What You’ll Pay Beyond the Advertised Rent
The advertised rent is never the full number due at signing. A studio listed at $2,202 requires $3,464 in total cash to move in once the mandatory one-time fees are added.
| Fee | Amount | When Due | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $45 per applicant | At application | No |
| Holding deposit | $400 per unit | At application | Yes |
| Security deposit | $400 per unit | At move-in | Yes |
| Move-in admin fee | $400 per unit | At move-in | No |
| Utility setup fee | $17 per unit | At move-in | No |
| Utility final-bill fee | $17 per unit | At move-out | No |
Parking, if wanted, adds $160 to $200 a month for a standard space or up to $275 a month for a reserved EV space; a monthly utility-billing administration fee of $4.88 applies regardless of usage. Pet owners pay a further $300 deposit, $300 one-time fee, and $50 monthly rent per pet, capped at two pets.
For income qualification, the property applies the common 30%-of-gross-income rule: at the current $2,202 studio floor, that works out to roughly $88,080 a year in qualifying income. A one-bedroom at $2,762 raises the bar to about $110,480.
How much income do I need to qualify for a studio at Soma Towers? At the property’s standard 30%-of-gross-income guideline, the current studio floor of $2,202 a month requires roughly $88,080 in annual income; that threshold rises with every floor plan above it.
Floor Plans and Unit Variants Explained
Sixteen distinct floor plans share the “studio,” “1×1,” and “2×2” labels, so the plan letter and the ARCH suffix matter more than the bedroom count alone.
| Plan Type | Size Range | Bed/Bath | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio (standard) | 432 to 534 sq ft | Studio / 1 | $2,202 to $2,393 | Eight named variants (I, K, F, H, J, E, D, B); price tracks floor and view |
| Studio ARCH | 383 to 505 sq ft | Studio / 1 | Rent-restricted, not publicly listed | Rent-restricted under the ARCH program; contact leasing for eligibility |
| 1×1 (standard) | 560 to 733 sq ft | 1 / 1 | $2,762 to $3,067 | Seven named variants; ARCH counterparts exist for several |
| 2×2 (standard, Panache) | 929 to 1,275 sq ft | 2 / 2 | $4,042 to $5,005 | “Panache” denotes a higher interior finish tier, not a different footprint |
| 2×2 Penthouse | 1,141 to 1,275 sq ft | 2 / 2 | From $5,005; one unit at $7,305 | Top-floor units with elevated ceiling and view premiums |
| 4x3D Penthouse | 1,975 sq ft | 4 / 3 | $9,475 | The building’s single largest unit |
What’s the difference between Soma Towers’ regular units and ARCH homes? ARCH units are rent-restricted apartments reserved for households at 50 to 80 percent of area median income under an East King County affordable-housing agreement; they share a floor plan with a standard unit but carry a capped, income-qualified rent instead of the market price shown above.
Amenities at a Glance
The amenity list is dense even by Downtown Bellevue standards, built around a shared golf simulator, an indoor lap pool, and a top-floor screening room rather than a single standout feature.
- Fitness and recreation: indoor lap pool and spa, dedicated golf simulator, strength and cardio zones, yoga studio.
- Social spaces: resident lounge with fireplace, top-floor terrace, and an 18-seat theater and media room built out as part of the original 2014-to-2016 construction.
- Pet infrastructure: on-site dog run and a dedicated pet-washing station.
- Parking and access: controlled-access garage, EV charging stalls, bike storage.
- In-unit: air conditioning in every home, stainless appliances, luxury vinyl plank flooring in most units, in-unit washer and dryer.
Is Soma Towers pet-friendly, and what are the restrictions? Cats and dogs are both permitted with a $300 deposit, $300 one-time fee, and $50 monthly rent per pet, capped at two pets; a fixed breed list, including Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and Pit Bull-type breeds, is excluded regardless of individual temperament.
