MAA North Hall | Uptown Dallas Apartments | Insider REVIEW

LOCATION

The MAA North Hall apartments in Uptown Dallas is in a good location…no make that a really good location. They are near just slightly off the intersection of Hall and McKinney Avenue. This puts them to be just about in the middle of Uptown Dallas, just maybe a tad north of the middle. This section is the start of the outskirts of the West Village, which means that there is a LOT to walk to and enjoy in a short distance.

MAA North Hall was originally built in 1997, which is a bit old for Uptown Dallas. Most of the apartments in Uptown Dallas have been built since 1999 and many new choices for apartments exist, including this year. It definitely has the traditional style of apartments, with the buildings having 4 stories and traditional parking on the street for guests.

MAA North Hall is set in a neighborhood that is primarily retail, but with some older residential around it (very old condos). The location of the Post Cole’s Corner is within walking distance to the Breadwinner’s perennial brunch favorite of Uptown Dallas, which also starts an eclectic and cool collection of restaurants.

Getting to work: If you work in Downtown Dallas, it is not far from work. You can take COLE Avenue (right behind it) to Cedar Springs, which then gives you several options to enter Downtown Dallas. You can ALSO take the Uptown Trolley to Downtown and it empties into north Downtown (and then walk a few blocks to get to work). I would definitely take COLE, not McKinney Ave, because McKinney is one way going NORTH here…and just isn’t as convenient to be on McKinney Avenue in the morning.

If you work in North Dallas or West Plano, it’s a little more of a hassle to get to work, but not by much. You can simply take the same way I just mentioned, and take Cedar Springs to the Tollway Extension (Harry Hines). Once on the Tollway, you can get reasonably quickly to work. And, fyi, even though you are working in N Dallas or W Plano, it won’t be a bad commute, because you go AGAINST traffic in comparison to others in Dallas, so you travel more quickly in your direction than if you went the other way (towards Downtown Dallas).

What about The 4 Key Features of Uptown Dallas? It is important to be able to WALK or quickly drive to the 4 key features of Uptown Dallas…the features that make Uptown UPTOWN! Uptown residents love WALKING QUICKLY to what they do (in Dallas, we are spoiled!). So, walking distance means to be in 7 minutes walking or under.

Here is how MAA North Hall apartments does in terms of being WALKABLE to the 4 Key Features of Uptown:

• West Village – Post Coles Corner is in the section that is the outskirts of the West Village. I would say you can walk to the West Village within about 7 minutes, but not with a slow walk!
• Katy Trail –The ever increasing popularity of the semi private running trail called the Katy Trail is important to note…and you want to live walking distance close to it. Residents of the Post Cole’s Corner can walk to the Katy Trail on the entrance at Hall, and within about 5 minutes.
• Night Life in Mid-Section – There is a super cluster of popular night clubs on Boll Avenue that is popular especially with out-of-towners. The Post Coles Corner apartments are NOT walking distance, being at least 1 minutes away.
• Uptown Trolley – You can catch the Uptown Trolley going north in a couple of minutes, or going south on COLE in a few minutes as well.

Walk to Groceries? Most of the grocery stores are in the NORTH part of Uptown. It’s not very far to get to the Albertsons on McKinney…you can walk definitely to it from the MAA North Hall in 5 minutes.

• Kroger on Blackburn (take Blackburn past 75/Central) – (about 5 minutes’ drive). The Kroger has a great organic locally grown section.
• Whole Foods just down the street on McKinney Avenue a few minutes away.

Overall Location: This is a great location for walking to both the West Village and to get to the Katy Trail. This is not the quietest area of Uptown, but it is a social and fun area.

SOCIAL SCENE

The social scene of the MAA North Hall apartments is about average for Uptown Dallas. Here are the reasons:

Super Cluster of Clubs in WALKING DISTANCE: As we mentioned before, you are NOT in walking distance to the super cluster of night clubs right on McKinney Avenue.

