Fairview

Great complex overall. Price includes all utilities, super quiet. While spacious for living alone, apartment floor plan isn't very good for hosting parties. No in-unit washer and dryer, but building has elevator, dishwasher, and shared laundry room. Internet is fast. Building looks dated outside, but fine inside. Intercom system to let guests in from your apartment. Fast maintenence and leasing office is friendly.

Steam heat does not have a thermostat setting, so those sensitive to dryness in the winter or heat may wish to choose another property. Management is efficient and responsive but impersonal. Safe and with greenspace. Efficient commute via walking to engineering quad.

The fire alarm being so close to the kitchen makes it a bit difficult to use the oven, as the hot air sometimes trips the alarm.

Maintenance is extremely responsive. Things get fixed within the day most weekdays and on the next business day after a weekend. It’s right on the unspoken border between students and permanent residents, so it’s pretty quiet compared to the center of collegetown, but you still do hear some partying on weekends

Lived here all three years of law school. It is a very easy walk to the law school. I have had very few problems with the residence. The maintenance team is great and always comes within the day to resolve any problems with the apartment. The view on the west side of the building is usually very beautiful.

One downside is that you have little control over the temperature of the apartment. The radiators can get extremely hot in the winter and the AC window unit is very outdated.

There are a few really bad reviews about Fairview on the internet that had me scared to live here, but honestly it's been a fine experience. To address some of the comments that came up somewhat frequently:

1) "Apartment gets hot in colder weather" - Yes, the building has an old heating system and there is no way to precisely regulate temperature. However, opening a window or using the A/C unit's fan easily mitigates this.
2) "Poor ventilation - food smells circulate throughout the building" - This hasn't been my experience. Sure, sometimes when you're in the hallway you can smell what someone is cooking, but I haven't noticed anything offensive in my apartment.
3) "Paper thin walls " - Yes, the walls are thin, but people in the building are generally quiet and it hasn't proven to be a huge disturbance for me.
4) "Staff is unfriendly" - I've had limited interaction, but they've been helpful and kind.

Is the building a little dingy? Yes. Is it as new as Maplewood or as nice as City Centre? No. Is it a fine value? Absolutely. The price is okay given the market in Ithaca and the apartment is spacious and includes most of what you'll need.

Convenient apartment if you are prioritizing location over amenities found in Collegetown or Downtown apartments. Living spaces are spacious except for kitchen which is small. Apartments don't have A/C in living room and therefore gets hot during summer and heater cannot be controlled at an apartment-level, only at a building-level

Carpets smell awful, you need a laundry card that only takes cash. It is closed on sundays. The package room is awful and you can't ever find your package because there's two rooms and you need to search both. Water gets into the apartment when it's raining heavy. Oh and the dryers take 2-3 cycles to dry anything which you are paying for. There's no locks so anyone can get into the building at any time

Walking from here to Sage or Breazzano is always 10-15 minutes on a flat surface. Everything is included, I do not pay anything on my own outside of rent (parking and pet are an additional fees, but payed to Fairview). Internet and cable is good quality. Apartment is very spacious and extremely quiet, in ~15 months living here I have never heard a neighbor.

Only area that falls flat is the management, they are not friendly and very slow to act and always prefer to just not deal with the problem. Winters also get hot - I think it is because of issues with my A/C but management is not very helpful.

Views are amazing from 7th floor if you face west. It does not have many MBA students on its own, but is right next to coal yard and maplewood.

The walls are so thin that I can hear everything going on in the neighboring apartments.

One of my neighbor likes to keep his apartment's exhaust fan switched on overnight, and it is like sleeping next to a drilling machine. Then as others have mentioned, it seems like the ventilation system circulates air internally rather than bringing in fresh air.