What Current and Past Residents Say
Soma Towers carries a 2.8 out of 5 average across 19 recorded reviews on Apartments.com, and the distribution is not a bell curve: it splits between residents who rate the building highly and a larger group who rate it at the bottom.
| Star Rating | Number of Reviews |
|---|---|
| 5 stars | 5 |
| 4 stars | 4 |
| 3 stars | 1 |
| 2 stars | 1 |
| 1 star | 8 |
Eight of nineteen reviews sit at the lowest possible score, which is unusual for a building with this amenity tier. Independently posted resident accounts describe two recurring themes: a decline in leasing-office responsiveness and unit upkeep coinciding with a change in on-site management, and disputes over move-out charges, including one account of an unexplained unit-transfer fee running into the thousands of dollars that was never disclosed in advance. These are individual accounts, not verified findings, and they predate the 2025 ownership change described below.
Is Soma Towers a good place to live based on resident reviews? The average sits at 2.8 out of 5 across 19 reviews, with a distribution weighted toward both ends: several residents rate it a 5, but eight rate it a 1, and the negative reviews cluster around management responsiveness and move-out billing rather than the building or unit quality itself.
Who Owns and Manages Soma Towers
Greystar has managed daily leasing and operations at Soma Towers since it opened. Ownership changed in May 2025, when The Sobrato Organization completed a $192.85 million purchase of the property from its original developer, Su Development, in a deal CBRE brokered.
Location, Commute, and Schools
Two different scoring providers rate the building’s walkability, and they don’t agree with each other, which is worth knowing before you lean on either number. Apartments.com, using Local Logic’s scoring, lists Walkability at 90, Transit at 70, Drivability at 60 and Bikeability at 60. The building’s leasing site, using the separately branded Walk Score, cites 95 for walking, 60 for transit and 55 for biking. Neither figure is wrong; they’re two different companies measuring the same address with different models, and neither publisher explains the gap to the reader.
The zoned public schools carry strong GreatSchools ratings: Enatai Elementary at 8 out of 10, Chinook Middle School at 8 out of 10, and Bellevue High School at 10 out of 10, all serving the Bellevue School District attendance zone that covers this address.
Noise levels register 72 out of 100 on HowLoud’s Soundscore, categorized as “Active,” driven mainly by street and airport traffic rather than nearby businesses.
Who currently owns Soma Towers? The Sobrato Organization, a California-based, family-run real estate firm with other Puget Sound apartment holdings, has owned Soma Towers since May 2025; Greystar continues to manage the property day to day, and no ownership change since that sale has been verified.
How It Compares to Nearby Downtown Bellevue Buildings
Two verified Downtown Bellevue buildings sit within half a mile of Soma Towers and illustrate two very different tradeoffs.
| Building | Price Range | Walk Score | Notable Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soma Towers | $2,202 to $9,475 (studio to 4BR) | 90 (Local Logic) / 95 (Walk Score) | Pet-friendly; golf simulator and media room; 2.8★ average |
| Bellevue Towers | No public pricing at time of research | 90 | LEED Gold, 539 units, does not allow pets |
| Broadstone Savoie | 1BR from $2,401, 2BR from $3,292 | Not independently scored in this research | 0.4 miles away; 12-month lease standard; current 2-months-free special |
Bellevue Towers is the closer comparison on prestige and construction quality (it holds LEED Gold certification and is roughly twice the unit count), but its no-pets policy rules it out immediately for anyone with an animal, and no current asking rent was published at the time of this research. Broadstone Savoie undercuts Soma Towers’ one-bedroom floor by roughly $360 a month at the advertised rate, before either building’s fees are added.
Who This Building Suits (and Who It Doesn’t)
Soma Towers suits a renter who wants a car-optional Downtown Bellevue address, is comfortable pet-owning under a fixed breed list, and is willing to read the lease’s fee schedule before touring. It suits families less well given the 72/100 “Active” noise score and the studio-heavy unit mix, and it’s a weaker fit for anyone who has read the recent 1-star reviews and wants zero risk of a leasing-office transition affecting their experience.
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