So I'm going against the grain here and giving this place a good review despite its faults. I'll go…read morethrough the faults first and then tell you while we like it here regardless. So please read it, even though it's long!
1) Pet messes. This is a continual problem. I feel like there's so many potential solutions that are ignored. Like putting some sort of cleaning dispensing thing in the elevators (with paper towels and some sort of spray and a trash bin to go with it). There's nothing worse than that elevator door opening and seeing pee/poop everywhere. it's so bad that now despite how the floor looks, our son ALWAYS says "YUCK!" when the doors open :-P I think there should also be cleaning stuff on EVERY floor and in the lobby. When I talked to management about it, they suggested to have the stuff near the mailboxes, but if a dog goes to the bathroom in the elevator, by the time people get to the mailboxes, the elevator is gone and fellow residents get the awful surprise. It needs to be right where the mess is being made!
2) The black ice on the parking lot during winter. My husband fell while he was holding our son! Our little baby had a nice goose egg on his forehead despite my husband's best efforts to fall mostly on his arm.
3) No cell phone reception. It's gotten better since we moved here in 2013, but the excuse we get is that we are "above the cell towers". I was hoping they would buy network extenders. We had to get a land line and pay $$ though we hardly use it-- we just want to make sure we can talk to people on the phone when we are home!
Rent is HIGH, but this is the reality in this area. The grass isn't always greener in places with cheaper rent.
A lot of people complain of noise, but maybe it's because I've lived in worse places,but I don't really hear anything. But noise comes with any apartment community living.
BUT! There are always going to be pros and cons to a place. It's normal to be extremely disappointed and I get it, but I've also lived in a lot of different places, and despite its flaws, we really like it here. This is why:
1) CENTRAL AIR. THANK GOD FOR THIS.
2) The Community. Aside from the time we lived in Oak Square, I never knew my neighbors. Here, though it sort of feels college campusy, I at least have gotten to know people! It's been better since our son was born and we've started to bond with other parents, so it's nice. The complex also puts on events like a movie night or a game night...community barbecues...hosting paint night parties...there's a halloween party for kids and adults... a winter holiday party (they get the fire department to bring Santa by- it's so cute!). The person who dresses as Santa works for Berkshire and lets kids sit on his lap for pics. The people in the office are really trying. The people who live here are nice.
3) The shuttle. Thank goodness for this shuttle! It only runs during rush hour times, but at least it's there! There's been a high turnover in drivers but at this time, we are really happy with our AM and PM drivers. The PM driver (Tom) is our favorite. He absolutely loves our son and lets us just come in for the ride (our son is obsessed with the bus).
4) It's SO SPACIOUS. Unless you've lived in a bigger place or have owned your own house, this place is big! I know there are different floor plans (we have the biggest one of the 2 bed two bath), but from how we lived before, even the one beds here are really spacious. Lots of good closet space....there is plenty of counter and cabinet space (something we've never had before!).
5) It's SO pretty here! It's nice to have trees and flowers and green space around!
6) The amenities. We have a gym (I don't use it, but I know it's been remodeled recently), a pool, a game room, a club house (expensive to rent but nice when parties are held there), a courtyard with grills and outdoor seating, a tennis court, ON SITE MAINTENANCE...
7) Lease renewal perks: with every lease renewal you get either a carpet cleaning voucher or a paint voucher to paint one wall of the apartment.
If you are picky, don't move here. If you just want a nice place to live for the time being, this is it. This is not your forever home but it's home! It's not perfect, but what place is??
I have to say that my opinions may be swayed by the fact we moved here after living in a place with only 2 prong outlets, TINY closets, truly paper thin walls (like we heard our neighbors use the toilet) and a clawfoot tub that drained slowly. Therefore, the reviews I see make me think they lived in mansions before....
There are a ton of horrible reviews out there, but I am sure my friends would agree with my comments. It's easier to write bad reviews than good reviews I guess. Again, it's not the perfect place to live, and as you see above, there are valid complaints, but there's no perfect place. I don't regret moving here. And we are still here. This is officially year 3.
I hope this helps in your apartment search!