The community over there is wonderful! I loved the area, the local shopping, the Blue Valley Recreation Center! There's lots of neat places to go and the area is very nice and well kept. I would most definitely recommended this complex to people with children or young couples or singles. Most of the neighbors are friendly, you do run into some bratty little kids sometimes (as with anywhere).

We lived there for two years (2004-2006). We moved at the end of our 2nd lease because we had one less person living in our household and decided to downsize. We rented a 3 bedroom townhome.

Upon deciding to move we even considered their 2 bedroom townhomes, at first we were turned off by the price (they had also raised the rent for the 3 bedrooms had we decided to stay). After viewing the 2 bedroom model, we decided completely against it. The floor planning for 2 bedrooms at Plaza Gardens Townhomes of Overland Park is not very good at all. The 3 bedrooms are nice and doable though.

The main problem with the 3 bedrooms is the lack of closet storage, for example there is no where to put your mop, vacuum, coats, etc. The other main problem with the 3 bedroom is that the "walk-in" closet is no longer a "walk-in" once you hang up your clothes in there. They made the walk area so narrow and put up these goofy rack shelves with bars instead of normal closet rods. So what happens is that your hangers stick out so far on both sides that if you try to "walk-in" your closet, your hangers attack you from all sides.

The two bedroom model was disappointing to me. When you look at the kitchen and dining area and balcony, it is very delightful. The garage and storage looks pretty nice too. Especially do these look nice compared to the 3 bedrooms. However the living area is so tiny anyone with more than a love seat and a small coffee table is going to be storing their furniture in all that garage space. Then when you get to the upstairs, the closets there are even worse than the 3 bedrooms, one of the rooms (I think it's the guest room) has a normal door to a long closet, one that should have sliding doors on it. Perhaps another attempt to call it a "walk-in" closet, but I certainly couldn't "walk-in" there.

The complex has a lot of different little streets within it with the same name as the 3 or 4 streets next to it within the complex, so if you live on one of those types of streets, expect delays of guests and cold delivery of food ordered.

They do pay for some satellite channels for you because there is no cable laid down in their complex. They also cover your trash and water. You also have all of your appliances included by HotPoint, and they are GREAT appliances! I wish I could have taken them with me, I just loved them!

I think the place looks very nice inside and out. It isn't built as high quality as it appears, but it is very attractive! They have been a lot cheaper than the surrounding communities for a while, but their prices are starting to rise. I think this is a bad move on their part. I think they're raising the rent to keep the city's overall status as high as possible to help the neighboring communities. They had rent so affordable at times that some pretty low class people managed to weasel in there and in their sister property and they have had a world of trouble since. Plaza Gardens does everything to make sure their apartments look great.. The tenants don't leave their garage doors open, they make sure if your blinds look bad from the outside that you replace them promptly, they remind you to keep your porch clear of clutter. They keep their grounds well maintained. Maintenance and ground keepers are nice and respectful.

Typically, when you end up renting to lower-class people, you have more damaged blinds, more outdoor clutter, more complaints in general... You end up with tenants who can't pay their rent on time and they are fined for late fees, trash removal, blind replacements, etc., then you have a community that is trying to uphold it's grounds and status as a beautiful place to live, and you have irate tenants who can't afford their bills and fines and you end up with bad reviews.

I don't think the floorplans are very good, but the 3 bedrooms are comfortable enough. However, the 2 bedroom floorplans are so hideous, I would actually suggest a remodeling project!

My final thoughts would be..

1. It's a great area!
2. It's a beautiful apartment and complex!
3. The prices are getting higher than they are worth.
4. They should consider remodeling the 2 bedroom floorplans (this would increase value tremendously!). They are very pretty, REALLY pretty, it's just that the layout is no good.
5. They should put a broom/coat closet on the main floor in the 3 bedrooms (this too would increase value!).
6. The appliances are the best and are all inclusive!
7. If they give you the right price, it's totally worth it!
8. If you're a deadbeat, or even occasionally can't keep up with your bills or can't keep your rental looking nice, you are in the wrong place, they will not stand for the trash, destruction, or late payments.
9. Would I ever live there again' In a 3 bedroom, YES, definitely! In their sister community, Plaza Gardens South' FOR SURE!
10. Parking is an issue if you have more than one car (with just one you have your garage or driveway). Parking is limited.
11. The bathtubs are slightly narrower than most other bathtubs.
12. For some reason light bulbs burn out very often, expect to purchase and replace light bulbs constantly!

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