Idea 1
Call now
Call now
Website
Call
Idea 1
We're redefining the art of living well. Surpassing the expected, IDEA1 delivers a dynamic community that fosters sophistication, innovation and lasting relationships within our apartments in downtown San Diego. Our superb location in up-and-coming East Village also puts you near the popular bars and restaurants of Gaslamp District, making a night out on the town a breeze.

And with no shortage of fun around downtown, IDEA1 really does give you access to it all. With state-of-the-art layouts and amenities found throughout IDEA1, we weave elegance and comfort into the fabric of downtown East Village living. And with our vibrant and modern workspaces for the creative class, IDEA1 serves as a think tank for both businesses and residents making work-life integration seamless.
Services
Live artfully and purposefully at IDEA1. Our apartments for rent in Downtown San Diego boast interiors complete with vinyl wood plank flooring, high-end cabinet, quartz countertops, barn-style closet doors and more. As the first mixed-use project of the IDEA District, IDEA1 was inspired by innovation, design, education, and art.
IDEA1 combines the vibrant fluidity of a contemporary workspace with the ease of living to create unique loft apartments in San Diego. From our central plaza, the Hub, we offer an open environment to collaborate, socialize, take a class, or just enjoy the San Diego sun. Local coffee and gourmet tacos are close at hand, while you boot-up to get that last-minute work thing done.
Start living today. Register here or through the leasing office to gain access to resident portal. Begin enjoying amenities and services the e-way anytime -- whether it's paying rent or more. Please review the form and correct the fields highlited in red on the form (and listed below). You have missing or incorrect fields.
Reviews (25)
Natalie Alvarado
Natalie Alvarado
Dec 06, 2021
Report
No one can deny the location is amazing being so close to multiple highways but that’s about the only perk I can think of when it comes to this place.
Unless you want to actually live with homeless people inside the actual “secure†building, look else where. There has been an ongoing battle between squatters on 5B and the rest of the residents. The homeless tend to find their way into the underground parking so make sure to lock your doors because they will ransack your car. Oh, and bikes. There is a bike locker that will be broken into and your bike will be stollen at some point. Those
Enrique Mosquera
Enrique Mosquera
Sep 25, 2021
Report
Attention Active Duty! This is not a secure place.
Two bicycles of mine were stolen. Someone broke into our storage and stole from our space. Someone broke into our car and stole items. Air BnB apartments are rented out so you have complete strangers in and out of the building and management does nothing about it. They leave garbage in the hallways, and they smoke, so you will have to deal with safety hazards when you exit the building when the smokers light up. Not very convenient at 11 pm.
They have a security team that spends all day on their phones instead of doing rounds to ensure the safety
Dennis Smathers
Dennis Smathers
Aug 30, 2021
Report
The area is getting better. Lived here for about 1.5 years. My wife and I decided to stay. The leasing office and employees have changed. But the friendliness remains constant, which is a plus!
Drew Cusick
Drew Cusick
Aug 22, 2021
Report
The real shame is how great my individual apartment is. Central location, great coffee and taco shops attached, the work staff has always been lovely, a respectable gym, and cool cityscape views. When I moved in 3 years ago, things were awesome. I even wrote a review and endorsement that went up on the website. Since then, the building has changed hands a few times. I have no unique complaints about anything other than how this building is now being run under Greystar Managment - which is to say, not great.
I’ve had my vehicle towed from my assigned parking spot twice due to the outsourced
Plonie A.
Plonie A.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
The gym is not only for residents. The carpet by the elevator is covered in pee so the hallways by the elevator have pee puddles and smell like urine. The gate is always broken and being repaired
Jacob Corbin
Jacob Corbin
Jun 28, 2021
Report
I try to stay away from posting negative reviews, but I would strongly urge others not to waste their money on Idea1. Within seven days of moving in, I have had to call 911 for an irate transient living on my doorstep, clean up urine that leaked in through my front door, and then, ask an unresponsive management to ask my neighbors to be considerate of those living next to them. So far, I have seen no improvement. There are other options less horrible than this one. Take your time and actually see what you're signing up for. Paying exorbitant amounts of money to rent a hovel in Southern California
Kelly N.
Kelly N.
May 14, 2021
Report
Trying to keep this short because there's a long list of issues here. Multiple storage unit break-ins spanning months and nothing was done. Multiple car break-ins spanning over months and again, nothing done. The cameras are always so conveniently "not directed in that area". It is very hard to get any response from staff once you have already moved in. A shooting happened and nobody was notified. We heard it through the grape vine. Multiple ledger issues, garage door always broken and minimal security. DO NOT MOVE HERE. I like the prior management company so much better. Unfortunately
Derrick D.
Derrick D.
Apr 13, 2021
Report
PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR UPDATED REVIEW:

Taniya and the staff at idea1 have been fantastic to deal with. The space is amazing, and you can't beat the location in terms of its proximity to east village night life and entertainment.

