Ardea Apartments

MIchael, my leasing agent is very professional, well spoken and truly listened and cared about my specific leasing needs. He is top notch! This is a wonderful community. The best in South Waterfront by far.

This review is related to our apartment tour at Ardea. My husband and I went to Ardea to have a better view of the layouts for each of the apartments. We received a lovely tour on two units by the awesome leasing agent Michael Sohi. Michael showed us two apartments and also had pretty spectacular videos on two additional types of floorplans. Michael was very welcoming, professional and explain clearly and eloquently how the rental system operates and answer all of our questions. We absolutely love our tour and are looking forward to work with Michael to help us find our dream apartment rental. We loved the space and layouts of the apartments here. The wood flooring and the amazing light/​views that comes from the windows is fantastic! Thank you Michael for helping us and showing us the apartment we are hoping we can make Ardea are new home very soon!

I agree with most of the reviews regarding the Ardea. I can’t think of words that accurately describe how much of a downgrade the Ardea took when Greystar took over! Riverstone did an outstanding job managing this property when we lived there but when Greystar came in… WHOA WHOA WHOA! Everything changed and the staff was ghetto at best! Super unfriendly and unprofessional! Our lease was up after three years of living there and taking excellent care of our apartment. We moved out and Greystar tried to nail us for roughly $ 5,000 in repairs! WTH?! I know you, as readers, do not know myself or my husband but we are definitely not the kind of people who tear things up or don’t take care of our home. The wood floors were pretty roughed up when we moved in and thank goodness we noted that on our move-​in inspection as well as all of the other things Greystar tried to make us pay for! What a joke! We immediately called and disputed the charges. $ 500 to repaint our apartment?! They to revisit the charges at hand and then sent us a bill for more! Who’s running this company?! We sought legal council and sent a letter to them and after several phone calls to get this handled, they dropped all the charges. The staff was rude and clearly seem mismanaged. I did some research on Greystar and it seems this type of thing is a common thread. I found countless reviews on the company from tenants who had moved out and left their place in good shape only to have Greystar go after them for astronomical charges that they were false.
If I could give Greystar negative stars, I would! The Ardea itself is a pretty nice building. We lived in three different units and they were very quiet and we did enjoy our apartment. The not-​so-​good things were: the garbage chutes were often not working which was a pain. The elevator wait time was sometimes lengthy. There were a few instances of vandalism inside the building which was a little irritating. Some of the residents were a little snotty and if you don’t like dogs, don’t move in there. Dogs are almost a requirement for living there. It’s not a family friendly building by any means! Children are a rare sight and whenever I had my grandchildren with me, I felt like I was looked at like we had some sort of fatal illness that the other residents might come into contact with. The conveniences don’t seem to fall in line with the rent that you pay.
Also, a note on the breeds they allow to live in the building… oh wait! That’s ANY breed! If there is a breed restriction… PLLEEAASSEE! Read it and adhere to it?! I love animals but when you smell a heavy urine scent before you get out of the building?! This is specifically going out the back doors to where the alley is… Some of the tenants do NOT give have an ounce of respect or decency to keep their dog from pissing… and I mean all over and anywhere they want INSIDE the building! When we lived there, there were three Italian Mastiffs that resided in the building with their owners. Have you ever seen the size of an Italian Mastiff? They didn’t seem aggressive but when you have put yourself in an elevator with a dog the size of a pony it’s a little intimidating. There were also several pit mixes. Only one of them seemed aggressive but that’s a huge concern! Breed restriction my ass! So get used to smelling dog urine and seeing it because it is common!
After Greystar took over the reliability of the concierge disappeared. When Riverstone managed the Ardea, Kyle and Kate were the BEST!!! Super friendly and went above and beyond to excel at their job! I loved seeing both of them. Then Greystar brought in sketchy, rude people who didn’t understand the concept of the job or just were horrible with customer service positions! I just can’t emphasize enough how much a difference it makes when you have staff who are genuine and staff who simply doesn’t give a shit what you need. And that is the gist of the attitude that Greystar brought in.
If you are moving into ANY Greystar property follow this valuable advice! Document EVERY little thing that is wrong or unacceptable to you AS SOON AS YOU GET ACCESS to the place. TAKE PICTURES WITH A DATE STAMP to support that documentation! Have a manager walk through with you to sign off on what you document! Make covering your ass a priority when you move in or they WILL try to make you pay. Thank goodness we won’t ever have to go down that path with them again. They are the worst! There wasn’t one person we dealt with that was decent or polite.
I love that most of the responses were followed up by some patronizing response from management. Please. We posting these reviews, which the majority ARE NEGATIVE for a reason! The positive ones are mainly from when Riverstone managed the building. You’re a corrupt company with staff that has the customer service skills of an angry pitbull.
COVER YOUR ASS IF YOU CHOOSE TO RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE THE WORST I’VE EVER RENTED FROM.

