I moved into Woodside in August 2006, looking for a relatively quiet community of grad students/professionals where I could get a single-person apartment at a decent price.

That's pretty much what I got, so I'm happy.

Parking is not a problem -- my first year here I was told that guests needed parking permits, but by the time I needed one in 2007 the leasing office had decided that there was enough parking that even that wasn't necessary, and they were quite right. It's nice to be able to avoid that hassle.

It's pretty quiet -- I occasionally hear some sounds that probably come from loud music or video games, but they're never very loud by the time they get through the walls to me. Interestingly, you can hear a lot from other apartments in the hallways, but practically nothing once you're in your own.
The real noise problem is that the Woodside North building is right on Haslett Road, which is quite busy. If you end up on the north side of this building like I did, you're going to need to keep the windows closed any time you want to make a phone call, watch TV, etc. I guess that's the price you pay for being right on a bus line (CATA line 22, which goes to campus -- very handy).

The grounds are eh. Kept up, mown, mulched, but nothing special. The building is brick and fairly good-looking.

I like my apartment; the only thing I wish was a little bigger is the kitchen, but since I live alone that's rarely a real problem. I also wish there was more storage space, but since I tend to be a pack-rat that might just be me. The kitchen is full of cupboards, the bathroom has a few, and there is one large closet and three scattered tiny ones.

Maintenance is awesome. They know what they're doing and they get it done, fast -- they're almost always there the next day, and a few times have shown up the same afternoon I've called. I'm really impressed and it played a big part in my decision to stick with DTN when moving to a new apartment.

The staff at the leasing office (not located at Woodside, which is quite small, but at the larger 731 Burcham complex) have always been kind and helpful. Apparently there's also a residential manager living somewhere in Woodside, but I've only seen her once (when she introduced herself), so I have no comments there.

The pet policy isn't too bad -- cats (up to 2) are allowed. I paid a $100 deposit and pay $20 in pet rent per month for my one cat (which I think is a little steep but not exorbitant). The pet pretty much has to stay in your apartment, but that's okay since mine is a purely indoor cat anyway.

Rent price seems to be decent for around here from what I've heard, especially since it includes free heat. Be aware DTN tends to raise the price (by about $10 per month) every year, but will give you last year's rate for your second, third, etc. years if you don't move.

Laundry room is okay -- clean, anyway. The machines accept quarters only ($1.25 each for washing and drying as of this writing, although two washer loads will fit in one dryer). Depending on which side of the building you live on, you may or may not have to go outside to get to them. I have to go outside, which is a bit annoying.

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