Kolo Apartments

I've enjoyed my time living in the Kolo Apartments in the South Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis. Here's what you should know:

LOCATION: Kolo is two blocks from the Lakewood Cemetery (really beautiful and a great place to walk) and only a few more blocks from Lake Bde Maka Ska and the Historic Theodore Wirth house in Lyndale Farmstead Park. There's a coffee shop/cafe kitty-corner to the apartment, a convenience store, a gas station one block away, and a breakfast place and a doughnut place super close. It's right off of Lyndale Avenue & there's bus stop that takes you about a block and a half from the law school. If you're driving, it's only about a ten minute drive (when not in rush hour) to the law school and the commute is pretty simple. The street that the apartment is on is a one-way street going south, and there's parking on the west side of the street which is free. It is a really cute neighborhood; it's like you're living in a residential neighborhood and not in an apartment complex - the apartment actually kinda blends into the scenery because it's in between two houses and it is relatively the same size.

APARTMENT: I've lived in a few different apartments and rental properties that were less than ideal, so when I knew I was moving to Minneapolis I decided to try and find a place that was reasonably priced and was "modern" or at least upkept/nice (i.e., no crumbling ceilings/walls, no shoddy electrical outlets or exposed wires, no basement issues, etc.). Kolo was built in 2020 and they have studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom apartments available. I moved into a Studio my 1L year that was 450 sq ft., which is pretty awesome for a Studio. I had enough room for a kitchen island & chairs, loveseat & coffee table, desk and chair, and my full-size bed and nightstand and still had plenty of room to move around. There was only one closet in the apartment, which was the only downfall, but other than that, it was great. Appliances are all newer, kitchen is modern and updated, bathroom is nice and clean, and hardwood floors are always a plus. I only ended up moving into a one bedroom because I wanted a bigger closet and I didn't like living on the first floor because people could literally see into my apartment (and I was paranoid someone would try to break in). So I now live in a one bedroom on the second floor and I don't have any issues or complaints! And I almost forgot - each apartment in the building has its own washer & dryer, which is so convenient and a must-have for me. The apartments are pretty quiet - and I'm talking about hearing noise from other neighbors. If people are in the hallway, that sound echos and can be loud, but for the most part I only hear the occasional thud or knock coming from my neighbors upstairs and to the side, which is a huge improvement from my last two apartments where I could basically hear every conversation through the walls.

AMENITIES: Not much for amenities, which is a bummer. No gym, the "community room" is pretty small. However, there is a rooftop patio with a grill, a ground-floor patio with a fire pit and chairs, a community room with a coffee machine which is free for residents, a secure mailroom and separate mailboxes, and a keyless-entry system where you can use an app on your phone to access the building remotely. You can even send access to your friends & family so they can access the building if you aren't able to get to the door to let them in. (This could also be a bad thing, but I haven't seen it be abused yet, so fingers crossed.) Underground heated parking is a plus, and street parking is easy to find and not bad at all. I don't have a dog, but they do have dog bathroom areas and dog waste disposal with free baggies for picking up dog poop. And lots of the residents have dogs and I only hear them every so often.

MANAGEMENT: Management has been good so far, and I haven't had to deal with them all too often.