I moved in Dec 07. The rent seems ungodly high, even though I got a rate special when I moved in. Normal rent on a itty bitty studio is 1065 a month. I still haven't figured out how some of my neighbors can afford the place. Prices for renovated unites and the old units are the same. If you get a renovated unit the monthly rent hurts a little less. My apartment is "cute" and I am pleased with the conditions inside my apartment.

The big seller for me here was that It allowed dogs. 2 up to 40 lbs. It was the ONLY apartment in a 20 mile radius that I found that I could afford and would let me have my dog. SO I keep my complaints to a minimum.
On a side note, there cat policy is atrocious, they require all cats to be declawed. A very archaic rule. If your thinking about moving here and then getting a cat, you should also know that almost all of the local shelters and rescues have a No Declaw clause to their adoption contracts.

I have found that the current leasing staff are very friendly. The maintenance guys walking around the property are also quite cordial. I have no problems with the staff. I had a leak at 9pm on a Saturday night, not long after I moved in. Emergency staff came within the hour and the maintenance super worked with me and my schedule to set a time for the painters to come. They have been respectful thus far in my request to not come into the apartment if I am not home, due to my dog.

The lighting of the grounds at night is very good. SO good in fact, I had to buy black out curtains to sleep at night.

No Washer/Dryers in units. The building laudry facilities are Terrible! Coin laundry, in a basement closed off area. I do not feel safe as a young single female down there. I always take my dog with me, regaurdless of who complains. The machines are not very good. Anything more than a half a load in doesn't come out very clean. I have found it cheaper, quicker, and cleaning to use a laundrymat.

My biggest complaint is the other renters. I feel like I'm in some sort of cross cultural twilight zone. I have only met one other household where English is the first language. I have witnessed people having extreme reactions to my LEASHED dog, and even been screamed at for walking the dog. Unattended children frequently roam the complex. Wandering out in front of cars, trying to touch my dog on walks, banging on my window to get the dog upset. Groups of teens loiter and stare down other residents. Some teens are know to walk in the middle of the road and stare you down as you try to drive in or out of the complex. As the weather warms there are more incidents of unattended children and teens screaming outside, latter and latter in the evenings.

The complex is on the same road as a school. Mornings and afternoons are a nightmare. School parents frequently double park along the road, leave their cars sitting and black traffic. With people parked illegally along the road, it's difficult to pull out. I'll often see parking enforcement there on a Saturday morning, taking a nap at the top of the hill, but Never during the after school CF.

In the past few months some incidents of gang tagging have popped up in the vicinity of the complex. I have not seen it on the buildings, but along the route between my apartment and office (1 mile radius). I have not heard or seen any evidence of crime, and have not yet witnessed a serious police presence. It would seem that the Alexandria PD doesn't cruise by very often.

Parking here is a BIG problem. They require you to register your car and have a permit, as well as register overnight guest, but my guess is that parking is NOT enforced. The lot is littered with work vans, work trucks, and taxi cabs at night. If you arrive home past 8pm, expect to have to park a ways from your entrance. If you arrive home after 9:30 expect a hike. (especially fun in the rain). Often times some of the bigger vans will take up more than one space. I have never even seen a tow truck drive through, let alone tow anyone.

All in all, I guess you get what you pay for. It seems that some of the nicer affordable apartments in the area are income restricted. So if you re in my boat you make to much money to live in the affordable nice places, and to little to afford the actual nice places. IF the rent doesn t increase to much next year, I will likely renew my lease.

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