I've lived in Cortland for a little over a year now. This is certainly not the best apartment I've ever lived in, but it's far from the worst, either. I do think that many of the negative reviews I've read are overstated.

Negatives:
-Walls and ceilings are paper-thin. We had to reorganize the living room as the television had been up against one of the walls shared with my bedroom, and no matter how low the tv was turned I could hear every bass note. We routinely hear the neighbors both downstairs & up, and even treading lightly our downstairs neighbors can hear us as well. If you do move in, definitely try to get an apartment on the top floor.
-Construction. When we first moved in they were still building the two units directly across the parking lot from us; construction has slowed in this portion of the neighborhood, but is still going strong in others. In addition to the noise, this results in a lot of construction traffic going in and out of the community (which currently has only one road for that purpose), and an unkempt appearance in the newer sections.
-Rental policy. I'm not at all suprised to hear that they intend to become a section 8 community. When we moved in, they were giving free rent for your move-in month, no credit check, and no deposit--this while the community wasn't even half built. We were the first tenants in our apartment as the building had just been completed; barely more than a year later, only our downstairs neighbors remain from the original occupants. Eviction notices for failure to pay rent are a routine adornment on most apartment doors.
-Cleanliness. While they do a fine job maintaining the exterior appearance of the community, absolutely nothing is done to the interiors. The hallways are filthy, and in our unit the first-floor hall floods every time we get a significant rain.
-Mail service. Right after we moved in our mailbox was destroyed (still not sure how), which meant that we had to pick up mail at the post office for more than 6 months before a new unit was constructed. Now we finally have a mailbox again, but it's on the opposite side of the community and not at all convenient to our apartment.

Positives:
-The apartments are incredibly spacious and look beautiful. The 3 bedroom/2 bath layout is ideal for young families or adults looking to share living costs. While the construction itself is shoddy, everything does work...at least, once we reattached the pantry doors in the kitchen.
-Generally quiet & safe. There are groups of teens who run around the neighborhood throughout the day, but in my experience they've been quite respectful and do not create a noise problem. I'm a very light sleeper, but am still able to sleep with my window open (facing the parking lot) and only a small fan going to create white noise. I've had no problems at all with my car or property.
-Nice office staff. We had quite a problem with the old office manager, but she has since been replaced. I've found the current staff to be quite nice and professional; on one occasion when we were late on our rent, they were quite willing to work with us even beyond the normal 5 day grace period, and offered to stay open late so that I could drop off my payment after work.
-Location. The new shopping center right next to the community offers a very nice grocery store, hardware store, and several eating options among other things. Right across the street you have the Amish market and several other restaurants, with the post office right there on the corner.
-Parking. Looking around the community it will vary by your building, but at least where I'm living there is ample parking available. The community also went above and beyond, in my opinion, in working with our handicapped neighbor by designating a handicap parking space directly in front of his patio entrance.

Overall, I would recommend Cortland to a friend & am recommending it here, but with a few stipulations--chief among them, that you understand going in that you're going to get what you pay for. But in the end, this community does offer an affordable way to live in a safe, spacious, and attractive apartment home...at least, thus far. uWDgQKY3Vkv8FKIsB8Ax

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