Let me start this review by staying this is one of the most adorable buildings in the area but it is also managed by one of the WORST companies ever (Greystar)! Since they took over everything went from rainbows and unicorns to horrible customer service, numerous rent increases, long wait times to get maintenance to fix something and bad attitudes from staff. I have lived here for three years now so I feel I can judge based on my experience. Although, Greystar has only been managing the building for about the last year. I pay a good amount of money to live here (with numerous rent increases) and while I don’t expect it to be the Ritz Carlton, I do expect to have a concierge available when I need them. I would say a good 45−50% of the time the concierge is on «break.» They are hardly ever actually working and forget the lobby coffee being full or even fresh. That’s apparently asking to much. Like another renter stated the trash is always overflowing and the elevators are always pee ridden from pets. I understand they can’t stop pets from peeing in there but at least clean the elevator more then once every other day. If you need maintenance expect to wait a good 2 – 3 weeks to get someone to come fix it. While you give them permission to enter your apartment that doesn’t necessarily mean they can barge in three weeks later unannounced. A courtesy email with approximate date and time might be nice. I wanted to switch parking spaces with another renter who was willing to trade. While it seems simple enough, it was far from it. At first I was told «no problem» and then Kendra in the office took it upon herself to deny my request although she is not a manager. She literally walked down to the parking garage and made me show her my parking spot and had me pull my car in and out of it the while she «watched.» I can’t open my driver and passenger doors due to two poles on either side. Her solution was to «park backward.» If I am paying $ 225 extra per month for a parking spot I should be able to park however I like. I asked to speak to the manager but each time she was «at lunch» or «with a client.» I finally had to email a couple higher ups and they approved my request with no problems. Not quite sure why it had to be that difficult. I must be invisible because now when I go into the office Kendra does not make eye contact let alone even acknowledge I am standing there. I would just appreciate being treated like a valued resident and like they actually want my business. I can deal with my «river view» being blocked out with a new apartment building being built directly in front of my window. I can deal with elevators that move at a sloths pace and having to wait over 5 minutes for it to reach my floor. I can deal with the occasional «wet dog» aroma that seems to appear periodically. But what I can NOT deal with is being talked down to by office staff, being lied to, and basically being treated like I don’t matter and can be replaced at any given moment. This, I will not tolerate.

I enjoyed my time at the ardea. The building itself is beautiful, and the concierges have always been very helpful. It was always nice walking in and being greeted by Jordan’s friendly face. She was always so personable, and responsive to whatever I needed.
The building is quiet, and the management is very hands off (which can be a positive, or negative depending on you personally). Some things aren’t perfect, but overall I feel like my time here was well spent.
Rents are a little high though :)

Jordan at the concierge desk is really great! she is always very upbeat and extremely helpful. A couple times I have had packages that were mis-​marked and she remembered what apartment I was in and got them to me.

Be careful to document move in condition and expect to pay for normal usage carpet cleaning and repainting if you are concerned about your security deposit.

