I chose the Reserve because it was walking distance to the Hub and is close to lots of other popular, but more expensive, living options in Evanston. Overall it's been an average experience. The location is great, the community is quieter and a bit more family-friendly than others. For those with pets, there is no monthly pet rent. However, the walls are extremely thin and you can hear your neighbors very well. You'll also have to deal with occasional internet outages that, since the internet is included in your rent and you have no choice which provider is used, you have very little control of. The gym is pretty small and doesn't have a lot of equipment. The HVAC system is extremely loud (like, people on the phone can hear it). The property was recently sold and so far the management has been pretty responsive, but is much more "analog" than the previous company. The website is not as informative and they don't have any app for submitting maintenance requests (but are responsive to emails so not the end of the world). Overall, it's a pretty good value if you can tolerate the minor inconveniences.

I have really enjoyed living at the Reserve. They recently were acquired and have new property managers that go above and beyond to make it a great experience. It's in a fantastic location and my unit is updated/relatively large for Evanston! In addition, it is pretty close to the CTA train and a nearby park.

The rent is really affordable at the Reserve and you get a lot of space for what you pay! The bedrooms are much larger than most apartments I've seen in Evanston. The management is great and very quick and responsive. Overall great place to live. Still close to the "action" at Kellogg and not too far of a walk to campus.

Overall I’m happy living at the Reserve. I was looking for a larger apartment (space matters to me) that didn’t break the bank. There have been some good/bad things I’ve learned since living here, outlined below:

Pros:

- much larger apartments for much less money (1900 or less for 700 square foot one bedroom apartment)

- closest to the action (E2) without being the action

- homier feel

Cons:

- very thin walls. This is something they’ll tell you about Evanston place or park Evanston, but did not tell me about the Reserve. Your experience will depend heavily on the behaviors of your neighbors, including whether they have dogs and/or kids

- electricity is more than expected ($40/month) likely given poorer insulation

- package delivery issues - if you anticipate getting tons of things delivered, I would look elsewhere as we have had a lot of stolen package issues given that the package room is not locked or monitored

I think The Reserve is the best value in Evanston. It has great amenities (gym, pool, lounge w/ coffee bar, etc.), the location is within walking distance of Northwestern, and the interior of the units are updated and high quality. The only real complaints are related to noise - the walls and floors/ceilings are thin so it is not uncommon to hear neighbors - but that isn't really unique to this complex and is just part of living in an apartment.

Very nice and family-like environment

The apartments are a great size and there is plenty of storage. The management is very nice and responsive, and quickly fix maintenance issues. The one downside is that is can be a little noisy - I hear street noise from my apartment, and I have heard others complain about thin walls, but I personally don't have that issue.

The Reserve is a solid option if you want more amenities like a pool, gym, lounge (granted, all very modest in size) with attentive management and repair services with spacious floor plans for the market rental price. Rent in Evanston is more than you might expect, especially for the shiny high-rise or managed buildings like the Reserve, but early promotions can help offset the average monthly cost. The amount of extra storage was a significant factor (between a coat closet, linen closet, and walk-in bedroom closets) as well as indoor, heated parking if you're bringing a car (this is an additional cost however and is considerably higher than other buildings' parking options). Overall its ~15-20 minutes walking to campus, located across from E2, closer to Ingraham Park and shops on Noyes, and is a block from the L train purple line, Foster stop.

My roommate and I have been living here for about 4 months, and we've been really pleased with the Reserve. It's conveniently located to campus and E2, has a nice community within the building, is reasonably priced, and our apartment is big.

I have enjoyed living at the Reserve! Close to downtown Evanston and Kellogg, and best dog friendly. The fire pit is a nice touch when it’s cold! Lots of Kellogg folks too.