I have lived at Forge Gate for almost a year, and my experience has been mixed.
The area is nice and feels safe for families. Many conveniences (pharmacy, grocery, dining) are nearby. I live on the first floor and can use my patio as a private entrance. This is a nice convenience especially with having a dog. Some of the other residence are friendly while others seem more private or reclusive. I suspect you will find this kind of mix most anywhere.
I live in a 2 bedroom 1.5 bathroom apartment. The rent seems reasonable for this part of PA, but it seems high coming from a state where I could get a 3 bedroom 2 bath for $1100 that is much nicer inside. Additionally, I just received my renewal notice to the tune of an 8% increase. That is a little ridiculous when it is the same apartment with nothing upgraded or improved. Also, I don't know too many businesses giving out 8% raises these days, so that rate of increase is unreasonable.
The kitchen in my apartment is very old. Some drawers do not close all the way without maneuvering them slightly. Some cabinet doors swing back out an inch or two after pushing them shut. A couple of dials on the gas range do not stay where the are set. Granted, I opted for an apartment with an old kitchen, but that is only because upgraded kitchens were several hundred dollars more per month. I guess the property owners want to make the residence pay for the upgrades. I do not think this should be the case when these kitchens have just reached the end of their life expectancy and need to be upgraded because repair is not realistic. The kitchen does have a dish washer, but not much cabinet space. There is no microwave over the range, so the limited counter space becomes even less when you add a microwave. There is also a single sink (I would prefer a double) and a garbage disposal. A few months after moving in, I had to get something that dropped and rolled under the gas range. I found a lot of trash under there including the rings form plastic bottles and a plastic toy car that was partially melted. I am glad I found it before it started a fire. It appears that maintenance does not pull out appliances and clean as a part of apartment prep for new residence.
The dining area is fine for 3-4, but there is no room for more. Having even just 2-3 people more presents challenges. The living room fits a couch. love seat, two end tables, and a TV stand for a 60 inch set. There is not practical space for a coffee table or much else. I was able to put 2 books shelves near the start of the hallway.
The bedrooms are reasonable in size with adequate closet space. The half bath is in the master, and the full bath is in the hallway near both bedroom doors. The main bath is on the small side. Each bathroom has a single vanity, and again the cabinets and vanities are very old.
The apartment is pet friendly and has a lot of green surrounding for dogs to relieve themselves. Unfortunately, fellow residences are not good about cleaning up after their dogs or following the rules for where dogs should be relieving themselves. The bark park would be nicer if it was bigger for dogs to run in, and again if residence cleaned up after their pets. The bark park is particularly bad in this regard. Residence treat it more like a dog restroom that they think they don't have to clean.
Maintenance has been fairly responsive to requests, except for my most recent one. The pavers from my patio to the parking have gaps and are not level. I have a bad ankle that I have almost rolled several times. My elderly parents sometimes come to visit, and this pathway is not safe for them. A paver at the end of the walk protrudes slightly onto the sidewalk as well. So it is also a hazard to other residence and visitors. The sink in the half bath has a drainage problem. If I leave the water on to wash my face, the sink starts filling. Maintenance has come out twice to snake it, but the fix only lasted a couple of days both times.
New carpets were installed before we moved in, but they are cheap and already appear quite worn. I suspect this will be an excuse to keep my security deposit when I leave. I also suspect either no pad or a very thin pad was used underneath as it feels like we are walking on concrete most of the time. This only contributes to the wear of the carpet.
If you are not expecting much beyond a roof and functional living, then this is probably a good place for you. If you like to have a little more "nice" in your home, your can probably find a better place for not much more. read more
