Brian Weisberg

Building Decor in the Main Lobby
Certain Neighbors
Certain Front Desk Staff
Maintenance

Management - Most people in the leasing agent started off nice to reel you in but then you find out they are just not nice.
Garbage- so many times the chutes didn't work and had to go through maintenance which caused a bad odor from the garbage on the floor.

Building the clean and well maintained. Lots of amenities, management is quick in response to repair requests.

Price hike after pandemic - 12%-30% yearly increase forced out tenants. not an NON-SMOKING building so there is nothing you can do about second hand smoke. Close to an church converted event space, music can be loud all day-night.

Keep the increase resonable and revert back to non-smoking policy

Clean, isolated, helpful staff, rub smoothly

Loud neighbors/babies/dogs, one elevator usually out if service, dark hallways

Install brighter lights in the hallways

Building was clean and things worked.

To save energy the hallway lights would turn off so it was a bit creepy

N/a

Excellent staff. People from maintenance to concierge is very responsive and kind.
No rats, bed bugs, etc.
Amenities are very good.

My last experience regarding lease extension was terrible. The management company proposed an unrealistic raise and didn't want to even listen to a counterproposal. Let's see for 2024 as the management has changed.
The gym maintenance requires more attention. Some machines are broken for long time.

A more flexible posture when negotiating renewals.

Clean building. Good maintainance.

Since I lived in this building, I have heard about 2 crimes. One room was broken into while residents were traveling. Another neighbor left the door open, and someone grabbed her purse and ran away in the day time. Both times, the management and front desk did not do anything. The room had no sign for broken lock. Some suspect that it is an internal job.

If you ever wanted a home away from home at home, The Octagon is the place to be. It's a little slice of heaven in the middle of the city. It's relatively quiet and peaceful, with a beautiful view of Manhattan. Staff is wonderful, helpful, responsive, and friendly. It just changed ownership, so not sure what to expect, but hoping it is more of the same.

Minimal, very few roaches, but it is still NYC.
The water pressure could be better, particularly since the bathroom sinks are very large but the water pressure does not permit any significant use. I'm someone who will often rewet my hair in the sink, but I cannot do that here.

My only truly significant complaint is that the beautiful floor to ceiling windows are a bit drafty. When your are paying for central A/C and heat, that becomes a problem.

Reframe the windows so no loss of energy (and $$) happens.

Have lived here for 2 years. Building staff is wonderful. Neighbors are respectful and quiet. Haven’t encountered any pest problems.

AC units frequently break. The water here is very hard.

There are zero pests, super bright and large rooms with closets in each room with laundry in building, rooftop, bbq, gym, 24 hour doorman

It is a 10-15 minute walk to the subway to get to Manhattan

Family friendly, clean, quite & lots of out door space

Far from public transport- tram/subway.

Great lobby and pleasant surroundings

Real pain to get off the island from this building.

Get a ferry stop on the island’s northern end

The best things are, the clean roof deck, how responsive the staff is to issues you have, and how safe the neighborhood is

There’s not much to do in terms of nightlife so you’re always going to have to go far

Maintenance team is always quick at response. The building is very clean.

Some management and concierge staff can be quite racist. You can always smell smoking and weed through the vent. The smell will come into your room and stay for a long time. The building is supposed to be smoke free, but management can’t to much is your neighbor is smoking. Every two years, they try to get rid of the old tenants by increasing your rent by 20-30%, and the rent is usually non-negotiable. Some bad reviews on Google map or Twitter will disappear/ deleted by the owner.

Everything! This is a great place

It can get very expensive

Great building management, very responsive to maintenance concerns, clean amenities. Shout out to front desk staff for creating a welcoming and homey atmosphere. Free transportation to and from the subway stop. Couldnt have asked for a better place to be stranded and finishing school during peak pandemic.

Honestly, no complaints. It's a bit of a walk from MTA if the buses aren't running on time. Definitely not affordable, but they dont claim to be. Sometimes feels more like a hotel than homey. I just like a little more liveliness to a neighborhood, but that's just personal preference. Neighborhood is not very diverse.

1. Newish building
2. Great concierge staff & maintenance staff. Got to know a handful the day I moved in
3. Amenities are a great selling point

Nothing really with the building. The only inconvenience is the travel to the F train or tram. Sometimes its a hassle having to take the shuttle or free island bus.

NA, been great thus far

The polite and helpful staff, the gorgeous amenities and responsiveness.

I literally have nothing bad to say about the Octagon

Good neighbors. But it's not rent stabilized!

Proximity to a celebratory event venue - the Sanctuary - makes the 2nd floor too noisy

Please talk to the Sanctuary

I love my neighbors and the neighborhood. The management office here is difficult to deal with. They threaten legal action when you are insistent on an issue in the apartment.

Management is not great. They need to be replaced ASAP.

SWITCH OUT GRC REALTY. THEY ARENT DOING YOU ANY GOOD.

Nice design and outdoor space

Poorly run maintenance department and not enough regular upkeep of common areas. Doormen do the minimum.

Provide better service and work on communication. For example, send an email for an emergency water shut off or post signs when the garbage chute is out of order.

Also, start cleaning hallways and stairs better and more often.