I have been here at Walton Grove since it was Heritage Pointe. So I have seen what a BAD apartment complex was like (Heritage Pointe) and I have seen what good management can do to a place after.
I moved here out of necessity in 1994. Seriously. 1994. As a person without a spouse and kids, I just did not, and do not see a need for an awful lot of living space. My one bedroom apartment is fairly large by industry standards. Granted, older apartments might be larger, but they also come with their own baggage. I moved into Walton Grove as it was being renovated, and am the first tenant in my place.
Neighbors have come and gone, except for the very nice lady next door. Yes, sometimes I have had loud walkers upstairs, and there have been periods of noise. But nothing I could not deal with, and nothing that made me rethink my stay.
A few years ago, there started to be a problem with some residents (and, more likely, their friends from elsewhere). I never saw any of it, but a little work on the part of management snagged an off duty officer or two as residents, and a conspicuously parked police car quickly restored order (or at the very least, discretion).
There is almost zero crime here. It is a thoroughly gated community. Whomever wrote about thugs and kids was obviously writing from a racial profile. Maybe he encountered a sullen teen or two. Good luck getting away from that, as teens tend to be sullen no matter where you go, especially when they encounter a grownup sneering down his or her nose.
I can not tell you how many times I have left my key in the door, and have had a neighbor knock to return it. Or dropped my wallet in the parking lot, and had it brought to me. Good people live here, and good people manage the place.
Donna is my landlady. and she has done amazing things to the place, with almost no budget and with her own life to manage. She and her staff have always been attentive and helpful.I have yet to see a real emergency (like the AC going out in July) go unattended for more than a day.
The place remains very well landscaped and kept. It is not uncommon to see rabbits in the spring, and squirrels in the trees,and an owl family somewhere awfully close to my bedroom window, asking "who" in the early morning. Donna has been very wise in maintaining the natural beauty of the place, even as Smyrna has urbanized all around her. You can build all the metal and concrete barriers you want, but trees still make the best sound blockers.
Are there issues' Sure. The gate often breaks down when it rains, making it hard for people to call in to get access. It's normally taken care of within a few hours, though, even though it almost ALWAYS happens at night or on weekends. Sometimes the laundry room is dirty. Once or twice the door to it has been vandalized by, I suspect, sullen teens. I like blaming sullen teens for stuff. But as I mentioned before, it's quickly repaired, and new keys made available as needed.
Though I love the living area of my one bedroom, there is close to NO closet space or storage. I have had to be really creative in that regard. I can't speak for other floorplans, but if you get a one bedroom, either plan on renting storage or adopt a more spartan attitude towards the accumulation of stuff.
Pet rent is fifteen dollars a month, plus a deposit. Pet sizes are supposed to be ten pounds or less, though from some of the dogs I have seen, obviously they were brought in as puppies and seriously well fed :). Me, I have ferrets, so size and noise are not an issue.
Walton Grove is not perfect. No place is. But I am picky enough, with sensitive enough hearing and little patience for ineptitude, that I would have moved were there serious and sustained issues. There simply are not.
It's a great place to live, whether or not you have a family, have loads of cash, need loads of space. Sure, I now wish I had a two bedroom place, my own washer and dryer, that sort of stuff.
But I am comfortable here. I am safe here. I do not regret choosing to spend the majority of my adult life here.
Nor should you.

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