We have lived in Castlewood for one year, and will be relocating out of state at the end of our lease, but we wish we could pick up our apartment here and move it with us.
To get the obvious out of the way, yes - the building is located on a busy street. If you are a light sleeper, or have little ones - you may not want to lease an apartment on the South side of the building, as it does face Detroit Avenue, and Pug Mahones - a neighborhood bar that can be a bit noisy sometimes.
You may hear the
...neighbors above, and below your unit through through the floors and ceiling (the building has concrete floors covered with carpet/pad, and noise carries), but you will not hear the neighbors next-door or down the hall from you. This is city living, and you can't expect silence, that said - I'm a light sleeper, and I do just fine here.
The residents of the North side of the building on floors 7 and higher (there are 12 total) are treated to stunning views of Lake Erie. Those that face East will see the Cleveland Skyline.
I'd recommend the "sides" of the building in the following order: North (quietest, low utility bills), East (some noise from Detroit Ave, morning sun), West (some noise from Detroit Ave, but potentially high utility bills due to LOTS of afternoon sun), and South (LOTS of noise, but low utility bills).
As for the units themselves, I can only speak for the 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom "Cranbourn" floor plan. While the kitchen is a bit tiny, the amount of storage is insane. At over 1,100 square feet, with central air, and a full size washer / dryer, you simply cannot beat this place.
Our utility bills on the North side of the building have been very low. With the heat set to 74 in the winter, and AC set to 74 in the summer, our gas + electric bills have never exceeded $110 - and are often MUCH lower, consider closer to $60 to be an average.
Building management is outstanding. Amber does a fantastic job of looking after the residents, of which she seems to know everyone by name. Maintenance is "freaky fast" - maintenance requests are often followed by a door-knock in under an hour, for non-emergencies!
The tenants of the building are an even mix between the elderly (seemingly grouped on the lower floors), young professionals, families, and other members of the "white collar" workforce. I have always felt safe here, even forgetting to lock our door on occasion (oops).
Parking in the back (where your 2nd car will go) does go fast, especially when the 12th floor party room is in use, but we've only had to park on the street one time in an entire year. One spot in the below-ground garage is included in the rent. It is spacious and well lit. One of the levels has a hose and industrial vacuum for car washes.
The amenities of the building are "minimal", but I'm just fine with that. The gym/locker rooms are outdated, but immaculate and never busy. The outdoor deck area has two propane grills that are rarely in use. There is a secure bicycle room, and a storage room with lockers you can rent in the basement as well.
Long story short, I'd absolutely recommend Castlewood!
Max of 2. $375 1x fee (1) or $500 1x fee (2).