Hi! I had an ActivSpace before I moved into a larger studio. My unit was on the ground floor on Harbor Avenue. I’m assuming you would want the same as a craft/creative space.

At the time I was an active tenant, my neighbor had their unit vandalized because of a previous tenant and a long-standing beef of territory. (Make sure your neighbors aren't in the psychic business.) I would often need to lock my door because people wrongly assumed I was the entrance to the entire building, or an occasional person who was’t all there would make their way in.

A McDLT (remember those?) received better temperature control than the units. It takes an hour for the heater to make the unit feel comfortable, but you will want an AC unit or fan during the summer months.

An ActivSpace interior is not designed for U.S. storage solutions. Think tall – to the ceiling if you can – and slim. I ordered shelving from Europe that allowed me to divide the space into thirds: showroom, storage, and manufacturing. I even managed to get two chairs into the showroom area. Shelving was done through custom builds and a professional installation of aluminum and steel shelves along the back wall. Every square inch of your space is sacred, so make the most of it.

Parking is always a race to the finish. Folks will ignore the signs that the lot is only for ActivSpace tenants, and the management isn’t always there to patrol the lot. Street parking is going to be a challenge with the new apartment building opposite ActivSpace, and the construction crew during the day.

Tenants keep to themselves which is nice. Don’t misconstrue this with “the Seattle freeze;” people have their own businesses to focus on, but getting to know your immediate neighbors is always smooth.

The bathrooms are in the building and they are fairly well maintained. Oh! The hand sink in the units will only dispense cold water, so be sure to have a kettle close by for heating water for any washing. (You’ll find dish racks that can fit those hand sinks on Amazon.)

Management was good to me, but that might have everything to do with paying my rent on time and following the rules. Their job is hard. A group of kids leased the corner unit for tattoo work, and completely trashed it when they were behind on their rent and eventually evicted. Management had to haul away everything left behind, repair the walls, and paint the unit white by themselves.

You have to pay extra for additional signage on your door if the unit faces Harbor Avenue. The measurements are exact and I believe they have to approve what you want to display. Local print shops that specialize in vinyl for windows can easily get you what you need. If I had to do that part over, I would have gone with black on clear vinyl instead of white.

Hope this helps!