Absolutely the Worst Living Experience I've Had in 7+ Years…read more
I moved into Urbana over seven years ago after calling to ask if the building allowed smoking. The leasing agent said, "Yeah, it's a smoking building. Come on over. You want to check out an apartment? Want a beer?" -- at 11 a.m. That should've been the first red flag. But hey, it's San Diego. People party. And at Urbana, that's what most residents seem to do: drink heavily, act entitled, and leave trash everywhere.
Things went from bad to worse. During the pandemic, management showed no concern for resident safety. I had to escalate to upper management just to get hand sanitizer stations installed and basic mask guidelines posted. I was physically attacked in the elevator during COVID -- management's response? Indifference.
It gets darker. During the pandemic, there were meth-addicted sex workers living in the building under a stolen identity. It took management forever to do anything about it -- even after repeated complaints. There was also visible gang activity on the sixth floor, because apparently Urbana doesn't really vet who rents there. I was attacked in the lobby by a gang member trying to force his way in, and still, they dragged their feet in taking any meaningful action.
More recently, a friend of mine died in his unit from alcohol poisoning. What doesn't help is the 24-hour self-serve beer keg on the rooftop -- yes, really. No ID checks, no oversight. If my kid lived here and got in an accident after drinking at home, I'd be furious. It feels negligent, if not outright illegal.
The building is now "autonomous," which means: no front desk, no supervision, and zero accountability. The current property manager, Isaac Stermer, is one of the most inept people I've ever dealt with. He cannot communicate, he delays action until you pester him multiple times, and he clearly doesn't care. When a neighbor left open bags of dog feces in the hallway, it took me three complaints and photo evidence to get a response.
There are no security cameras in the elevators. The cameras in the lobby don't even face the front desk. They want to spend money on turning an old office into a "community lounge" instead of improving safety. Priorities are completely backward.
Worst of all, when someone dies in the building, they say nothing. No notice, no compassion, no acknowledgment. They'll tell you "we're family," but in reality, they only care about one thing: profit.
If you're still thinking of moving here, lock your doors. And don't be surprised if the party never stops, the trash piles up, and management turns a blind eye -- every time.