I have lived at Archstone Tewksbury since the summer of 2001. I have found both the old staff and the new staff to be helpful and courteous.

That said, there were problems. I live in one of the higher priced buildings in the rear, and I too have had issues with the security doors being constantly propped open. I never saw people hanging around in the entryway, but nonetheless, the doors were propped very often. Also, people park a lot of cars without the appropriate stickers and it has at times been difficult to find a spot (to the point that I have had to park 2 buildings away). Archstone sent out a memo about the fact that they would post signs and start towing, which they did once, and then stopped taking care of the problem. Hence, the parking is still a problem. I eventually invested in a covered carport, thinking I'd always have a place to park and that my car would be safe. The area around the carports is not well-lit or sanded, however, and I have fallen on the ice walking back from my parking spot. I have also found kids hanging around in the carports (particularly on the rear side, which is a perfect place for kids to get up to mischief). I called the police to report a couple of suspicious men parked in an unfamiliar car, only to be told by police that 4 cars had been broken into and that I should be careful because the men could be dangerous. It makes me wonder if a warning or heads-up was ever going to be issued by the office. It made me feel unsafe.

The rest of my concerns are all community-related. There are a lot of nice people, but there are also a lot of people who do not clean up after their dogs and do not pick up their cigarette butts. There are kids riding bikes and scooters unsupervised all over the access roads and in the carports (one kid rode right into my parked car as I was sitting in it and then ran) and I fear for their safety. Kids play in the halls and stairwells and made extremely loud thumping and crashing noises. The pool hours are not adequate because the town requires a lifeguard to be on duty and I guess they can't seem to get a lifeguard past 8pm in the summer months, which is silly. Most places keep the pool open until 10 in the summer. The pool is fine, but the hot tub is filthy. I stopped going in it when I saw large amounts of what looked like hair floating in the foam. The playground is fine, but I would not feel comfortable having my kids back there alone.

The garbage areas are always overflowing and the elevators seem to break down for days and days at a time whenever there is a warm spell (this has happened several times since I have lived here and one time the elevator was broken for weeks... probably not helpful to handicapped residents.)

Overall, this is not a bad place to live, but the things that they claim set them apart aren't quite there yet. They need more staff to take care of their clubhouse and they need a nighttime security staff to patrol the grounds and check for things like car vandals, propped security doors, etc.

I would not recommend Archstone Tewksbury until they have these details sorted out. I do think they are working on it, and I think they'll get there. It's a young property, and there is a learning curve with management in an area that is in the suburbs but so close to a higher crime area like Lowell. They need to be aware that while they strive to fill the property with working professionals and nice families, they need to take care of everyone there and recognize the crime and less desirable things that do happen. Things like this happen everywhere but you have to acknowledge it to rectify it.

My advice, check this place out in a couple of years and maybe they will have their act together. 6TrHFn6pn7poyqNlKEgn

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