This is a big city, and the complex is located next to a Salvation Army, amongst other places built to help the public. This can be a bit shocking and scary, but for savvy individuals it's apart of the downtown lifestyle.

1 YEAR UPDATE:

Oh wow was I wrong about this place. Definitely
Like the layout and look of my specific apartment, besides that? Idea 1 is
Richard Gumirov
Richard Gumirov
Mar 30, 2021
Report
You are FAR better off living somewhere else, especially in the area, there are SO many better options, just keep searching. I can assure you, you will regret living here. Leasing office is very unpleasant. Packages get stolen often, the lockers don't help. Called to ask about a missing package and they said "probably someone opened the locker it was in, we can't help you" basically they told me to go F myself and stop wasting their time. Really bad, really unfortunate people can be so vile, especially when you pay money to live here. Leasing office always acts like you are doing them a disservice
Josh T.
Josh T.
Mar 26, 2021
Report
*****If you're seriously considering living at IDEA1. Read this.****

Writing this review as an alarm is going off, across the street outside. This is maybe the 100-150th time (No exaggeration) that it is going off and it blares within the apartment with Windows/Doors closed.
The homelessness around this area is absolutely terrible. And it is NOT solely because of The Salvation Army.

No matter what they tell you or offer you. It will not make up for the sleepless nights and trash ridden streets. I lived at a MUCH nicer apt complex (down the street) last year and it was a different world compared
James Castro
James Castro
Feb 27, 2021
Report
Staff treated my son horribly. Gave him the wrong apartment the day he signed the lease. Was rude to him when he went back to tell them. Gave him another room and said the terms were the same ( I was there and heard it) emailed him completely different terms. And blamed corporate for the change and there was nothing they can do. Idk, maybe they dislike military residents? Horrible customer service and it’s clear the leasing staff have no idea what the terms are. Needless to say, my son canceled with them and is looking elsewhere.
Arthur Gumirov
Arthur Gumirov
Feb 17, 2021
Report
€œA series of unfortunate events†is best way to describe living here. If you stay here make sure to never get mail sent to you. Especially packages. Also; don’t leave a bike in the bike room. Oh and just pretend management doesn’t exist here, you’re better off not even bothering them with any of your nuisances.
Stephen D.
Stephen D.
Feb 11, 2021
Report
Since their online payment portal isn't great, I try to pay rent in person but the management is lazy and doesn't acknowledge me or my assistant standing outside the door as she can clearly see. She finally picks up the phone when she sees I'm recording her. Look at her attitude when we call her out and see how she ignores us. Video here : https://youtu.be/Two1G-o6ROM
Stephen Dela Cruz
Stephen Dela Cruz
Feb 10, 2021
Report
Run far away from this place! The property management company that runs this place is HORRIBLE! I have tried to pay rent multiple times and they don’t acknowledge their tenants who are standing right in front of the big GLASS who they can see and still refuse to take the rent checks. I’ve been down 4 times on multiple days and never anyone available or they refuse to acknowledge.
This is the worst place managed and I hope the owners can find better management.
It’s so frustrating when a tenant is outside your building and they can see we are outside through the class wall, and
Jacqueline Brooker
Jacqueline Brooker
Dec 28, 2020
Report
Completely unsafe. in the 6 months I lived there my car was broken into, the illegal airbnb's were left open and running during a pandemic and to top it all off there was a shooting in one of the units. finally when moving out we spent days cleaning and leaving the apartment as we found it. they charged us $250 out of our security deposit and couldn't tell us why. do not rent here. you will regret it.
Reiki A.
Reiki A.
Dec 26, 2020
Report
Coronna was absolutely amazing! I went in for a tour and she greeted with a smile and gave me excellent customer service. She was very informative and made sure to send me all the information I needed. I'm very pleased, thank you
Akil Singleton
Akil Singleton
Dec 09, 2020
Report
Please don't waste time or money with this company. The staff is very unprofessional, I've been reaching out to Taniya Davis about my security deposit for months and she hasn't responded. I applied in January of this year never signed a lease agreement or received a key. They agreed in January to refund my deposit and stopped responding I contacted my credit card company and they reversed the charge until idea1 contacted them with my application as if my security deposit should have been held. Once again please do not apply here! They will scam you
Alireza Mehrzad
Alireza Mehrzad
Oct 29, 2020
Report
I lived in IDEA1 for nearly 18 months. The building has a very interesting and modern design to it. And it is build around the work/live concepts. There is a lot to explore such as the roof deck jaccuzzi with very different feel night and day views and an amazing large guest house. The place can easily impress anyone. The use of space inside the apartments is also very forward thinking. It may look small but there is lots of storage space. I was on the fifth floor facing the main hub. I had two plumbing issues in 18 months which were handled in less than 6 hours although they were both in the middle
Neha N.
Neha N.
Oct 14, 2020
Report
This review is to especially thank Taniya Davis for being a part of the Idea1 team. I have been living in this building for a year now and have consistently found her to be warm, caring, diligent and professional in her work ethics, demeanor and interpersonal communication and skills. She connects very well with people and understands and empathizes for any professional, financial or personal challenges one might be experiencing in their lives. She goes out of her way to help the residents and in making them feel like a part of the Idea1 community. She is a valued part of the team and I really
Rachel G.
Rachel G.
Sep 20, 2020
Report
This is one of the worst managed operations I've ever seen in my life. Thank God for Lee and the maintenance crew for keeping this place afloat. The management and leasing office are paid to literally do THE BARE MINIMUM AND NOT CARE A SINGLE BIT ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. Read that again: IF YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A CIRCUS RUN, LAZY, UNORGANIZED, DISASTER OF A SITUATION WHO DOES NOT GIVE A FLYING ** ABOUT YOU, THIS IS YOUR PLACE.

