Storyboard at SIU (Formerly Evolve) - Carbondale, Illinois

Ella P.

I truly enjoy living at StoryBoard. You meet a lot of residents that turn into good friends. The staff is very communicative and very very close to campus and accessible near everywhere else

Nolan D.

Of all the college apartments I have had, this place is by far the worst. If you see a ton of good reviews, they incentivize people to leave positive reviews with a rewards website. I wish I would have had this review prior to moving in:

The noise is unbearable, whether it be the church bells that ring every day for 5 minutes at 8 AM, the train passing by at all hours of the day, the paper thin walls, or the fact you can hear any car in the garage and garage door if you live on the second floor.

Beyond that, the rooms are so tiny they barely fit a full size bed, the washing machine sometimes leaves my clothes DRY because it never fills enough, and parking is atrocious. Garage parking is $100 a month and thats AFTER you get off the waiting list. Otherwise parking is extremely far away or metered.

The only redeeming qualities of this apartment are the close proximity to campus and many of the staff are very kind. I just wish they took any complaints seriously.

From many of my classmates or friends living by, they recommend The Pointe, The Reserve, or Storyboard.

Emily E.

building is nice! It's one of the newer housing facilities at around only 7 years old. It has tanning beds (stand-up and lay down), vending machines, and an ideal location where 710 Bookstore used to be. Very cool- and a huge selling point, IMO.

cons-
from the jump, the number they provided for building security was flat out disconnected. They also have a problem keeping guards for more than a few months.

The amenities work... sometimes. Affordable parking is half a mile away and uphill, so forget it if there's snow. In one week, multiple apartments flooded, and their solution was to place trash cans under the leaks for four days. I live on the top floor and requested my shaky washing machine be leveled. the guy came and took it apart, told me he didn't have the part, didn't know where to get it, and that he "even checked upstairs" before leaving and I literally never saw this gentleman again. Did I mention I live on the top floor?

The property manager, Valerie Heins, is unkind towards residents and, likely, just as unpleasant towards the staff. There is obvious and frequent changes in the staff and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Valarie Heins is the common denominator. She makes it almost impossible to get a complaint to upper management. Prepare to be redirected.

One evening I came home late to find my apartment unlocked, broken into and covered in water. The "damage" was equivalent to someone leaving the shower on and pointed at the floor. Nothing was broken, just wet, shower mat and trash can thrown into the shower and the curtain on the floor. I find out the next day (too long) it was Valerie Heins/management who came in to shut off the water after a pipe had burst. Again, I had to go to them to find out what happened. Evolve/Valerie Heins/Storyboard at SIU then threatened to sue me for $6,000 worth of damage.

Finally, Storyboard at SIU (formerly Evolve) once left flyers on cars at every other apartment complex in town, as per Valerie Heins' instructions. Now, obviously.... dont do that, right? because trespassing and soliciting.

go dawgs go!

Imani H.

Evolve apartments is infested with roaches on the 5th floor. Despite calling maintenance over three times, the infestation persists after every visit. We requested accommodations, a refund, an early lease termination, or even just a room change, and they flat-out refused. This place is horrible to live in, and it’s outrageous how they force tenants to endure such appalling conditions. Avoid this place at all costs.

M S.

Along with the walls being thin, the constant noise above you, and the deafening train passing by at all hours, the management is atrocious. The property manager has been rude to students of color and has made it a point to ignore complaints and phone calls when they reach out. Valerie is dismissive and condescending. Living here with friends might seem like a good idea and great value, but I promise it is not. They increase your/your roommates' rent significantly after the first year and they do not enforce parking despite charging $100 for garage parking. If you pay for the garage and suddenly can't find a spot since they don't assign spot numbers, you're out of luck.

Just read the other low reviews. This place is not worth it. Don't be lured in by how it looks on the inside. Everything is poorly built.

The only good thing I have to say about this place is that the facility workers and maintenance crew are always on their game. Very cool people.

Ashley E.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! The management tries to work with everyone and does their best to fix problems asap. Prices are great. Great amenities to utilize. The maintenance crew is amazing! The CA's in the office are very sweet. Everywhere has problems but with problems this is the place I would want to be. Thank you evolve for 3 years!

Christopher C.

Awesome apartments. Staff is great. Really a gem of a place to live in Carbondale, and if you're a student the location is great. Bedrooms are a little small, but for the target audience it works well. It's definitely pricy but in my opinion was worth it without question.

Madison C.

It’s great just wish the space on our patio was utilized to the fullest. The patio has half of the space blocked off which would be really nice to have a dog area or more space for us to bring bags out or other outdoor games