3 Tree Flats

Now that I’ve moved the heck out of there, I can write this review. Lived there for 2 years. And to be honest, I never realize how bad it was until I left, I thought that this must be what it’s like to live in the city (I now live in one of the condos in the U street Area and it’s night and day what a difference half a mile in location makes). The only reason I am not giving it 1 star is because the building itself is new, in a convenient location and has nice appliances. Below are my pros and cons.
Pros: It is one block away from both the Petworth Metro station. Safeway is across the street. Love the coffee shop Qualia that is also across the street. Will, the maintenance guy was very good and quick at fixing things wrong with the building. The build is relatively new, and I had a washer/​dryer and a dish washer in the apartment and I had a big balcony (I lived on the 6^th floor). It’s pretty affordable compared to Columbia Heights and U st/​Adams Morgan
Cons: Front desk staff is suppose to be in from 9 – 5 and 12 – 3 on the weekends. I would say 90% of the time, by 10am, there still is no one at the front desk. And after-​hours the building is a shytshow. Tentants would bring in tons of drug dealers/​users inside who would just hang out in the lobby area and make drug deals and drink out in the open. We must have called the police like 10 times in the 2 years I was there for fights, crime and homeless guys who would just sleep in the lobby. There is a fob system but everyone just lets whomever in. I feel sorry for all the children and elderly who live there and have to deal with this on a daily bases.
There is a gym and open lounge space up on the 6^th floor but I would often come home to find a sign in the elevator that says, the gym and lounge is closed from 3pm-​midnight for a private party. Don’t know who were having these parties but they would end up going all night till about 3pm and the bass would keep me awake. Speaking of elevators, there are 2 but one is consistently broken while there was for a period of 3 months, both were broken.
A girl was sexually assaulted in the stairwell and we petitioned to see if we could get some 24 hour security or staffing. They brought a creepy guy in and he lasted two days and then it was back to no front desk after 5pm. Oh and the fire alarms went off on a weekly bases.
I still occasionally drive by Three Tree flats and I still can’t believe I lived like that for 2 years.

Horrible and incompetent staff coupled with ignorant and loud college kid neighbors. For 6 months I have been dealing with loud music and even after calling the police 5 times, nothing has been done. Edwin down stairs the assistant «community» manager is unresponsive and blatantly avoids his job.
One tenant refuses to turn her base down (that vibrates my entire room and can be heard into our living room) and nothing has be done.
The common area is nice, gym has 4 machines, nothing spectacular. Proximity to metro, 14^th, and Safeway is prime. Don’t expect any support from the management, but you get what you pay for.

Their legal team is lawsuit happy. They just love suing their tenants, which even after it’s dismissed is now part of their public records. They need to work on calming down their legal team. The building is nice.

I went here as a prospective resident a few weeks ago. The lady at the front desk was nice. She took time to speak with me, but she didn’t give me a tour of a unit so I don’t have enough information to comment on this apartment community. I like that it’s within walking distance of Petworth metro. There is a new grocery store nearby that will be open soon. However, the area looked a little unsavory. I wouldn’t be comfortable having to walk here after dark.

I’ve been living here for over 6 months now and generally am a fan. I live in one of the rear-​facing lofts on the 6^th floor. Though it is only 560 square feet, the space is truly unique and well designed. The 20-​ft ceilings make it feel very spacious, and the private patio is huge, quiet, and such an unusual perk.
The windows are huuuuge and the natural light is incredible, as is the view of the city. I get sun all day long. The sunsets with the National Cathedral in the distance are quite breathtaking. It’s a real treat.
Walls are thick enough that I’m never bothered by neighbor noise, though constant construction at the site next-​door does tend to wake me up, as the noise comes through the big rear window. If you turn on your central AC or heat or fan, however, it acts as a great white noise generator. Plus, there’s gonna be a Safeway any day now, so eyes on the prize!!!
Fixtures and appliances are all new and work really well so far. The washer/​dryer and dishwasher are amazing to have right there in the unit. Again, pretty sweet perks for the price. Also, my energy bills are incredibly low. The building has done a really effective job at using energy efficiently.
Front desk staff is super nice and friendly and helpful. Absolutely no complaints there.
Qualia Coffee across the street is amazing, and the many restaurants and bars on Upshur and Georgia Ave offer a few nice options within close walking distance. Yes! Organic Market will slowly bankrupt you, but you’ll eat really well as you descend into poverty, so there’s that.
While the vast majority of the residents are perfectly polite, there are also some real trolls. You’ll probably notice the very unfortunate (and unfortunately also very nasty) woman who chain-​smokes outside the front entrance night and day. She’s not exactly a beacon of warmth. Don’t expect anyone to deliver you your mail that went to the wrong box, fob you in if your garage key stopped working, or hold the elevator for you. It could happen, but don’t count on it. The office works to create a community feeling (newsletters, happy birthday messages, rummage sales, etc), but I get the feeling it’s gonna be an uphill battle.
Now for the extremely nitty gritty stuff:
Water pressure not great. Sufficient, but if you’re a stickler for that, move on.
Water pipes seem old and gross. If you drink the water right out of the tap, you’re gonna have a bad time. You have to leave it running for a few seconds if you don’t want the water to taste like mildew.
UPDATE: water really does seem to be a problem here. The water was just shut off for five whole days, intermittently turned on enough so you could get a weak stream of cold water out of the faucets, but with nothing coming out of the showers. The main nearby seems to create lots of trouble.
Trash pickup is way too infrequent. Hallways will often have a faint odor of garbage (sometimes in the heat, not so faint), because the trash room is literally overflowing. They seem to empty it only every few days, which is just not enough. That said, it’s really nice to have a trash chute and recycling bin right there on every floor.
The gym and roof are gorgeous, but I wish they were open more often. The roof is almost never open, and the gym is only accessible until a certain hour and sometimes it’s closed. If you’re really into fitness, this will be a nice fallback option for you for sure, although you’ll probably still want to join a gym (of which, unfortunately, there are none within reasonable walking distance).
UPDATE: the gym need some help, I realize as time goes on. The treadmill was just broken for like 2 weeks, and the other one always had someone on it. TV has one bad station. Again, fitness buffs will need another plan. I recently heard there was supposed to be a Results Gym on the first floor, and a single tear rolled down my cheek. Someone MUST be building a gym in Petworth eventually… right?
Drivers rejoice: the parking garage is perfectly adequate and reasonably priced. Easy access to the Rock Creek Parkway makes getting downtown a snap. Of course metro and bus lines are very close as well.