My oasis for 3-6 years until I had to move out of state. I lived there 3 years full time, and when…read moreI had to move I couldn't bear to give it up for another 3 years. Pioneer had everything I needed and nothing I didn't. Amazing location & unit, garage and for my "musts" surprisingly low rent (reasons why below, may be dealbreakers for some).
Location: Perfect location relative to Denver & perfect neighborhood. I wanted to be slightly west of Denver because I rock climb, but close to work. Pioneer apartments is just that - 15 min from CCC in Golden & 30 min from Eldorado in Boulder. It was only 15 minutes from downtown Denver, where I worked, and I could take the highway I-70, or local 38th if I wanted to get food. 3 minutes to I-70, whereas living in Aurora it's 25 min just to get to a highway. Set exactly between 2 bus line streets - 38th st and 44th street. Walkable - the apartments are in the middle of a walkable neighborhood 38th, 44th, and Wadsworth are all bustling and it's close to grocery stores, art, restaurants... unlike places like Denver Tech center where there was just office buildings around.
Unit: I rented a 2 level rowhouse/townhouse, with 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, 1 living room & 2 rooms (they also have 1 floor, 1 bedroom units), which I needed. No one was above or below me -I get annoyed when people walk above me, and I'm worried about making noise walking above others. Roomy 1st floor storage closet under the stairs, cabinets in the upstairs landing, 2 closets, cabinets in the kitchen, and a storage locker in the basement. Sliding glass backyard and a cute front yard. Good unit layout and Complex layout was great without the 100 confusing buildings, maze, & speedbumps of mega complexes. The hot water was glorious, but the central heat was something else. Felt like it came from the center of the earth, amazingly warm and toasty in blizzards and sub-zero winter nights.
Parking: I had 2 space: a dedicated parking space on the 38th side which I could zip quickly from, and from the 44th side, had a garage space which protected from having to scrape ice off the car. However, once subzero temperatures drained the battery of the garage door and I had to take the bus to work. Regardless, 2 parking spaces including a garage is something I wanted.
Rent: The crowning touch was, the sweet owners (they were great owners and hire wonderful managers, first John then Todd at my time there) rent the units out below market value, which for me was necessary because I have a fierce shopping habit.
Too good to be true? The reasons it's below market value is because it didn't have any extraneous BS I don't want and glad I didn't have to pay for like at other complexes, but had all the important features I need. Some may be dealbreakers for you. (1) No central A/C (does have spectacular central heat). The window A/C unit is only downstairs for the 2 level units, and it's the upstairs that gets stifling hot in the summer. While you can install your own window unit in the bedroom, window units aren't as nice as central air because you have to turn it off when it's too cold, then back on. I just never turned the AC on since I don't care about heat, used ice packs and a fan, which resulted in my electric bill was an unheard of sub-$15/month when living alone (I wasn't home much) and about $40 for people at home who use AC (2) No pool or fitness center. I never used any of those at my previous apartment complexes, since I had a fitness center at work. Thankfully no dreaded clubhouse to pay for. Those are expensive unused buildings all for show. (3) Not updated, slight older scent, about 50 years old. I didn't care, it had what I needed, and it's environmentally better to not chuck old appliances. I don't need expensive shiny granite countertops, new flooring or stainless steel appliances that I don't even own - people think new appliances are more efficient, but as I said, my electric bill was only $15/month living alone/not home much, and up to $40 for those using AC. (4) No washer/dryer in unit. There's a coin operated one in the basement of each building, so 5 units share. I never had a problem, and there is a laundromat only 3 min away. (5) Trash pickup, but no recycling. I drove my recyclables to this place in Arvada but you have to pay $1 per load and so I ended up piling tons of recycling in the kitchen. But this was minor, for all the benefits. (6) No pets. No cats and no dogs allowed which might be the dealbreaker for many, but I was too busy for pets anyway. Unfortunately at my particular unit which backed up to houses, the house directly behind my unit bred dogs so there were always dogs barking and whining. But that isn't anything Pioneer could control.
For me all the "cons" were non-issues, and it had every item on my checklist, and more. I couldn't believe I found this gem, and for me it was the best place to live in the Denver are