The Colorado - Renovations

Unfortunately, I am a current tenant. Let's shine some further light on this building, shall we? They are trying to charge premium rents, on par with buildings like the Gotham and the Brompton, both a block away. Hence the building renovation project that has been going on for a very long time. The problem is that it is very easy to make promises, but very hard to deliver. This building has issues with 1) execution and 2) value

On execution, the lobby renovation referred to in the above comment? It began in June. It was said back then that it would be done in September. It is now February and still the lobby is not done. For 5-6 months, we were walking in the service entrance. And now, there are so many pieces yet to be complete. Rooftop renovation? Forget about it. No end in sight. Looks fabulous in the renderings. Try getting a date certain from management.

What is much worse is the renovation on the floors. Know that if you rent here, you may hear renovation noise almost all day, every weekday. It is LOUD. They will "chip", which is their term for what sounds like drilling into concrete, constantly. That is about 90 decibels of noise right over your head. Forget about talking to someone on the phone, concentrating, living your life while that is going on.

On value, you may think you are getting a high-end apartment, but think again. Some finishes are nice - bathroom fixtures, including heated floors, are a nice touch. But while it looks like a real hardwood floor in the rooms, it is not. It is a laminate. How did I find out? Well I walked in on day one and the floor had a major "bubble" in it! It buckled under my weight! When I called down to get it fixed, the solution was to come in with a nail gun and they basically just stapled it down. Example 2: you get nice fancy wireless temperature controls, with scheduled temp changes and everything. All good until the winter, when you realize - it's still a radiator under the AC unit!! They come in and turn on the heat, and then the fan blows air over the radiator. Huh - not what I expected. Appliances? Subzero fridge - great start. Bosch washer/dryer - nice. But then, GE range, GE oven, GE dishwasher, Broan range hood. What happened to the budget, guys? Last thing, because it has to be seen to be believed - the living room lighting. They pitch their 'green' LED system as efficient. The reason it is efficient is that the light is about the equivalent of a 10-watt bulb. I don't even know if a 10 watt bulb exists, but I have no basis for comparing this thing to anything.

Such potential in this place. But they stick it to you on construction and they stick it to you on the finishes. Did I mention that the hallway carpets, even in a renovated floor, haven't been replaced?

Just... look somewhere else.

I can attest to every word that the above tenant wrote in September 2016 and wish to add several comments of my own. I rented a nice 1 bedroom at the Colorado some months (before Dermot took over in April 2013.) The building's problem is well stated by the tenant. The IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) is very poor. Sometimes it has become very dangerous to any daily-occupant's health which is stating it rather mildly. The human airway system does not deal well with inhaling drywall. There are no attempts on remediating the air as many a good licensed contractor does. Sealing off a partial hallway with zip locked translucent tarps where persons live at night and keeping it open during the day does not improved the air quality. Where have all scheduled 3rd-party inspectors went to? Where have the safety compliance persons go? This is not so uncommon but the timing of this shortly after a major 2 to 3 month work-stoppage resumed, is in my mind a bit suspect. The building, itself, has structural issues created in the early stages of this entire-building's demolition and remodeling project since the beginning around late-July 2013. The core, for instance, has several deep cracks in it which is not something that can be dealt with easily. There is no concern for the tenants live's much less the money they have to pay. Some of my co-tenants left in the middle of their lease; the leases were still in force at the time. 'Who can blame them? While some of the photos shown here and on their web site (Mary Packes Leasing and Dermot) depict the true remodeled areas of the Colorado, the one thing that is left as computer-generated renderings is the roof indoor and outdoor areas. The roof is slow to be given a major face-lift since late 2016. We were promised a new Nevada-like ski resort style roof since late 2014. Of course there is no project management to speak of, there are too many persons and corporate entities involved pulling and pushing in all directions at the same time. While Dermot refuses to see their debilitating role (which is major) here, the initial provocateur in this UES-renovation farce is the owner of the property since 1986. They hired Dermot. Everyone is allowed a mistake. The owners pull the strings for Mary Packes who pulling the strings for Dermot. The owners fired - Cushman Wakefield and other excellent property management companies in the past (usually before their 4 or 5 year contracts were over) in order to keep the building fresh. This a paraphrase as I forget the exact words I was told. The Colorado is a nice building to look at from a far and was truly a nice building, once, now made a wreck over the past 4 years. So as the previous comment stated, "plenty of nice rentals, far less to spend, far more to gain and of course less noise."

If you don't mind the following this buidling is for you:

1. Builders using the elevators daily and stopping at most floors meaning getting to your apartment is a commute in itself.
2. Dust, Dust and more Dust
3. Paying for amenitites that you either still haven't got access to or only get to use for a few months as you're done with the building and have chosen to move out.
4. Disgruntled staff
5. Signing up for a doorman building only to be told by management this is not a doorman building.
6. Drilling, Drilling and yes, more drilling (in case I haven't made the point, even more drilling!)
7. Lastly, let's not forget the welcome of orange cones when you get home as despite asking the management why on earth they would opt for motion sensored sliding doors on such a busy walkway, they did and it, which means every person walking past opens the door and all the rubbish that is on the street finds it's way in. Not to mention the idiots who have walked into the glass and broken the doors on several occasions!!!

Save yourself the money, the stress and the aggravation...