RENTER BEWARE: This place is now managed by Greystar and the management does not care about any of their tenants concerns or the building maintenance like the previous property management company, Riverstone, did.
Greystar purchased Riverstone and everything changed including the management of this property. Here is a list of things that have changed due to Greystar coming in:
1 — Windows are only washed 1 time a year instead of the previos 2 times.
2 — Furnace filters used to be changed 3 to 4 times a year and now they are not changed ever.
3 — Tenants used to be able to lease longer term, up to 2 years at a time, and now you receive some random lease renewal with odd choices such as 2 months, 7 months and 9 months. They only allow you to choose from those choices with no exceptions.
4 — There is no control over lease rate increases on renewals based on price per square foot from unit to unit. You just receive random large lease increases with no reasoning and they expect you to commit to a renewal 3 months proor to your lease expiration.
5 — Time and time again when tenants move out they are sticking them with a huge bill for damages, including regular wear and tear items way beyond their deposit amount.
6 — The building is full of dogs with irresponsible owners who let them relieve themselves in the halls, lobby and just outside the front doors and back doors. It smells like pee everywhere and the building makes no effort to take care of this there are even breeds of dogs in the building that are on the lease «no breed» list.
7 — This is a non smoking building but people smoke in the stairwells, units, balconies or just outside the front or back doors and management does nothing about this even though tenants complain.
8 — They have cut the hiusekeeping staff by ²⁄₃. The on floor trash rooms, garbage cans, elevators and other common areas used to be cleaned all day long with housekeeping staff on site all day long. NOT any longer, things are dirty and unkept. They have even cut garbage service down so the dumpsters on the lobby floor are always overflowing.
9 — Riverstone had a staff of concierge that were «employees» and were trained. The concierge for the last year or so have been comprised of primarily temp agency people who are different all the time, untrained and have no people skills. They have 1 concierge that has been an employee for a few months who works day shift and the rest of the temps have to fend for themselves. They used to have set hours but now they are rarely at the desk to be concierge.
10 — This used to be a secure building and no one could get to your floor unless they were on your list or you let them up. But now concierge allows paper boys (in the middle of the night), pizza delivery and whoever asks to go to a floor up the elevator without checking with the tenant. Scary!
11 — They are spending money on remodeling the lobby and leasing office so they can look impressive to potential renters but won’t spend the money to upgrade the units or fix things for existing tenants including ones that have been tenants for long term. The building is getting older and it is time for remodeling but windows are leaking or broke, fake hardwood floors, carpet and paint are beyond their wear and tear period and not being replaced or repaired. They do maintain the halls though because potential renters see them.
12 — The building manager will not even meet with tenants to discuss issues and the leasing staff is a rotating door because they are not hapoy.
13 — The bill for the sewer, water and trash has been increasing dramatically. It has increased an average of $ 21 over the past month for a 1 bedroom apt with tenants that eat out and are never there. Bringing it to $ 64 per month.
14 — Apparently some tenants are more important than others. The Ardea leasing office is sending bottles of wine and «Thank You for being a tenant» notes to some of the tenants. Some are also getting lottery tickets taped on their package pick ups. The rest of the tenants get a big «0». How is this good management?
Sorry I had to break the news but after being in this place as a longer tenant this is what is really going on.

I would love to rate this building 3 stars based solely on the space, construction, neighborhood – the general idea of having a nice roof over your head – but the inconveniences I experienced keep me from justifying anything higher than, «Meh. I’ve experienced better.» If The Ardea is in your price point, there’s a strong case to be made that this is good value for your money. As of November 2015, I am finishing a lease that included approximately 750 sq. ft. with air conditioning, reserved underground parking, and a monthly dog deposit for $ 1405/​month. In Portland, that’s pretty good!
I signed a lease approximately two months before move-​in. I was not allowed to see the actual unit until the day before move-​in. I understand not being able to see it while it was still occupied, and even the building’s liability in letting me walk through while repairs are being made. But after multiple phone calls and emails, I started to feel crazy for insisting I see my apartment before move-​in! In the eventual walk-​through, I was fed a line that while my last-​minute walk through was unfortunate, no one had ever been disappointed in their new home. I was already on the hook with my signature, so that sales moment just felt dirty. And for the record, I absolutely do not like living here, so please don’t let them use that line on you.
At move-​in, the loading dock/​elevator were double booked, even though I showed up a half hour into my appointment. Only after I told the concierge I was paying movers by the hour was I given a go-​ahead to start with any available elevator.
I could only afford the 4^th (of 30) floor, and my unit is on the south side above the loading dock entrance. While The Ardea claims to be a non-​smoking building, my apartment regularly smells of smoke from downstairs and/​or other balconies. The management cannot (size of building?) or will not (limited hours, willpower?) enforce this. Even worse, two members of the building maintenance team regularly smoke downstairs during the 6am hour. I alerted the leasing office in July ’15, but it is still happening. Additional south side issues are noise from frequent dumpster emptying (a price of urban living) and extreme dust from a construction holding area (temporary).
Both the lobby doors and the elevators work on key-​ring fobs, and the elevators only give you access to your own floor. That’s fine, but the plaza is a wind tunnel, and often times the doors won’t close unless pulled shut. There really should be a concierge at night, but I don’t think the management company is interested in investing in additional people. They are, however, unduly excited about their lobby and leasing office renovation, including a failed attempt to make «#ardeafacelift» a thing.
We recently received notice to turn off our air conditioners for three days (Monday morning through Wednesday 6pm). At the end of three days, and hearing no «all-​clear» from the building, I turned on my a/​c to realize it still wasn’t working. Not until Thursday noon did the building email us that an unexpected problem was found and that work would continue. A competent team would’ve been prepared to communicate on Wednesday evening no matter the outcome. Later they served ice cream in the lobby as a thank you. I would’ve preferred 1% off my rent. As an aside, south-​facing units baked for four days in September, and I felt bad for my dog.
Beyond this, I racked up a litany of nuisances during my stay. I had a mouse that took them entirely too long to remove. I replaced three small light bulbs in multi-​bulb fixtures within two weeks of moving in (not a huge a grievance, but speaks to their level of detail). The light above my shower burned out three times in six months, and even though the second time made clear a wiring issue, it took the third burn-​out for a part to be replaced. I am confident my apartment was neither painted nor professionally cleaned before my lease started, but am also confident I will not see a dime of my deposit (may update later). Twice, the garage door has been inoperable for maintenance, once keeping me from removing my car until noon when I was supposed to be at work a half hour away at 9am. Many of the dogs you meet on the elevator are clearly on the building’s breed restriction list, and a couple of them are legitimately mean.
My takeaway is that the staff, though friendly, is hamstrung by a large, distant corporation and unable to provide the luxurious experience they gratuitously advertise. I also suspect that nothing will change because Portland is growing and there will always be new tenants to dupe. I will greatly miss the oven and the shower head.

