Tenant Reviews for 222 N COLUMBUS DRIVE

Finally found my home here.

Park Millennium has become where I belong. After relocating to Chicago from out of state roughly 10 months ago, I've found the Besidence and its team to be incredibly welcoming, secure, and dependable. The maintenance crew responds promptly and shows genuine helpfulness whenever I have a need. I'd recommend that anyone considering a move should tour Park Millennium for themselves. I'm confident you'll be just as happy with your experience as I am with mine.

AVOID THIS LOCATION.

This property has experienced multiple break-ins, which makes me feel unsafe living here. plus, there's a fire station directly across the street, and the constant blaring of sirens and horn sounds create significant disruption and noise disturbances?

It takes FOREVER to get constructions done here. Pave construction started months ago and it's still going on which is a pain and a big inconvenience. There is a back door to the building but also a pet-poo area right next to it, so you can smell everything going in/out the door. Also, you can hear noises from neighbors coming from all directions and my floor smells like a frat house. AC/Heat is centrally controlled so residents can't adjust temperatures. Building management staff respond quickly to inquiries or concerns, and the door staff and maintenance team are friendly, but the building quality overall could do a lot better.

Have lived here for 2 years on rent. Management is great and door staff is always very professional and always courteous. The building runs like clockwork. The building is always very clean, improvements are made, and anything that's broken is fixed immediately and to the highest standard. It's a relatively new building, so there are no issues with plumbing, and there is always hot water when you need it (unlike some older buildings). Amenities are terrific including: - indoor semi-Olympic length pool open all year round 24/7 - Jacuzzi - saunas - Locker rooms with separate showers for men/women on pool level - great gym stocked with new machines, and is almost never full - Front staff stores deliveries until you request them - Locked bike room to store bikes - Sun terrace with grills - Party room - Computer room / library (only 3 computers and a printer/ fax), but usually there's a computer available. - 3 Conference rooms that can be booked for free (although they could be prettier...) - pet walking area that's kept usable even when during the height of winter, with supplied bags for what the pets do there - A well-stocked and popular grocery store open 6am-midnight in the summer (6am-11pm in the winter) every day, although it's quite expensive. - A lot of other amenities I'm probably forgetting. The neighbors are mostly nice, apartment is quiet, and unless someone is speaking loudly in the hallway, you can't really hear them inside the apartment. The neighbors are pretty nice on my floor and I've never encountered any problem with any of the other neighbors in the building. I really love living here. Just make sure you avoid apartments facing the north who 'enjoy' a view of the Hyatt hotel (below floor 34 or something like that), or you'll feel like you're living in a jail.

I have to say I was beyond excited to move in here as the location and views were amazing for me. However after living here for a year now I regret this decision COMPLETELY!! Read all of the rules and reg's before making a purchase!!!! Having lived all over the world this building is by far the most ridiculous building when it comes to the rules. Every week it seems they (the FIVE board members) come up with some new goodies. They have ONE freight elevator for 52 floors, making any moving in/out virtually impossible unless you have a month's notice; which when bringing a painting or a new plant or a new chair up to one's apartment you are required to use the freight.... so NOTHING get's accomplished. Also because majority of this building seems to be leased there are ALWAYS people moving. So If you need it for that last minute purchase there is a 99% chance it will be taken and you will face a wrath from either management or the door women (who are really nice and I feel sorry for as they have to constantly yell at residents who can't seem to keep up with the weekly changes in the rules). ALSO as I just found out, for those in love with the Holiday's THEY BANNED LIVE CHRISTMAS TREES b/c Scrooge lives here. Don't do it. I am counting the days until our lease is up and we can move out of her.

