After reading so many of the reviews on this site, I suppose I should start by mentioning that my wife and I are NOT affiliated with Park Crossing's management in any way. It seems like anyone who posts anything positive is automatically branded as being "Management." Well, we're not. We are just regular tenants who found ourselves in need of a place to live and are happy to have ended up here at Park Crossing.

Last year my wife and I were forced to sell hour home and downsize after I had lost my job. We did our homework and visited more rental communities than we could shake a stick at. I can honestly say that while life here at Park Crossing has not been perfect, it HAS been quite good and we are very happy to be residents here.
We are in one of their townhomes, which are quite spacious, I believe about 1,200 sq. ft. and some are in the process of being updated. In our case, we were the first tenants after the update of what would become our unit.

Back during our search, we were told that ALL of the townhomes were in the process of being updated. Since having signed our lease, they have changed things by making updating optional. The updates are very nice but had this been an option for us we would have most likely opted for a non-upgraded (Classic) unit and pocketed the savings. No biggie since each has its pluses and minuses but I thought it worth mentioning.

The unit has a TON of storage space, a very large master bedroom, a large 2nd bedroom (larger than many master bedrooms at some of the other places we visited,) 1.5 baths (full upstairs, powder room downstairs,) a generous sized living room, a modest dining room and non-eat-in kitchen with an adjoining laundry room.
Heat (gas forced air) and gas cooking are included with the rent and our unit came complete with a full-sized washer and dryer, central air, a dishwasher, garbage disposal, gas range, built-in microwave and fridge. All were brand new, as were the windows and interior doors, carpets, light switches and outlets. For us it was like moving into newly built home and helped soften the blow of losing our home and transitioning from home-owners to renters.

One nice feature is that they allow pets. Do be warned, however, that some of our fellow residents do not pick up after their dogs like they should so you will want to keep your eyes down when taking Fido for his walks.

There is a large, well-maintained pool that is free of charge and a small but beautiful new health club/recreation center have just opened up. Unfortunately, management has yet to figure out a way to permit the new center to be opened beyond their office hours so at present it is only useful to those who do not work normal business hours which, for many, makes it practically useless. They say they are working on it but it's been almost a year so far the matter has yet to be resolved. Seems to me that this is something they should have thought about BEFORE they built the damned thing. But I digress.

The office staff are for the most part competent and pleasant, though some of them seem to be a bit lacking a bit in the personality department. The Property Manager is a lovely young lady named Laurie Eastburn and she is flat-out terrific. Friendly, helpful and responsive. In short, everything a good Property Manager should be. Calls to the office are usually returned promptly, depending on who you leave your message with. Generally, they seem to be genuinely interested in assisting their tenants, which is more than I can say for some rental staffs I have dealt with.

Maintenance has been quick to address our concerns and has done so competently. Generally, I give them high marks.

One thing we are VERY happy about is the sense of safety here at Park Crossing. I have left my iPod and my GPS in my car all night for over a year now and I've never once had any problems or any damage done to my car. It's usually quiet at night and there's almost always someone out walking their dog so you rarely feel isolated, vulnerable or alone.

The complex is very well lit (sometime too well lit, requiring the purchase of some room-darkening blinds and some rather thick curtains.) This was a huge relief since we had also considered renting from another nearby community (Fox Meadow) which had a less than stellar reputation in that regard. I've read several complaints about scratched cars but it has been my experience that this, too, is just one more facet of apartment living that many have to contend with. I guess it really depends mostly on your neighbors, which is pretty much luck-of-the-draw.

There seems to be a nice mix of retirees, military, singles and families and I see lots of kids running around (but not TOO many.) Friendly but not TOO friendly seems to sum up the tenants here at Park Crossing.

Unlike so many other rental communities, finding an available parking space has never been a problem. There is no assigned parking but for the most part everyone seems to park in front of their own unit and there are plenty of additional spaces all over the place. Do keep in mind, though, that this probably depends on which section of complex you are in. When we were shopping for an apartment, we made a point of asking the leasing agent which areas seemed to have the best parking availability and she directed us to what became our eventual location (Hawthorne Court). She was right; so far parking has been fine. It pays to ask.