All the stories are true! They kept our deposit plus charged us for carpet damage that happened from a faulty toilet that was repaired at least 3 times. When I wanted to discuss the charge I was directed to Greystar management in WA. They didn’t want to hear any of my disputes, pay up or get reported. They did give me some advice so I will pass it on…

«As seen on the move in inspection attached to this email, there was nothing wrong with the carpet when you moved in but when you moved out, it needed to be replaced. You were charged the prorate based on the remaining life on the carpet. To dispute this or any charge, you would need to provide tangible proof supporting your claim. Your biggest piece of proof would be your move in inspection, In this case the move in inspection is saying the opposite of what you are saying. I will request the invoice to validate the debt and make sure all the numbers are correct on the prorate. Please just be advised, this file will report to rental history on 10÷27÷15 and will credit report on 12÷6÷15, on all parties. Hopefully we will be able to find a resolution before then.»
So basically the only «resolution» is to pay up! If you do move in make sure to note every little scratch, chip, dent, water damage etc… Take your time, a week if you need, to fill out your move in inspection paper. Oh yeah, and yearly rent and parking increase is to be expected. Greystar is all about the $$$
Good luck!

To start off let me say that I do not live at the Ardea but my experience comes from just looking at units and dealing with management leasing staff. The first time I went they were very nice but the next time that changed and the women I dealt with was rude and acted like she was doing me a favor by looking up availability. Anyway I just wanted to let other people know that this place has bad reviews for a reason and I experienced it first hand… thank god I did not sign a lease.

I feel compelled to write this to forewarn any potential residents of the risks you will be taking. You will NEVER receive any deposit money back and you WILL be charged for damages that were present prior to your moving in. We are two 50+ adults who moved into the Ardea while we were renovating our home. We paid a premium for a unit with a fireplace which, after a few months, failed to work properly, then stopped functioning altogether. It took several months to repair it. Our oven lights never worked and we were asked to just let that be as the repair was too costly. Any maintenance issue took several days/​weeks to be taken care of. We can honestly say our apartment was in better condition when we moved out than it was before we moved in. Even after documenting our apartment with several photos and comments, we were still charged for damage we did not inflict. Also, management on sight told us what great condition our apartment was in. They have people who have, most likely, never set foot in the building making decisions.
Also, you have to like dogs. It appears almost every resident has at least one, if not two. The grounds could not be more unpleasant smelling.

One of the worst decisions I ever made. Don’t make the same mistake. I lived at the Ardea for 6 weeks. When I moved out, I received a bill for over $ 4,000 stating that they needed to repaint the walls (although I never hung anything on them), extensive wear on the kitchen cabinets (which were already in that condition when I moved in) and scratches on the wood floor (which is crazy given that I only lived there for 6 weeks). The management team is very unpleasant and unhelpful. Before I signed the lease, I asked them about the bad reviews I read online stating that people were charged exorbitant fees once they moved out. They explained it away stating that I shouldn’t worry about it. There are many other great apartment buildings in this area, do yourself a favor and chose any of those and avoid this place.