Absolutely DO NOT come here. I can't even begin to count how disappointed I feel to not feel valued even a hair by this place. But don't worry,
Hashem Hatahet
Hashem Hatahet
May 08, 2020
Report
Not a great experience. The other day I walked in to my apartment and found a homeless person staying there. The management and staff were very helpful though. Shaun was great and he worked out things very professionally. Honestly though, for the money you would be paying you could go to a much nicer and luxurious place.
Reef C.
Reef C.
Feb 23, 2020
Report
This place is absolutely amazing. I have lived in a few different buildings in downtown San Diego, but I have to say this place is my absolute favorite.

Notes:
- They have fun events for tenants.
- Taniya Davis is incredible, she's the reason why I moved in here.
- The rooftop is gorgeous for drinks or hanging out with friends.
- The hub is great for people who are entrepreneurs.

When you call, ask for Taniya, she truly cares and tries to find out what your wants and needs are before showing you a unit. Very impressive.
Danyell D.
Danyell D.
Jan 10, 2020
Report
Amidst all the chaos downtown is this little sanctuary! You get all the perks of living downtown but without the craziness.
It's walkable to Petco park! Which has saved me tons in parking during baseball season.
The gym has everything you could need, and the apartments are huge!
The events are awesome! Great way to get to know your neighbors and local businesses ^^
Tom M.
Tom M.
Jul 16, 2019
Report
Only have one recommendation, don't move here, you will regret it.

They have businesses on all floors that take over all the common areas such as the gym, rooftop decks, jacuzzi etc. As a resident, you never know when you can use the amenities. On certain days, they have events that go on from early morning to late evening with loud music playing during the entire event. This also happens on the weekends. Loud dance and yoga classes are help in the hub, which can be very irritating if you want to sleep in late, especially since its your day off! Also, massive problem with security, anyone
Patrick S.
Patrick S.
Sep 06, 2018
Report
Stayed here for a short term stay with a friend.

It's a new property with a whole host of amenities in a great East Village location. The central courtyard is a great place to hang. Gym access. Seating. Access to the coffee shop as well as Lola 55 restaurant and bar.

The property has ample internal parking but very little street parking. Multiple elevators and stairs for access.

Our unit was a studio with a double bed. The unit has two huge closet/storage areas. The bathroom is huge and the kitchen has great space with room for dining and a couch. There is a fun little balcony that