AMENITIES

Some of the amenities at 3003 Van Ness are very nice — especially the large swimming pool, which is operated by the nearby Van Ness North condo, but which residents of 3003 Van Ness can use. Also, the fitness center is pretty good, although it has suffered from some problems.

However, Equity Residential claims to offer amenities that were eliminated. years ago, or which don’t really exist. The graphic below was downloaded from the Equity Residential web page for 3003 Van Ness on Dec. 5, 2025. Many of the amenities listed no longer exist. Equity Residential has been told about this false advertising, but has not corrected the web page for several years.

Also, some wonderful advantages of living at 3003 Van Ness have disappeared. For example, it used to be possible to walk underground from the buildings to the nearby Giant grocery store, and from there to the Metro or CVS. This was a great feature, particularly in the rain, snow or cold. However, it hasn’t been possible to take this underground route for months because the fob reader on one of the doors is broken. Residents have complained many times, but Equity has not repaired it.

AMENITIES LISTED ON EQUITY RESIDENTIAL’S WEBSITE THAT NO LONGER EXIST

• For example, 3003 Van Ness is NOT really an “Access Controlled Facility” — the security doors are frequently broken and the front desk staff rarely checks IDs. It is easy for non-residents to enter the building without a fob.

• There is a doorman only intermittently.

• The building is not “Smoke Free;” in fact, residents frequently complain of cigarette and marijuana smoke wafting between apartments even with doors and windows closed.

• There is no bike storage — the bike room was closed more than a decade ago.

• Extra storage is no longer available — the storage area was overrun by rodents.

• Concierge service exists but overall is very poor. If residents have problems, calling the front desk

• There is no working resident library. It has been closed for years.

• The package service exists, but it has been riddled with problems. Many residents have complained about lost packages.

POOL

The pool is one of the nicest things about 3003 Van Ness. It generally is clean and well-run. It usually opens on Memorial Day and closes a week or two after Labor Day. In the summer, it generally is open from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM for lap swimmers, closes for an hour and then opens again from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM for general use.

A pool pass is required for entrance. Each apartment receives one pool pass per occupant and a limited number of guest passes. The 3003 leasing office distributes tenant pool passes in the late spring.

The pool is clean and very well-run, with lifeguards on duty. It is owned and operated by V.N.N.C., Inc. - the Van Ness North Cooperative apartment building on the north side of the pool. The pool is open to tenants of 3003 Van Ness under an agreement with Van Ness North. It also is open to residents of Van Ness East.

PARKING

Reserved parking generally costs $1980 per month — although some residents have found that the amount is negotiable. If you want parking, it’s worthwhile to negotiate.

Having underground parking is a great amenity, but there frequently are problems. There have been some break-ins recently and people have had personal items stolen from their cars. In one case, a resident’s car windows were smashed.

Residents enter the automatic garage door with a fob. However, it is not unusual for another car to wait behind the car entering through the gate, and drive through before the gate comes down. It isn’t clear whether these are residents trying to get free parking or non-residents entering the building.

The automatic door to the parking garage has been broken several times. Each time, Equity takes weeks to have it repaired. During that period, the door is wide open and security is compromised. When pressured by the tenants association, Equity has posted security guards at the garage door, but the guards frequently are off duty or AWOL.

Overall, the garage is NOT secure. It is very, very easy to just walk in the garage behind a car. It isn’t clear whether the few security cameras that are in the garages are actually working.

FITNESS CENTER

3003 Van Ness has a decent fitness center, equipped with cardio and strength training equipment, restrooms and a studio space. The fitness center is relatively up to date and well lit. It is well used and a popular amenity. It is sufficient for an apartment building fitness center.

There are occasional water leaks in the in a corner of the gym. Sometimes broken equipment goes a long while before being repaired, but it generally is in good condition.

LAUNDRY

There is a laundry room on every floor of the two buildings, each with three washers and three dryers. Washers and dryers are frequently broken and sometimes individual machines are down for weeks at a time. The equipment is owned and maintained by a third party service provider, which is very slow to make repairs even if you follow the specific directions requesting service.

Some laundry rooms have had backed up floor drains and flooding coming from the washing machine drainage. Management is very slow to respond to complaints about this. Trash in the laundry rooms often is not emptied on weekends so it can pile up.

We are hopeful that the new Equity Residential general manager for 3003 Van Ness, Dan Burkes, will improve the situation in laundry rooms.