Fast Facts
Built in 2013, 7 stories, 293 units total. Assigned schools are Lowell Elementary, Edmonds S. Meany Middle, and Garfield High, per the property’s Zillow listing. The property carries LEED Silver certification.
Does the 293-unit count matter to me as a renter? It signals scale, not risk. Phase one holds 177 units and phase two holds 118, a total of 295 that lines up closely with the portal-stated 293. A lower figure circulating on at least one listing site (around 31 units) does not match any independent source and looks like a stale or partial data scrape rather than a real alternative count.
What You’ll Actually Pay Each Month
Base rent is only part of the bill. Application and deposit figures come from the property’s published fee schedule, as reproduced by its listing platform; pet figures come from Zillow above.
| Fee | Amount | One-time or recurring |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $30 | One-time |
| Security deposit | $400 | One-time |
| Pet deposit | $100 per pet | One-time |
| Pet rent | $35/mo per pet, max 2 dogs or 2 cats | Recurring |
| Reserved parking | $175 to $270/mo, depending on the portal quoted | Recurring |
| EV parking | $255 to $285/mo | Recurring |
| Utility billing service fee | $5/mo, plus metered water, sewer, and garbage | Recurring |
Parking pricing itself is inconsistent across sources: one listing service quotes $195 reserved and $175 non-reserved, well below the $200 to $270 the property’s own schedule states. Budget toward the higher figure and confirm at tour time.
Is a parking spot guaranteed once I’m paying for it? Resident accounts on ApartmentRatings.com describe paying monthly and still not having a guaranteed spot, undersized stalls, and some spots resold to outside businesses. Ask specifically about spot assignment before signing if a dedicated space matters to you.
Two Buildings, One Address
AMLI South Lake Union is two separate structures. Phase one, the original 177-unit building, opened in 2013. Phase two, a 118-unit building the project team named LuLu, opened in November 2015.
During phase two’s excavation, crews unearthed the tusk of a Columbian mammoth; the general contractor preserved it with Seattle’s Burke Museum, and the project stayed on schedule.
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 (“LuLu”) | |
|---|---|---|
| Units | 177 | 118 |
| Completed | 2013 | November 2015 |
| Contractor | Rafn Co. | Rafn Co. |
| Distinct feature | Airstream-inspired metal siding | Maker workshop, solarium, community kitchen |
The split shows up in day-to-day operations, not just design. A 2025 resident account on ForRent.com reported phase two’s package room was closed after two break-ins, with deliveries rerouted to the phase-one leasing office and pickup limited to office hours.
Do the two buildings share amenities? Yes. Residents in either building can use amenities in both, and the property also shares select amenities with the neighboring sibling community, AMLI 535.
Location, Walkability, and Noise
Walk Score.com rates the address 97 out of 100, a Walker’s Paradise.
Apartments.com also scores the address 50 out of 100 for drivability, “Fairly Drivable,” and flags the sound profile “Busy.”
Why do different sites show different walk and transit scores for the same address? Walk Score.com and Apartments.com’s CoStar-based index use different underlying methodologies for the same input data, so a few points of spread between them is normal and does not mean one source is wrong.
Where It Sits in the Market
A March 2026 comparison against nearby inventory, run by ApartmentHomeLiving.com across 907 South Lake Union communities and 11,583 Seattle communities, puts the building below its immediate neighborhood but above the city as a whole.
| Comparison | Position |
|---|---|
| Vs. South Lake Union neighborhood average | 14.57% cheaper |
| Vs. Seattle citywide average | 4.97% more expensive |
| Seattle citywide studio average, for reference | $1,599/mo |
| Seattle citywide 2BR average, for reference | $3,406/mo |
Renters chasing the single cheapest South Lake Union studio will find it elsewhere; renters comparing this building against Seattle overall are paying a modest premium for the walk score and the two-building amenity set.
Who This Fits, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Car-dependent renters: a 50/100 drivability score plus resident reports of undersized, oversold reserved spots point away from this building for anyone who needs guaranteed, easy parking.
- Noise-sensitive renters: the “Busy” sound rating and a resident report of bass noise from a nearby bar on the south side mean it is worth asking which side a specific unit faces before signing.
- Households needing three or more bedrooms: the largest unit tops out at 1,107 square feet as a two-bedroom; there is no larger configuration here.
- Walkers, transit riders, and hybrid workers: this is where the building’s strength sits, backed by three independent walkability measurements above 80.
What Residents Report
Yelp shows 71 reviews; Birdeye’s independent aggregate puts the property at 4.1 stars across 149 reviews, a larger sample than any single listing site carries on its own. Praise clusters around staff responsiveness and the two-building amenity access. Complaints cluster around parking, as covered above, and the phase-two package-room closure. One reviewer called the building relatively quiet given its location; another, in the same review set, described no soundproofing between units and bass noise from a nearby bar late into the night.
What do residents say about noise specifically? Accounts split by unit position: interior units and those away from the south-facing bar strip are described as quiet, while south-facing units closer to street level report audible bass through the night.
Before You Tour
Lease terms are typically quoted at 7 to 12 months. Listed prices shift with live availability, so the $2,097 to $4,194 range above reflects one snapshot in time.
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