The Franciscan

My partner and I have lived at The Franciscan apartments for just under 9 years. Good management is hard to come by and one of the reasons we've stayed so long is that Jenn, Maricela, and Leo are always extra nice, and super fast to respond to any problems, repairs, or questions we have. I love being minutes away from the shopping center as well as the Beach. Park Street is close (walkable even) where there are great shops and restaurants. These apartments are perfect for someone single or a couple looking for a chill place in the East Bay.

I lived at the Franciscan Apartments for 4 years and very much enjoyed residing there. The management (Jenn and Maricela) were always friendly, considerate, and professional. The maintenance person (Leo) was always in good spirits and very helpful. I only needed help once (three years into my stay I had a slightly leaky faucet which was fixed immediately); all the other amenities and appliances were great. Moving into the apartment, everything was clean and functional. The location of the complex is ideal, being less than a block away from the water, and also within easy walking distance to the South Shore Shopping Center. There is a Safeway, and Trader Joes there for groceries, and several other stores and restaurants conveniently located. I would very much recommend this location for living in Alameda, and will look to move back to the Franciscan Apartments if I relocate back to the bay area.

We lived at the Franciscan Apartments for almost two years from 2017-18 and loved every minute of it. Jennifer and Maricela are exceptional landlords: really easy to get a hold of, super nice and helpful, and very responsible when it comes to taking care of problems and resolving them quickly and easily. Leo is a great handyman and a really good guy who's excellent at his job. And just the whole of management overall is just really good at communication and working with tenants to keep everything up and running smoothly. We never had a serious problem that wasn't immediately addressed and solved. They really made us feel comfortable and respected for our entire duration living there. Our fellow tenants all seemed chill. The complex is also super quiet and only occasionally had small weekend parties every now and then that were never too loud or out of control. Probably the best part of our time living there was its unreal location. It's right next to the South Shore center, so we didn't even have to get in our car to get food (groceries or restaurants). There's a few great parks within walking distance. And best of all, we could open our door and walk to the beach in less than a minute. That was truly amazing, and it seriously never got old. Especially since Alameda is filled with so many different families, it always felt great to just walk out to the beach (or parks) and see a bunch of families just having fun outside and enjoying their lives. (Which is impressive considering we're not exactly very extroverted people-persons, and it still pretty much always made us feel good to be surrounded by families who largely seemed to be enjoying each other's company.) It was pretty great. So, yeah. The rent is admittedly pretty high for a one bedroom apartment. But their rates are fairly comparable to other prime Bay Area spots, particularly considering how nice Alameda is and how close this complex is to the beach. We would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great apartment with trustworthy management. And we'd even think about living here again if we ever move back to the Bay again. Thanks again for everything, Jennifer, Maricela, and Leo! You're all great, and we really loved our time there!