It's been over a year since I lived at Denway, so some of this info may have changed...

Parking:
One assigned space and visitor parking. Visitor parking is marked with signs while assigned parking is marked on the pavement. Pavement markings aren't very vibrant so occasionally visitors or uninformed/rude neighbors will take your assigned parking space. I had to call a tow service on several occasions and the car owners magically appeared without incident. Parking is well-lit. Snow removal leaves something to be desired - Denway Circle is not cleared as often as it used to be but is sometimes cleared 2-3 times in one day. Snow accumulates between and behind cars so buy a shovel (I consider this a winter-in-Michigan problem and not a Denway problem).

Noise:
Overall noise wasn't an issue. The walls are pretty thick. But because the buildings are close together it's not uncommon to hear other people via open windows for whatever reason. I could hear my neighbor through our open windows rather than through the wall. During the winter you don't hear a neighbor unless they're yelling. During the summer you may hear a yelling neighbor from two buildings away. Traffic from Westnedge is audible (which I like - the city version of an ocean shore). My guests would comment on hearing emergency vehicles but after a few months I didn't notice.

Grounds:
There's nothing special about the grounds but they are very safe. There is little grass. The central courtyard is sparse but ok - the children seem to like it. Ground maintenance focuses on safety rather than beauty. It is well lit. Sidewalks are shoveled early in the morning and throughout the day as necessary. They are well-salted and extra salt is available in the lobby for occupants to use.

Safety:
Outdoor lighting is good. I never worried about dark locations. Denway Circle is narrow, however, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were dark areas in other parts of the apartment complexes. Outdoor locks worked, but the communication box didn't work. They could buzz you but you can't talk to them. Sometimes buzzing someone in did not work and the buttons are only on one of the two entrances.

Construction:
Nothing special about the construction. The buildings were built in the 70s, so they are solid but have experienced 40 years of wear and tear. Expect some wood rot on the balcony, warped counter tops, Spackle, messy paint jobs, etc. There is hardwood flooring under the carpets. Doors and bathroom fixtures did not seem cheap. No leaky ceiling; no crumbling walls. Each building is heated by water. I lived on the second/top floor and the heat from the downstairs neighbor was enough to keep me happy (I prefer low to mid 70s). I often had a window or two cracked during the winter. The sliding balcony door was drafty. The one AC unit worked fine.

Maintenance:
Maintenance is friendly and knowledgeable but seemed only able to do the bare minimum. There was a focus on safety and repair rather than replacement and perfection. If it wasn't completely broken it won't get replaced. I considered this a problem with the owner not providing the funds rather than a problem with the manager or maintenance people. Problems were handled in a timely manner. Keith, the regular maintenance guy, put pride in his work. He obviously put effort into getting the job done to the best of his ability. The other maintenance guys were fine but seemed to be more concerned with just getting the job off their list.

Staff:
Judy is the main manager. She lives on site and has direct stakes in how well the neighborhood is doing. As a result she doesn't put up with --------. You won't find a manager who is more tough but fair. If you follow the rules, have reasonable requests, and pay on time she will be your advocate - you'll never have a problem with staff. If you break a rule, are inconsiderate, give her attitude, beat up the property, or don't pay on time she will unleash hell. You don't need to wax her balls to get results, you just need to be a decent person. How well you're treated is based directly on how well you treat others. Your choice. Other managers are just average and are more prone to treating you like a liability than an asset. They are more likely to try to talk you away from a problem than deal with it. They're usually only around when Judy is on vacation. The office has hours that tend to change throughout the year. That can make it somewhat difficult to communicate at times.

Pets:
You can hear the occasional dog barking but it was never really obvious if it was coming from someone in Denway or a dog from around the neighborhood. The grounds were kept clear of dog poo in my area and I never smelled nor stepped in anything unpleasant. Expect to see cats. There is no monthly pet fee but a $200 non-refundable pet deposit.

Location:
Denway Circle is off of a quiet neighborhood. There is minimal "thru" traffic. Groceries and basic shops are within walking distance. I-94 is very nearby. Westnedge is a main vein between downtown and Portage. Many parks are within a mile, including the PCBP trail. I felt I was very near everything I could ask for.

