Urban Living 2022

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NEW APARTMENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

New apartment complexes are sprouting up around the Chippewa Valley, and are available in a variety of different price points. Here are just a few. compiled by parker reed

With the approval of several new apartment complexes in 2020 and 2021, new apart ments are becoming available all over the Chippewa Valley at a vari ety of price points. We’ve assembled a few of them here, but many more are currently in the pipeline and will become available in the coming weeks and months.

THE WOODSPIRE

Located: South side of Eau Claire, near Lowes Creek County Park 2267 Lorch Ave., Eau Claire

Date: Coming Summer 2022 Price: $910-$2,355 per month

This new location offers unparal leled amenities, chic interiors, and beautiful green spaces – all conve niently located on Eau Claire’s south side with quick access to highways. The space features a private 16-acrepark-like space and private access to the adjoining 300 acre Lowes Creek County Park, offering plenty of hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails.

THE BARSTOW COMMONS

Located: Downtown Eau Claire 131 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire

Date: Recently opened Price: $845-$1,820 per month

Extensive renovations transformed the six-story building that houses US Bank in downtown Eau Claire into

Barstow Commons. Pablo Group says it worked to preserve Art Deco ele ments of the historic 1930 building, whose upper floors were convert ed into 28 residential units. The apartments offer views of the nearby Eau Claire River, as well as the rest of the downtown, while the bank and other offices will remain on the building’s lower two floors. Barstow Commons began renting units late last year.

THE GUILD

Located: downtown Eau Claire 860 Porter Ave., Eau Claire Date: Already completed Price: $1,425-$2,690

Offering unparalleled views of the Chippewa River and completed in 2020, The Guild is an upscale apartment complex inside the former Syverson Lutheran Home in downtown Eau Claire. The four-story building includes 48 units with 20 unique floor plans, ranging in size from 507 square feet to 2,829 square feet. According to the developer, Pablo Group, “Amenities include a guest suite, yoga studio, community rooms, a fitness room with com mercial-grade equipment, spacious lobby, and outdoor gathering spaces. ... The Guild provides immediate ac cess to the very best Eau Claire has to offer, while also offering a taste of the quiet life, secluded on the edge of the Third Ward district, against

the bank of the Chippewa River, and presenting the very best of home life in the convenience of luxury apart ment living.”

RIVER RIDGE LUXURY TOWNHOMES

Located: in Altoona, near Woodman’s 1015 Blazing Star Blvd., Altoona Date: Either completed or will be completed in Spring 2022 Price: $1,450-$2,050

From upscale amenities to luxuri ous features, these new townhomes have access to walking or running on paved trails to River Prairie Park. River Ridge is located just across from the new River Prairie develop ment, a family-friendly spot for out door music, restaurants, and even a splash pad in the River Prairie Park. The location also features on-site park-like pavilions with gas grills and a host of other features.

THEODORA ROWHOMES

Located: 3205-3265 Fairfax St., Eau Claire Price: $889-$2,496

Theodora Rowhomes feature private garages, private green spaces, and private keyless entry. All units are

side-by-side with no one living above or below while featuring shared walls with extra-insulation against sound. No shared hallways or ele vators and packages are delivered straight to the owner’s door, not a communal mailroom. Windows on north and south walls are great for natural light and ventilation. Inte riors include luxury vinyl flooring, modern kitchens with quartz coun tertops and stainless steel appli ances, unique recessed strip light in ceiling and upscale fixtures in thoughtfully designed floor plans.

CITY LINE HEIGHTS

Located: 299 Fairfax St., Altoona Price: $1,100-$1,595

City Line Heights is a brand new property located on one of the highest points in Altoona, making for exceptional views. This apartment complex offers large one, two, and three bedroom units with many mod ern features including, vaulted ceil ings, granite countertops, personal balconies, fireplaces, and incredibly large closets. The complex currently sits on the Eau Claire/Altoona city boundary.

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• Educate yourself about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. For more info, contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 422-7128 or visit them at datcp.state. wi.us.

• Your landlord should always pro vide an emergency number. Get it.

• Create a check-in sheet on the apartment and list all items that

may be charged to your security deposit (such as stains on the carpet, scratches on counter tops, etc.) Keep a copy for yourself and send one to our landlord.

• Grab your phone and take pics when you move in and after you clean up upon moving out.

• Buy a carbon monoxide detector if you have gas heat and/or stove.

• Consider renter’s insurance. It’s usually inexpensive and covers things like robbery, fires, and liabili ties. The amount of a policy depends on how much of your stuff you want to protect. Things like floods are usually not covered.