I have lived here 2 years and a new management came and they are terrible. My puppy was barking and even though I correct problem they threaten to do a legal eviction. They also have very slow incompetent maintenance. I waited 4 weeks to get 8 items repaired.
They also raised rent 30% at a minimum. The people who live here who do not dogs are surly.
I would advise you to not live here and keep looking

Pros– it is a pretty apartment and most of the front desk people are nice. When we moved in they had resident event nights where you could socialize and meet neighbors, but no events the last 5 – 6 months we lived there. Most of the people we met were nice.
Cons– They will raise your rent pretty dramatically when it comes time to renew your lease, for us it was 400.00 a month and it was not worth it. We found a similar place in the South waterfront that was much cheaper and almost identical finishes. When we moved out we filled nail holes and had a professional cleaner come in and clean. They charged us to re-​paint the place even though we had not painted it. That takes up your deposit. Then they charged use for scratches on walls, floors, and cabinets despite us noting them on move in saying they were worse. We have before and after pictures and they were not worse. As we were leaving, a lot of the staff we liked were leaving. A new management group, Greystar bought them and things seemed to go downhill. The trash compactor frequently was out of use and our hall smelled of trash frequently. They also had elevators go out frequently so you would be down to 2 and experience long wait.
My other complaints are not their fault, but worth noting. Some of the residents had no respect for the property. Urinating in the elevator, not cleaning up dog urine/​poop in the common areas/​elevators, people would go to the 3^rd floor of parking and allow their dogs to urinate while they smoked if it was raining.

The worst management I have ever seen. Moved here month ago from NYC and I’m already ready to move out. Worst staff, very rude bad customer service. Micheal the doorman and maintenance guys are the only nice people here. Don’t move here, they only care about collecting rent !! U won’t get any customer service. No amenities … And building being managed very poorly. My unit it’s nice but so what ! I lived in many nice units .
Very quite area but nice but it gets very boring and stressful when management continue to harass u about everything.

Apartments are beautiful and it was nice living there without concerns. HOWEVER,
upon moving out I was charged for misc rent charges, which had no explanation. After months of deliberation I was sent a billing ledger to find that I was charged for twice as many days in my final month despite giving adequate notice to vacate — directly evident on the vacate sheet and other records. This entire matter was discussed with their billing company, Greystar, which consistently said that «the charges were correct,» yet never provided proof. Once it claimed that it was an accounting adjustment without rationale. Upon speaking to a CPA, I was advised to store evidence and not pay bill despite collection efforts, credit, etc. reporting. He was confident that claim would be removed from credit with this evidence as there was substantially evidence on our side. Needless to say I feel somewhat inclined to advice the public of this. The BBB also has received 22 similar claims against Greystar for related matters. It has also only been affiliated with Ardea, and possibly in business, for about 6 months.

