This is a fantastic apartment for those of us who like clean grounds and peace and quiet. You're not going to have to stumble over trash, beer cans, and comatose students every Saturday morning.
The grounds are kept clean, and when we've had problems, the maintenance staff has been on top of them quickly. They're nice guys too, and you always see the same dudes, so you know turnover is low, and you can trust them in your place.
The City of College Station just built an AWESOME dog park right behind our unit. It is a completely fenced, off-leash park that even has a big tank for the dogs to swim in and a jogging/walking trail through the trees all the way around it. If you have a dog, University Park is a must see. It even has doggie water fountains... very cool. There is a back trail that leads right into our parking lot 25 yards from our door, so we can sneak to the park the back way without having to brave the Mario Andrettis flying down Autumn. Aside from the park, the complex as a whole is very pet friendly. There are lot's of open areas, with the dog-crap-picker upper-bag-dispenser-thingies everywhere. Because of that, you can actually walk around this place without feeling like you're traversing an active mine field.
Girls in the office are really helpful and friendly. They're firm, but fair, on the rules. I don't blame them, and it shows in the cleanliness and order of the complex. A little common sense goes a long way in apartment living as in life. If you let your dog crap everywhere and don't clean it up, guess what, you're gonna get a letter from the office. If you pay your rent late, guess what, you're gonna be hit with a late fee. If you vomit all over your neighbor's front door step, guess what, you're gonna hear from the office. If your idea of an "quiet little party for a few of my friends" is 200 frat dudes and 200 sorority twits, guess what, you're gonna hear from the office... and the police. If you trash your apartment and don't clean it or fix it when you move out, guess what, you're not gonna get your deposit back.
For the guys, the leasing girls are not hard on the eyes either. They're full-time employees too, not stupid, 10 hour a week, 18 year old college girls who couldn't answer a question if their life depended on it. We've been here almost a year and still see the same maintenance guys and leasing girls. It's really nice to see the same faces each day, so there is some familiarity and rapport.
I'm not sure about the complaints of the remodeling. Our unit was already finished when we moved in a year ago, so we didn't really have to deal w/ any of that. They just redid the pool and fitness center... very fancy, brand new weights, treadmills, ellipticals, and two flat screen TVs. The fitness center has a 10x20ish meeting/study room attached to it w/ WiFi. The tennis and b-ball courts got resurfaced as well, and there's a sand volleyball court. It looks to me like the whole complex is about finished, so I don't think and new residents will have to worry about much of that. The walls are not super-sound proof, but people don't party here till 3 am, so the worst you'll here is some muffled music or conversation. Definitely not a major concern.
We live on the "Winter Park" side. I have a friend on the Spring loop side and her place is nice too. Hers is a bit more like an apartment, and ours is really more like a townhouse. If I was gonna choose, I'd pick ours again, but that's just my preference. Our unit backs up to Burton Creek and the woods. I have a stoop in front of my unit which has a big shade tree over it. It's nice to sit on it in the summers. You can hear the water running through the creek after a rain. It's really cool.
We love this place. I understand it is not for everyone. Bottom line, if you are mature and have your crap together, and are looking for a nice, quiet, clean, dog friendly place to live, with neighbors who are old enough to consume alcoholic beverages legally and are gainfully employed or motivated to study, this is your spot. All others see Callaway Villas and/or Reveille Ranch.
As a testament to Laurel Ridge, let me describe us and our neighbors:
Me, grad student and work full time, boyfriend, business owner... been here almost year and have renewed the lease.
To our left: Young married couple, students I believe... been here about 6 months.
To their left: Older (50s-ish) married couple... Tell me they've been here about three years.
Across from them: Their son, Daughter in-law, and granddaughter who loves to pet our dog... Not sure, but they've been here at least as long as us.
To our right: Young Couple, engaged, were already here when I moved in. I'm assuming they are staying as well. One's an Engineering Grad Student at A&M, other works full-time.
To their right: Young couple, both work, moved in about 2 months after us.
Everyone knows everyone, and we all talk and wave to each other and do the good neighborly stuff. For a while there was a feral cat in our little area that one of the ladies named George. Everyone knew him and would leave milk out for him. Our neighbors used to leave out a towel for him to sleep on in the winter, and he used to play with our dog and loved climbing our tree. I am assuming he reciprocated by killing rodents and other vermin for us. He's since left, but there is a new one that just showed up. Not sure if anyone has named him yet, but he is cool as well... and I don't even like cats that much.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/03/2009
Isn't it too much knowledge for a resident? >The fitness center has a 10x20ish meeting/study room >attached to it w/ WiFi. The tennis and b-ball courts got >resurfaced as well, and there's a sand volleyball court.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/03/2009
If by "dog friendly" you mean that you can let your dog poop without discression, then yes. VERY dog friendly. I love the smell of a fresh poop wafting in my dog-free windows. The girls in the office might be full time, but that doesn't make them smart or cute. When I moved in, the girl who is now assistant manager, did not know what Greyhound was. The bus route is 12, so it only comes 3 times/hour...which is not exactly convenient. The one thing I will agree on is the maintenance, they seem to know what is up and get things done.
From: ufgatorharv	Date: 04/04/2009
I play tennis pretty regularly, that's how I know that. Not to mention, anyone walking by the courts can clearly see they look new. You can see in the meeting room from the fitness center, and when it finally opened it, I asked the girl in the office what they were going to use it for, and that's exactly what they told me...
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/06/2009
That person who wrote the 2nd response is really angry with the poop! Maybe they should talk to the office staff...maybe that would help. If you can't do that like an adult would then shut your d*mn windows. I wrote my own review on here...I'm an ADULT...I have had issues at the place and dealt with it as an ADULT. You should do the same or stop b*tching. The insults to the office staff's appearance are inappropriate. Those girls do what they can for the place. Give them a break...they put up with people in their faces about things out of their control all the time...and they do it without tossing out lame insults.
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/04/2009
The staff are bimbos. Trust me, I worked with them. I felt my IQ lowering so I ditched without notice. How's that for "seeing the same faces"? That and they gossip about the tennants. The maintenance crew's "temporary" apartments are decked out in personal belongings from tennants who got evicted and locked the hell out of their home. One of the staffmembers was always bringing her irreverant kid into work. Unproffessional and trust me, this single mom could've afforded a babysitter. The only good thing about that company is they pay their staff well-which leads to no motivation to go the extra mile for anybody. The person who wrote this is most certainly a staff member or a friend of. Kudos to the response above...hey, looks like your CAPS lock is stuck. At least you can spell "adult". Here's a cookie.

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