The complex is located on Route 38 in Maple Shade, NJ between the Cherry Hill and Moorestown malls. We could not be in a better location in terms of proximity to shopping and all of the major highways and for the most part nothing in the area takes too long to get too (not accounting for traffic, of course.)

Our rent is $1,435 per month and while I do wish it was a bit lower, the fact that it does include tenant controlled heat makes it a bit more palatable. The attractiveness of the grounds is about average; some very nice spots and some spots that are in need of attention.

As might be expected, we do hear our neighbor's TV and music from time to time but so far it has not been a problem. That is part of apartment life and is something you just have to deal with. It has been no better or worse than any other apartment I have ever had.

As for bugs, I've never seen a single roach and only one or two ants. There were some sort of ground-dwelling bees or hornets next to our patio but the pest control company seemed to get rid of them in short order.

One thing that has been a bit of a surprising annoyance is the fact that we sometimes come home and can smell--quite vividly--whatever it is that our neighbor is cooking for dinner. Sadly, it is usually not a pleasant aroma (they seem to enjoy pungent seafood and many varieties of fragrant cabbage-like veggies.) After a few minutes the smell usually goes away (sometimes with the help of some air freshener or a candle or two) but it is something of an occasional nuisance. Just one more joy of apartment living, I suppose.

To summarize, the units are spacious, attractive, mostly well-maintained, and have VERY generous amounts of closet space. The community itself is friendly and seems very safe. The location can not be beat and pets are permitted for a one-time $300 fee (which can be offset by a $300 credit for signing the lease within 24 hours of your initial tour.) As rental communities go, if you can not afford one of the premium rental communities in the area and are in need of something moderately priced, Park Crossing could very well be your best bet.

Of course, what you REALLY should do is take a nice, long walk in any rental community you are considering and ask any of the current tenants you might come across for the REAL story of what it is like to live there. My wife and I did this at a number of places and the feedback we got was worth a million on-line reviews.
Thanks for taking the time to read this review and good luck finding your next new home!

***UPDATE (December 2009)***
Due to yet another job loss (my wife this time around) we are sadly having to say good bye to Park Crossing later this month. We can no longer afford the rent based on our current income and have been forced to find more affordable housing elsewhere. This being the case, I thought I'd share our move-out experiences with everyone.

Since we had not yet signed the new lease when we made the decision to move, the Property Manager permitted us to go month-to-month, which unfortunately raised our rent another 10% beyond the $1,435 we were already paying and could no longer afford.

I've notified the Property Manager about a small piece of carpet that will need to be repaired (thanks to our dog having "dug" a small hole in it, the little ----!) and a small portion of the kitchen floor that will need to be repaired due to my clumsy attempt to move a heavy piece of furniture across it. What this will do to our security deposit I do not konw but I'll be sure to post another update after we're out and the dust settles.

For those who care, we're moving to Chadwick Village Apartments in Lindenwold, NJ. Like Park Crossing, the rent includes tennant-controlled heat but unlike Park Crossing, the rent is only $875 per month for a two-bedroom upstairs unit. I'll be reviewing Chadwick Village once we're in so stay tuned.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/07/2009
Very well stated. I also have written positive reviews and have been accused of being management. I have just begun my 6th year here and live in one of the "Classic" townhomes. These are the most spacious apartments in the area. What people seem to forget, is that common courtesy and respect for other people is what makes a community what it is. Live and let live. Enjoy your new home, Maple Shade is a great little town with a developing downtown district. It has a wonderful seafood market/restaurant on Main Street which has some of the freshest fish I've ever eaten (check it out).
From: djs22867	Date: 04/07/2009
Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful response. We've enjoyed our time in Maple Shade and look forward to becoming more entrenched in the community. You certainly did hit the nail on the head: the common courtesy of your neighbors has a greater impact on your quality of life than just about anything else. Coming from a large home like we did, it would have been very easy to dwell on all that we've lost. Instead, we're trying to focus on the positives. Fortunately, life at Park Crossing has had many more positives than negatives. Thanks again for your reply and all the best to you!

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