Price:
I consider Denway to be the best value apartment I have lived in to date. The one bedroom, 820 sq. ft. apartments are spacious given the price. When I first moved in the rate was $470 throughout the year. The rate went up once during the four years I stayed there - to $500. Later they raised the rent by $25 during Nov-Apr to help pay the heat costs. Since heat is included in the rent (rather than a separate bill), I applied for and received a tax rebate from both the Fed and State taxes. Note: I am not an accountant.

Neighbors:
The neighbors were the only thing I'd consider sub-par. There were no shortages of deadbeats and trash. Most people weren't unfriendly. Most just wanted to be left alone and would leave you alone. Some, however, had no problems letting the neighborhood know their problems and just how much they dislike their significant other at the moment. Occasionally a neighbor had loud music or annoying booming subwoofers in their cars (and not the good ones, just the loud, scratchy, possibly torn ones). Pot is always present. Luckily it was rarely noticeable (and was never offensive to me), but there was always at least one drug user (if not a dealer) in my building. One of my neighbors made a display of trying to kill herself. Another was arrested for beating his girlfriend. Others would smoke in common areas and put their cigarettes out on the wall. I consider this pretty typical for Section 8 apartment complexes at this price, but it was worsened by the fact that the buildings were close together. But it wasn't all bad. Some people were friendly once approached and there was a period where the neighbors in my building had a shared sense of community and looked out for each other. I was never the target of any crime.

Problems I had during my stay:
-a fair amount of cleaning had to be done when I first moved in
-tub surfaced severely pocked; tub resurfacer guy recommended the tub be replaced but it wasn't broken, so it wasn't replaced; resurfacing lasted three days
-wood rot on balcony makes guard rails worthless; maintenance looked at it but said nothing would be done because it would require independent contractors to come out and build a new balcony
-Downstairs neighbor had leak in bathroom wall. The first time this happened maintenance didn't patch up the possible leak but put up a window curtain so that the water from my shower couldn't get into the window tract. The second time it happened it was found that the plumbing from my tub was leaking. My water in the bathroom was turned off for 4 days while independent contractors were brought in to replace the pipes. The plumbers then left my access panel open and a hole in my neighbor's ceiling - resulting in their cigarette smoke coming into my bedroom, my waking up to the neighbor woman screaming at her kids to brush their teeth and get ready for school (normally I didn't hear that), and my ability to watch them take a shower if I had a mind to (which I really, REALLY had no interest in doing).
-the water pump for the heater got a bit janky one winter and caused the heat to go out every so often for about two months; insulation helped keep the temperature above 50; maintenance made heat-related calls their priority and usually had the hot water flowing again in an hour or two; a written apology from the apartments was issued after the problem was fixed permanently
-oven heating element burned out; replaced the same day
-hot water handle broke off of sink in kitchen on a Sunday; emergency call made; operator didn't seem to recognize the name of the apartments but maintenance (who does not live on site) was at my door in 10 minutes (exceptional!); new sink ordered the next day and replaced the following week
-rusty aka red water; a Kalamazoo thing but worse at Denway compared to other areas; not dangerous, just ugly and not the best tasting water you'll ever have; makes cleaning the bathroom tougher

Overall:
I think the location, the size of the one bedroom unit, the hardwood floor, the staff, the massive balcony size, lots of storage, the solid build, and the safety features are above average and outweigh the above-described cons. I've lived in other apartment complexes or rooms - in and out of Kalamazoo. All of which were more expensive than Denway but not all of them were better than Denway. I'm now at a point in my life where I'd rather not be so close to my neighbors so I don't know if I'd necessarily move back. But if I needed to live in Kalamazoo again I'd definitely consider it. I'd also recommend Denway to friends and family.

User Responses
From: pamelae43	Date: 11/03/2009
Great review. It identifies Denway perfectly. I lived there for 4 years as well and would still be there if my financial isssues would not have forced me to move. Judy is one of the best apartment managers I have had known.

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