• Learn odd/even parking. If you don’t have a designated parking stall, you’ll likely have to find onstreet parking. Between Nov. 1 and May 1 the City of Eau Claire dictates which side you can park on. So make sure your car is parked on the “even” side (with even-numbered addresses) between midnight and 7am of even-numbered days. And vice-versa.

• Big security deposit suckers: Defrosting the fridge and cleaning

the oven.

• When moving out, remember to cancel your utilities and other ser vices such as Internet and cable TV. You don’t want to pay for the next renter’s bills.

• Head to the post office for a help ful checklist of change-of-address reminders.

• If you’re moving over the course of a few days, leave stuff like beds and entertainment items for last.

• Save boxes early and often. Ask grocery stores if you’re desperate. Frequent recycling dumpsters at commercial spots if you’re extra desperate and bold.

AFTER YOU’VE SIGNED THE LEASE... TIPS FOR THE PROSPECTIVE RENTER

• Ask around. If a friend lives in a place they like or deals with a landlord they like, there may be units available even if they aren’t advertised.

• What is the neighborhood like? Look at nearby amenities and bike/ walkability.

• Call the local health department and check if there are any un corrected complaints against the property (Eau Claire County: 715839-4718; Chippewa County: 715-7267900, Dunn County: 715-232-2388)

• Get the name of a possible land lord and run it through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (wcca.wicourts. gov) to see if they have a clean record.

• Never sign a lease without seeing the apartment – especially in com plexes where “all the apartments are the same” and they keep a clean one on hand to show people like you.

• Read and understand all lease paperwork. Make sure all your ques tions and concerns are answered before you sign. It is a contract, and means you have legal responsibili ties as well as the landlord.

• A one-page lease could be a red flag. The more paperwork, the better. Tenant and landlord responsibilities should be clearly defined.

• Good landlords enjoy answering questions. They want tenants who care about their living space.

• If you’re deciding between two places, consider the Paper Layout Experiment. Take the rough mea surements of the crucial spaces, and note where there are vents, door ways, windows, etc. Then measure your furniture, bookshelves, and the like. Divide the measurements down so the room can fit on paper. Then do cutouts of the furniture and organize them in the paper room. Whichever layout excites you more is the winner.

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IS THIS PLACE GOOD?

consult this handy checklist before you sign

Turn on all light switches to see if they do, indeed, produce light.

Check each power outlet (use a small appliance like a hairdryer).

Turn on the sink and bathtub faucets (check for leaks or plugged drains).

Flush toilet, check for leaks.

Look for smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.

Check ceiling and walls for cracks and water stains.

Check the locking mechanisms on doors and on all the windows.

How well sealed are the windows? (Will you pay a ton for heat/air?)

Inspect furnace and/or air conditioner. Are they well-maintained?

Check hot water: Is it the proper temperature?

Check for exit lights.

Is the exterior of the building well-lit and well-maintained?

THE RENTER TOOLBOX

a few tools will make rental life much easier

Toolbox: Duh. But a nice one with a handle is incredibly useful, because if you don’t know where your tools are, they aren’t helpful.

Reversible drill with a bit set: Infinitely useful for fixing up furniture, tightening bolts, and getting to all those other projects you’ve been putting off.

Hammer: Look for one that’s heavy with a fiberglass shaft and a rip claw.

16-foot tape measure: Get one that locks and take it with you furniture shopping.

Set of screwdrivers: A good mixed set includes flat and Phillips head screwdrivers, maybe even a magnetic head.

Needle-nose pliers: If you can find a

pair with a wire cutting blade, grab ’em.

Safety glasses: Don’t start a project without these.

Utility knife: Look for replaceable blades and keep some on hand.

Duct tape: For quick repairs and emergencies.

RENTERS INSURANCE

• Policies usually start around $100 a year. Not a month. Not a quarter. A YEAR!

• It covers your personal property in circumstances like theft, fires, natural disasters, and more. Obviously there are exceptions and exclusions, but, in general, your stuff is covered when the crap hits the fan.

• Policies cover “replacement equivalents.” Meaning, if you have grandma’s big ol’ tube TV and it goes, you get the equivalent of what’s new – so you’re gettin’ a flatscreen, baby.

• If your apartment has a fire, not only does it cover your “stuff,” but also where you will live for the immediate future. And even if

your place doesn’t burn and it’s a neighbor’s place, you might have to be gone, too. In either case, it covers hotel/motel costs for those circumstances.

• If someone visits and they get injured, your policy may cover medical payments and liability in case they want to sue you. (Again, with limitations.)

• It is basically a homeowners policy for renters. And homeowners policies often come with longevity discounts (so the longer you’re with a company, the cheaper it gets). In some cases the years you have renter’s insurance can count toward longevity discounts if you become a homeowner and stay with that insurance company.

here’s everything you need to know

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