I have lived at the Ardea for 8 months. I moved here after doing a fairly thorough but quick search at the downtown area apartment buildings. I have a 60lb dog and was splitting from my husband and downsizing from a 2200sf home. I read the reviews prior to deciding to live here.
First, you have to know that the Ardea is the best value in terms of price per square footage in the downtown/​South Waterfront area. You won’t find anywhere with more space for this price. Besides the space and the ability to bring my pooch, two other aspects totally sold me… the gas stove (seriously, a gas stove in a rental?!), and the concrete wall construction. I am not a fan of community living and I prefer not to hear anything from anyone if I don’t have to.
So far I’ve been really pleased with my stay here. The concrete construction makes this place extremely quiet. I barely ever hear anything from anyone on my floor. There has been some turnover in personnel which has been for the better, and there are a few sharp leasing agents who have stayed and do a really great job. Anytime I have ever had a maintenance issue, it’s been resolved timely or during the time frame I have designated (because I was going out of town, etc.) and it’s been done well. There are a few businesses moving in here that I think will be great for the residents (nail salon, barber shop, restaurants).
A few things to know if you’re considering moving here… the finishes (specifically the cabinets, counters, and floors) leave much to be desired. The cabinets show some wear that I wouldn’t have expected for a higher priced «luxury» apartment, but I am sure it’s a result of other renters who were not so gentle on them. I thought the mirrors in my bathrooms were dirty, but turns out the edges of them are cloudy and damaged. And the floors do scratch very easily. There were scratches that had been ‘repaired’ prior to my move in but they are still very visible. The worst part, though, is living with others. There are some very immature residents in this building and the South Waterfront… smoking on their balconies, throwing things off of their balconies, including watering plants and allowing it to run off, squealing tires/​loud motorcycles, and leaving trash lying around instead of putting it in the trash chute. I think this is to be expected anytime you get too many privileged people consolidated in one area. Lots of dogs here, great if you like them and if you have one and they are well socialized. If you don’t like them, you may not like living here.
I have hopes that when I move out that I won’t get gouged and have a bad experience but I took this into consideration when moving here. I was willing to take the chance to have the amenities here.
Lots of considerations but I really feel it’s worth the price and the convenience as far as proximity to my work, which I can take public transportation to and from.
Update: I terminated my lease on March 1^st. Be advised there is a fee to terminate and make sure you understand the cost to you. There was some confusion between leasing agents which I found concerning since you’d think they would be well versed on this. I spent a good two days scrubbing my apartment clean and filling nail holes. I never painted or did anything too crazy, so a thorough cleaning of all surfaces, including the floors and appliances was done prior to my moving out. Before I rented I thought to myself… ok, if I can get away without having to pay more than my deposit then I can accept that. I did my walk through and was told everything looked great BUT the final cost would be determined by a contractor. Here’s the thing with the Ardea… they will charge you for painting even if you never painted anything on their contractor grade paint color. I though that was weird. They do account for $ 150 of wear and tear… so let’s say the contractor determines it’s going to cost $ 300 to get your place up to snuff for the next renter… you would pay $ 150 after the $ 150 wear and tear was factored in. I ended up getting about $ 300 of my refund back, which I thought was pretty good since I did have a dog in my place and had the darker wood floors which show every little discoloration. Good communication is key when moving out and I would say email would be the way to go since the staff is confused on the rules/​process of moving out (i.e., get everything in writing!!). I keep my review at four stars!

Like others, I simply don’t understand the disparaging reviews on other sites for The Ardea or the South Waterfront Neighborhood.
We’ve lived here for 6 months and our only complaint, much like the other posters here, would be a FEW of the residents, and a little anxiety about the new plans for the neighborhood. We like our little Pearl without the overcrowding– and are a little nervous for what will happen with the new bridge and light rail line. We’ll enjoy the semi-​solitude while we can.
I have to say, I don’t know what Angelo T. is talking about. Apparently his experience was/​is very different than mine. The staff is usually available. They have had some new hires lately, so the services has been a little spotty, but they tell you in advance, whenever they can if people will be gone.
I have never seen 1 bug in this place. Except the ones hanging on the outside of our windows for dear life. But none INSIDE the apartment/​building. Also— if you have bed bugs in YOUR bed and YOUR apartment, isn’t that YOUR issue? I fail to see how the status and cleanliness of a person’s personal apartment is the Ardea’s problem.
The garage can get a little crazy. There are a few «I am more important than you» a** holes, who think going 25 miles an hour in a parking garage around TIGHT corners is too slow, and/​or stopping for children is a nuisance. I always help them with patience by going extra slow when I see these same (this one specific) people/​person.
We looked at The Riva and The Matisse– The Ardea blows them away, by far.
Details:
Price–
Okay, so it isn’t a steal. The prices are pretty high. think Min. $ 1200 for a studio up to $ 3 k+ for a penthouse 2 or 3 bedroom.
Utilities from the Ardea run about $ 45-​$ 50 a month for garbage, sewer, etc.
PGE– our bill was around $ 90 this month (80 degrees during the day weather outside, we keep it around 68 all the time inside), but we have set our programmable AC to keep us super chilly… so I am sure this could be lower if we were more conservative.
Parking– we pay $ 149 for a tandem spot. Reasonable for downtown, covered, and gated.
Pet Rent: Yep, this was one of our annoyances… our pets require monthly rent. About $ 35/​each.
Location–
This, is perfect. We can walk over the OHSU bridge to the Macadam neighborhood, or past the new OHSU buildings to Riverplace, or even take a river walk on the walking trails all the way down Macadam avenue towards the AquaRiva restaurant. We have spent a few glorious Saturdays in 80 degree weather walking from our place to The Pioneer Courthouse Mall. Only a few miles, and a beautiful walk.
There is a great Bambuza restaurant downstairs, in which, if we make happy hour (4 – 6 M-​F) we can get 2 drink and 2 small (but enough) meals for under $ 20.
A Little Big Burger moved in, a Fred Meyer (small Urban Style) is RUMORED to be moving in, a little store with Liquor and Flowers has leased a place to open soon.
There is also a decent Subway, little convenience store, and a overly priced sushi place. Oh, and a cute little clothing shop called Storefront.
Workout room– decent cardio equip. Some free weights, good overall.
Our Place–
The apartments are incredibly well made. Great quality. Tile, great paint, durable counter tops, deep tub. 1 complaint. The floors. The hardwood, is NOT hardwood and scratches EASILY! We cut our cats claws weekly, put felt bottoms to EVERYTHING and bought area rugs.
The Staff–
Absolutely flawless. 2 people have made our experience amazing.
1– Charlie– He leased us our place. Ask for him. He was new, but polite, charismatic, and not in our faces. He knew he didn’t have to «sell us» and it showed, and worked. He helped make our choice easier! (Update: It doesn’t seem like he is here anymore!)
2– Kyle at the front desk (the concierge). He’s responsive, upbeat, genuine (from what we can tell), seems to like his job and takes pride in it, and does it well and always greets with a smile and a compliment.
The Concierge desk
Free coffee, everyday. It’s drip, and it’s decent. Free pastries and sometimes fruit on Saturdays as well. They have a «you have a package» TV board, which is really nice as well.
The Elevators–
Some people say they are slow. When you are in a hurry, they always seem to be. At peak hours (5 pm) or Saturdays and Sundays around 10 am can be a bit of a wait. Average weight is about 30 –90 sec. at busy times, we’ve waited as long as 4 – 5 minutes.
Small Perks–
It seems like every Friday and/​or Sunday the Ardea will put on some sort of gather for residents. Right now, it is Happy Hour Friday. Free (I think, we have never been) drinks and snacks and time to socialize.
Another day it was an Irish theme, with drink and dancers. We aren’t really that social, but can appreciate the gesture.
So– that’s about it. It’s a great place. It’s luxurious & stunning, we can’t imagine living anywhere else.
To answer your question, NO, I DO NOT work here. Just love living here.

