The Boulder Apartments are pretty obviously targeted at the college crowd and are not "luxury" or "upscale" apartments by any stretch of the imagination. The pros and cons:
_____Pros:_____
* The property manager, Alex, is really very nice, friendly, and helpful. It's always a pleasure to deal with him and he seems to be pretty responsive to maintenance needs. I've seen other reviews complaining about the rudeness of the property manager and I can only assume that there has been a change in management, because I've never had a problem with Alex.
* The apartments are within an easy (10 minute or less) walk of the bus line into downtown Cheney and EWU and about the same walk to Safeway, Great Clips, Starbucks, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. These apartments are well-situated for someone planning on coming to Cheney without a car.
* The units come equipped with a full-sized washer and dryer and a dishwasher.
* There seems to be sufficient parking. I have yet to come home and not be able to park close to my building.
* There is plenty of closet and storage space in the unit.
_____Cons_____
* The buildings are very cheaply built. While the cabinets in my unit are new, they are made of the cheapest materials you can find and are poorly laid out. Even a little thing, like the lack of a drawer wide enough to hold a silverware organizer, shows the lack of forethought given to the building.
* Because of the cheap construction, noise is a constant problem. My upstairs neighbors like to stay up until 2 or 3 AM and watch TV, talk loudly, laugh, drink, have sex, etc., which is a problem when I have to be up at 6 to go to work. You can also hear everyone else's dishwashers, washer/dryers, and bathroom ceiling fans running.
* The carpets are old and matted down. I've lived in apartments all over the US, and this is the first time I've ever moved in to an apartment that didn't have new carpeting. The carpets were professionally cleaned, but are obviously old and not pleasant to walk on in bare feet.
* The appliances in the apartment are the cheapest available (I've never even heard of the brand) and do a mediocre job.
* The tap water smells like sulfur. I have no idea why, but it seems to affect the entire complex, not just my unit. When drawing water from the tap, you have to let it run for a few seconds to clear out the sulfur smell and taste.
* There are not enough dumpsters in the complex, so they quickly overflow and I'm greeted by the sight of garbage spilling out and piling up on the ground around the unit. This isn't just during those times when students are moving into or out of the units; it's a year-round problem.
* The parking lot is not well lit towards the back of the property. While it has yet to happen, I fully anticipate my car being broken into at some point during my stay here.
* The air conditioning is simply a window unit that has been set into the wall. It is loud, inefficient, and not really up to the task of cooling the unit unless I let it run all day.
_____Conclusion_____
I wish I could recommend these apartments more highly, but sadly, I can't. At the premium prices they are charging (not unusual in a college town, but significantly higher than other housing in the area), I would expect better accommodations. I anticipate moving to another unit once my lease here expires. read more