Is it perfection' Heaven' Nirvana' No, but I doubt any place could be. Do I wish it were less expensive there' Sure, but that would be true, no matter where I lived. =)

To comment on the doggie surprises: Yeah, those are annoying, but as someone else pointed out, that's largely the result of ignorant "not my problem" tenants. As for excessive barking, I can't say it's been any worse than the occasional random car alarm going off. We did have one neighbor whose dog was outside and barking quite a bit. Long story short, I think she was asked/forced to leave (I saw the written warning on her door one day... it was hard to miss).

If I had to really make a big complaint, it would probably have to be about the pigeons, in particular how they love to drop their calling cards here and there by the main pool. But all things considered, the staff do a pretty decent job of keeping on top of this. They do have some sort of noisy squawk thingy on the roof of the main clubhouse, presumably to frighten off the pigeons, although I suspect it does a better job of annoying tenants/guests passing by than it does of keeping 100% of the pigeons away. I don't really know what can be done about this, short of culling the flock.

I like having the lake with the fountain in the middle. Recently they had some sort of boat (dredger') in the lake, presumably doing some sort of cleanup there.

For a short while there, they changed the rules with regards to the indoor basketball court, mandating that if you wanted to use it, you had to book it in advance, and get the key from the office. Previously all you had to do was have your remote with you. The good news is, they've reinstated the former access, but basically if a scheduled group is already there when you arrive (like the fitness group which meets weekly), you either share or come back another time, which is reasonable. I just thought the whole sign-up sheet idea was preposterous.

Any repairs needed have generally been handled pretty quickly. We have a ground floor unit with a fenced-in yard, and the gate gets quite a bit of use (mostly from our son who tends to slam it) and the gate pin has been broken off at least twice, and repaired by the maintenance folks. The way I see it, the gate isn't something hidden away, so if they want to leave an eyesore for all to see (especially prospective tenants) then it looks bad on them. Good motivation to get it fixed.

As for nearby traffic being 'dangerous', I think that's a mild exaggeration. Sure, you wouldn't catch me playing street hockey on Warren, but that's what you get with any major road. Doesn't stop me from walking over to the mall, although we won't let our son do this on his own yet. If anything, I wish that some of the residents with a heavy gas foot would ease up in the parking area; I was out on my bike with my son on his bike recently, and had to constantly watch that he didn't end up in the path of a car. On that same day, I was pretty close to getting nailed myself. That said, they're generally pretty good around there, and as annoying as the speed bumps are when you're driving, they're great to have when you're walking around.

As for the nearby construction on Preston, I wouldn't call it dangerous, but it does tend to create a fair bit of traffic congestion. Congestion equals slow. Slow equals not dangerous, certainly less dangerous than wide-open speeding. I've found it's usually quicker to go down Parkwood and turn at 121 (or just continue straight down to Legacy). If I'm heading to the mall, it's usually easiest just to go due south through the plaza parking lot.

If you're in the mood to go out drinking but don't want the hassle (or legality) of driving, the Down Under Pub is very convenient.

The fitness center seemed good when we were originally evaluating it, but the Smith machine is lacking certain safety features. The gym is also a bit limited in the free weights and dumbbells. Cardio equipment is pretty decent, and if you're on one of the machines you can pass the time watching TV or looking out at whatever's going on at the pool. One alternative is the 24 Hour Fitness right around the corner (walking distance) on Preston. Yet another alternative is LA Fitness down by Preston/121.

There's a SuperTarget within walking distance in the plaza, although if you're getting a few armloads of groceries you'll probably want to bring your car. Or get a folding shopping cart.

I know of 4 Starbucks in the area: 1) on the south side of Preston/Warren next to Bennigan's, 2) inside SuperTarget, 3&4) inside Stonebriar Mall. But if you're fed up with Starbucks, there's a Dunn Bros coffee shop (free WiFi, as well as a couple of public PCs) even closer to home, on the north side of Warren at Preston.

Cable and Internet are both handled by Comcast, like it or not (I happen to like it). I don't recall who the telco is, as we use Vonage (voice over IP) which is pretty sweet.

The freebies like the recent happy hour night as well as the summertime pool parties are a great way to meet others (and enjoy a few cold ones in the process). I don't know exactly when they started, but the free breakfasts on Saturday mornings are nice too. I'm guessing it's a seasonal thing as well.

I guess from a construction perspective it would be nice if the units had better thermal separation. Meaning that the windows would be better to be low-E and maybe the walls with better insulation. That would help keep heating/cooling costs down (mostly cooling).

Long story short, we've been there almost a year now, and have already inked the renewal.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates