I have been wondering if I should update this or not because my original assessment says it all. (been here since 2006 but ApartmentRatings won't let me change the to date from 2006 to 2009)

Well I can now add that my car was broken into (smashed the window but did not take much. So was another person's the week before), the after hours managers STILL do not respond to the pager and the porn stars and kids are still at it, all hours night. Yes, kids screaming and throwing balls at midnight. In front of the after hours manager's apartments.

There was a fight in front of their apartments one night. Again, they did nothing (well one of them quit, the new guy (number 3, I think) is rude and just the same as the rest). The people that caused the fight are still here. Oh, the managers let their favorites (and they seriously play favorites here) keep the vacuums for days so you can rarely use one anymore. And there are section 8 units here (another source of extremely loud noise after midnight).

I have not been able to use my balcony for over a year because of the cigarette and pot smoke and often have to close the door and window because of it.

On the plus side, the cell phone maniacs and most of the fighters/stereo blasters have moved on or have been evicted. Oh the hot water was only out for a day this past winter (as opposed to 3 the winter before) and the AC was only dead about 5 days last summer. They cleaned some of the washers and dryers. They did replace my rusted out dishwasher (I suspect there is some health code that forced them to do that, not kindness or decency) Some of the elderly neighbors are very nice (but I feel sorry for them being on a fixed income and therefore trapped here). Oh and this may be a deal maker for some of you: they never raised my rent for the 3 years that I have been here.

This review is for people who want to know what it is like to live here. I could put up with all the BS I have described but not breathing second hand smoke and not getting woken up multiple times at night. So I am advancing my move out date. I am okay with taking longer to pay off my debts, but I can only do that if I get my sleep so I can keep my job! That is proving to be too difficult here. Plus it is really a pit; I would never invite anyone to visit me in this place. According to one of the managers building A truly is the worst. She said some of the units in back are much nicer, have a lovely view of Mt. Diablo and are much quieter. But there are never any units available for an in-complex move (why would anyone with one of good apartments want to leave, right') So bear that in mind when you read the good verses the bad reviews.

Original Review:

I moved here because of the overall positive rating this place had been given. Yes some of them are accurate but overall, this place is OVERRATED and it was a mistake to move here.

Noise:

This place is incredibly noisy. I am not talking about sound so traffic on the freeway and Creekside Drive, the sporting events at the high school or the parties at the Elks Lodge. I am talking about the shrieking children, the stereo blasters, the couples that want to be porn stars, the idiots who insist on talking with their friends or on their cell phones 24/7 outside your bedroom window, the slamming doors, slamming mailboxes and garbage chutes and all the sounds that pass through the paper thin walls. On the bottom floor you can hear car stereos and car doors closing quite distinctly, especially when you are trying to sleep. Also you can hear the pee hitting the water in the toilet of adjacent units and any time the water is turned on or someone flushes the pipes creak, whine and make horrible noises. I swear there is zero insulation in the walls.

No, management will not do anything except smile in your face and apologize.

Quality:

The appliances are extremely old. Labels are completely worn off the knobs on the stove (I would just buy replacements but the model has been discontinued for so long they do not exist), the dishwasher is rusty inside, the kitchen light will not turn on half the time, there are many broken things all around the complex that repeated requests have failed to repair, the heater/air conditioner breaks frequently and several days before repair, and the plumbing leaks frequently. If you call for help, expect something like just put a bucket under it and we'll get to it when we can.
The grounds are shabby and poorly maintained. There is no place to wash your car. The garbage chutes are very small (basically you can only put a grocery sized plastic bag through them and they clang loudly. Some tenants seem to delight in doing this at 3 in the morning). The elevator is very old and rickety and the permit is way past expired. The laundry room is dirty and what machines are not broken do not wash well. And they are bloody expensive. There are a lot of bugs, ants and gnats.

Management:

The after hours managers get paid for doing NOTHING. The pager is never responded to and even if you go to the apartment and knock on the door, they will ignore you. So if there is an after hours emergency, you are out of luck. One of the ladies in the office is pretty nice. The other one is kinda of wacky and will laugh hysterically in your face when you try to discuss and emergency with her.

Neighbors:

By and large, these are typical rude bay area people however English is not the main language here. In fact, it is way, way down the list. Do not expect to be treated nicely or to able to discuss any issues you have with your neighbors face-to-face. Despite the fact that they had to fill out the rental agreement like everyone else, they suddenly do not speak or understand English when you try to talk to them. Do expect the see and hear 3 or 4 screaming brats at all hours of the day and night, however. People will mess with your laundry (I had someone open the dryer and but nothing got stolen, I just wasted the $ spent trying to dry them) and curiously enough, some people will leave their laundry sitting in the machines for hours so no one else can use them. Also, there are some very, very shady looking people, like dope users/dealers living here.

What are the pluses:

For the bay area, it is very, very cheap. But that is not cheap as in inexpensive but cheap as in you get what you pay for.

It is within walking distance to downtown

It has easy freeway access

As someone else pointed out, it is at the beginning of Creekside Drive

These are not the tiniest apartments I have ever seen. They are small but not ridiculously so like some others

You can borrow a commercial vacuum from the office and they pick up pretty well

Did I mention it is cheap'

If you have a choice, do not move here. If you don'''t have a choice, expect to be too embarrassed to have anyone visit because this place really is a pit. Once I pay off my credit cards, I am outta here (outta the cost of living hell that is California altogether).

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