Building Setup not as Social: MAA North Hall does NOT have a key single entrance. So, not everyone goes through the same set of doors or elevators. This creates less opportunities to meet other neighbors during the common daily routine.

The Amenities: The amenities of MAA North Hall are below average for Uptown. The amenities are also older. However, Post Coles Corner does have a good pool area and plenty of space to congregate around the pool.

Size: The MAA North Hall has 186 apartments. That is below average for size in Uptown (a smaller building).

Monthly Activities: MAA North Hall gives you MORE opportunities to meet neighbors than compared to other Uptown choices. They’ve got a monthly activity with residents not only of the Post Cole’s Corner, but other sister properties…making a lot of people available to meet. They also have sports clubs for their residents, including kickball.

To sum it up: The design of the Post Coles Corner apartments in Uptown Dallas does not help as strongly to meet people. And, the amenities are below average for Uptown Dallas apartments. However, there are good monthly activities to help to meet people. And, you can meet people by going to night life nearby at McKinney Avenue.

(Please see our Compare Features section TAB for more details.)

APARTMENT

The MAA North Hall apartments are very basic and traditional. The apartment is below average in design and style for apartments in Uptown Dallas.

Style: These are older style apartments, more traditional and smaller. These were built well before the newer style of midrise apartments that dominate most of Uptown Dallas now. The apartments do seem to use their space well.

Variety of Floor Plans: There is a good mix of floorplans for ONE bedrooms here (over 17). There are also several tiny studio apartment styles (4). There are only 4 two bedroom floorplans. Let’s translate this: This is a place for singles primarily, not roommates or couples. The smaller one bedrooms give a very reasonable price entry point for Uptown, but for the money, the price is actually quite high for the square feet you would be living in. The 2 bedroom floor plans are reasonably sized, starting at 1025 sq feet. There is also a one bedroom den floorplan here.

Strengths: This is a very basic in comparison to other Uptown Dallas Apartments, with no frills. Nothing stands out overall. The apartment would do well with some renovating. The apartments are CLEAN, however.

• Flooring: It’s carpeted throughout most of the living areas.
• Countertops: White, basic 90s style countertops
• Appliances: White
• Smaller Kitchens – the kitchens are small with little storage space, but there are separated pantries.
• Patios/Balconies NOT INCLUDED – Patios/Balconies are typically NOT included here.
• Programmable Thermostat – A programmable thermostat is NOT included.
• Washer/dryer – NOT INCLUDED
• Walk in Showers – The building was built before this feature became more standard. It is not included.

Summary: The apartment is basic and older and with no frills, but is clean.

AMENITIES

The amenities at the MAA North Hall are below average for Uptown Dallas Apartments.

Let’s take a look at some of the Strengths:

• Pool – the pool are is a good size, and I like the fountains. It is also long and straight, so it could be used for laps.
• Parking for 2 in a one bedroom: They will allow both cars to park in the garage at no extra cost if you have 2 occupants in your one bedroom.
• GUEST parking: is INCLUDED at no charge.
• Space for dog walking – I like the amount of green space around for walking your dog.
• Elevators: These are present to take you to the different floors.
• Limited Controlled Access: There IS controlled access to the apartments.

Here are some AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT:

• Gym: The gym is tiny in space, so there really isn’t room to put a decent amount of equipment.
• Hot Hallways: Hallways are hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
• No Views of Downtown – There are no views of downtown possible. Access is blocked on all parts.
• ATM or Party Room or most other frills: Not present.

Overall: Amenities are BELOW average for Uptown Dallas.

SUMMARY

MAA North Hall apartments are appropriate if you are more focused on location rather than the apartment. The building itself has a relaxed and pleasant outward appearance and is located on a good street. The apartment is very basic in terms of limited space and limited features. The amenities are also very basic. However, the location of the MAA North Hall apartment in Uptown Dallas is a good one. If you are comfortable with having an average apartment in a good location, this may be a great choice for you.