrest, we’ve been living in North Beach for a month now and the quiet here compared to Baycrest is downright heavenly.

This is a review for the individual units within the development.
I toured several properties here that were for sale recently. Some are decent, but most are terribly outdated.
The kitchens are a joke. They’re extremely small, sink is super shallow with part of the undersized dishwasher partially under it. The range is a small drop-​in electric. Remodeling potential is very limited, due to the layout of the existing cabinets.
This place is fine as a pied-​à-​terre, but might be tough for some people to live in full-​time, especially long-​term (e.g. over a year). For those who like ‘efficiency-​living,’ this place will probably work out.
Some of the units have nice views of the bridge. The pool area rarely gets direct sun, and is not too small for fitness use.
Location is fine for joggers who like the waterfront, but sadly, there’s really not a whole lot going on in the South Beach — Rincon Hill area. It’s walkable to work, but most seem to get in their cars when it’s playtime.

I’m not sure about the actual figures but i believe that most of the units in this building are resident owned. Being completed in 1991, before the South Beach/​Rincon area became trendy, Baycrest is older than a lot of its neighbors. I think it’s because this that most units will differ from each other significantly. My unit has original carpets, appliances, etc. I’ve seen upgraded two bedrooms with granite counters and completely new bathrooms. The HOA supposedly limits pets to being under 20 pounds, but ive seen a few friendly larger dogs, which doesn’t bother me at all. Most of the walls in the building support the structure so they are solid concrete, which makes it hard to put up paintings, but creates a very quiet room regardless of how loud neighbors like to party. I stay along the Harrison St. side so no view for me. The windows are big enough to let in a lot of natural light and thick enough to keep out the unwanted noise of Harley Davidsons on their way to the Bay Bridge. The drycleaners and Gabby Café on the first floor are convenient and the building management is pretty good about getting things fixed or reccommending someone when you ask them to.
Location of the baycrest can earn 5 stars on its own. Youre really close to the bridge and two blocks from the water. Giants games are basically a mile away same with the ferry building. The building’s location really allows you walk around your home and appreciate how pretty downtown san francisco can be.

This place is awesome, our two bedroom two bath apartment is a dream. Wooden floors, leather sofas, great view overlooking the Bay Bridge, walk in closets, spacious rooms and it was all furnished.
There is a gym in the building — it’s a little basic but hey it’s free and whenever I’ve gone it’s been either empty or only one/​two other people there (I’ve been everyday this week at around 8.30am). There is also a swimming pool and hot tub — I’ve not checked them out properly yet but they look really nice.
Security is great here — there are CCTV cameras in the all the hallways and the guys in the lobby actually do their job and don’t let anyone through. Only slight grievance I have is the waterfall next to the hot tub — it is still running at night and causes a little bit of noise but that is honestly a minor grievance and the bedrooms are double glazed and pretty quiet.
The location is also great, the heart of downtown is a 10 minute walk away. You’re also just far enough away from the Bay Bridge for the traffic noise not to bother you.

Neat, clean, modern, well appointed with lots of marble looking stone on the walls and brass etc, plus an in-​house gym and swimming pool. The TV has so many channels that it’s hard to tear yourself away and be a tourist. Fully serviced, and fuly furnished.
The gf has left a key for me here, but to get there first I have to ask people, where’s Main St? I’m also lugging a boxed up bicycle — no fun. One guy notes my address on the box, and comments that the bike has come a long way. The yanks are friendly, but no-​one knows where Main St is!
I unpack the bike, hit the Embarcadero, end up at the seals of Pier 39, then test my brakes, and try to outrun the cars on the downhill — huge fun.