Bottom line up front: If you have the money, you can’t go wrong living here. Friendly staff, great building, top of the line finishes in the apartments, phenomenal views and reasonably priced for the quality you get.
My biggest complaint about this place revolves around the other residents… honestly I was surprised to learn that Portland (and the Ardea in particular) has such a high concentration of race car drivers.
Obviously that is a joke, but when the people who live in this building get behind the wheel of a car in the three-​level underground garage… they drive like maniacs, and that is no joke. I was nearly hit many many times. This garage is three levels and you wind your way down with basically a blind corner at every turn. To get to the bottom you have 12 blind corners… but people drive like nobody else matters. The space is barely wide enough for two cars, but people still drive down the middle of the aisle and act surprised when they meet an oncoming car. There are also a number of high end cars in this garage… Ferrari’s, Maserati’s, Lamborghini’s, Porsche’s, Audi’s and every other high-​end car… and as I have been saying people drive like idiots. So «Be Carful» if you move here… because I felt I was taking a chance every time I would drive through this garage.
A few other issues… and these are more so just gripes than anything (and they can be seen as positives depending on how you look at them).
1) I didn’t turn the heat on at all during the winter. Not once… Never. My electric bill in the winter was around $ 25 a month. It could be below freezing outside and my apartment (with southern exposure) would be over 70 degrees. However, on sunny winter days, my apartment would be hot… if I didn’t lower the blinds and if it wasn’t cloudy, then it could easily get into the mid 80s.
During the summer months, the sun in the NW is higher in the sky… so I honestly didn’t get as much direct sun in my apartment even though I had a southern exposure. However, I did have to leave my AC on pretty much all the time. My electric bills in the summer were around $ 75 month (which is still really reasonable and should be affordable for you if you can afford to live here).
2) The location is good. It is away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but yet you are still really close. But the location can be bad also (at least compared to other neighborhoods in Portland). I say this because there just isn’t a lot around that neighborhood. Like I said, this is a bit more of a gripe…
3) Noise. Inside the homes are quiet. I never heard anyone else above, below or next to me that were inside their apartment. But if people are in the hallways you can here them and it can be a bit annoying if they are loud.
Aside from these few little gripes, this is a great place to live. Just be careful in the garage.