I have been a long time resident at Park Millennium. I used to love it - my apartment, the location, the building, etc. and had always considered PM my home. I've read the reviews on PM, however they go back a few years. Since Drake & Kramer Management has taken over, I feel it has gone downhill. I'm not sure if it is D&K or if it is the management inside the building itself that is the problem. I find the hallways are not as well kept. The elevators seem to break more often than before. The caliber of tenants seem to have gone down. It seems more like a dorm these days than a luxury high rise condominium building. Children are allowed to run out in the hallways to run off energy because, let's face it, after awhile a four year old gets a little cramped up in an apartment. People leaving parties late at night laughing and making loud noises in the hallways seem to have no respect for the neighbors who might be sleeping. People playing loud, annoying music are allowed to do so even though it has been reported and documented as a disturbance to their neighbors which D&K seems to do nothing about. It is almost like they just hope the problem will go away. I agree with the fire station situation. Wish I had realized that before I moved in. Granted, you do get somewhat use to the noise but you never really get THAT use to hearing the wailing of fire engines. As soon as I can afford to move I will be out of PM for good. Good luck to those who choose this building over another.

I have lived here for the past three years. Of course every place will have a few bad reviews, but some of the ones for this building are simply unfair and not warranted. This building has lower rental rates than those of surrounding properties in Lake Shore East. It may be a bit higher than Columbus Plaza or Millennium Plaza, but just compare the amenities and upkeep of the building and units and you'll see why. The building has an indoor/heated 25 meter 2 lane lap pool as well as an indoor hot tub. Saunas are located in mens and woman's locker rooms. There is a fitness center with 5 treadmills, three elipticals, and several stair and bike machines, as well as free weights and machine weights. First floor has a business center with computers, fax machine, copier, and printer as well as a community maintained library. There is a conference room available for resident use. The second floor has a large patio with two BBQ grills. There is also a club room which can be rented out for private use, and it is equipped with a kitchen. The parking garage is not owned by the condominium association, and thus its operation is the responsibility of the separate owner. Parking is offered monthly for $240. The management office has new staff as of August, 2008. The new property manager is more responsive and has instituted customer service improvements throughout the building, but especially at the front desk. Even though this building is a condo building, the building is very responsive to tenants as this building is over half tenant filled. The location is great -- close to everything but doesn't draw the traffic. Lower wacker is right here and is great for getting places quickly. Millennium Park, Grant Park, the river walk and lakefront are all within walking distance. Mighigan Avenue and State street shopping is also walkable within 5 - 7 minutes. There are multiple bus lines that leave from outside the building, a few others that are located on Randolph or Wacker, and tens more that run along Michigan avenue. All the L trains stop within three blocks at State & Lake or the blue line is at Clark & Lake. For those of you who are at or going to go to GSB (Booth), it is just across the river and there are many many GSB students in the building. The building is connected to the Pedway, so you have access all the way to downtown without going outside. There is a grocery store in the building as well as a dry cleaners and two realty offices. There is a firestation across the street. You will probably hear the sirens at night, but you get used to it and will ignore it after a while. It didn't take long. All in all, this is a great place to live.

My family has an apartment in this building which we use for weekends and fun. It's a great building in a terrific location - close to the Park, Art Institute, Symphony, Michigan Ave, and downtown. The building staff is friendly, helpful, and vigilant. The grounds and building are kept clean and tidy. My only complaint is with the pool temperature. A lap pool should be kept at no more than 82 degrees, and this one hovers around 90 degrees - impossible for a true workout. I highly recommend this building for prospective renters or buyers.

See recent email from mgmt regarding the AC. Dear Residents, As a reminder, the Building?s Air Conditioning system is provided by chilled water circulating throughout the building. When an individual temperature control panel is set to the ?Cool? position, valves are opened to allow for flow of cold water over coils and then the fan/blower distributes the cool air to the room. The Chiller (unit that provides the chilled water for circulation) is only activated when both the outside air temperature is above 65 degrees F and there is sufficient demand in the building for cooling. Demand is created when the temperature control panels are set to cool which begins the circulation of the chilled water. During the year when the outside temperature fluctuates above and below 65 degrees, there may be times when either the demand is insufficient or the outside temperature is too low to activate the circulation of the chilled water. So it is important to keep in mind that cooling system may not be activated during these season changes even though you desire additional cooling due to the location of your condo unit, sun exposure, or individual temperature preferences. Thank you for your understanding and your continuous residency.

I guess there are always disgruntled residents... as far as I am concerned, the PM was my home for about a year and it was a good living experience. The place has a prime location and it counts with all the necessary ammenities. The staff (management, maintenance and doormen) is always friendly and helpful. This is a condo association, but I didn't feel neglected as a renter.