When we were looking for a new apartment a few months ago, we were thrilled to stumble upon Mason Gardens. It isn't anything fancy- no pool or fitness center but it's a nice complex for a resonable price in an awesome location just a fifteen minute walk to the King Street Metro and Old Town. Other three bedrooms around this area were almost twice as expensive! No thank you!

I like that Mason Gradens is a little off the beaten path so it's quiet and you don't have any randoms wandering around. But it's still close enough to the metro to make for an easy commute and it's easy to walk or take the free trolley into Old Town and the waterfront. The people in the community (many young professionals) have been extremely welcoming and friendly.

The rooms are good-sized and we have a huge patio where we can grill out. The kitchen is nice and the counters and tile have been recently updated. The appliances are old but still work fine. No washer and dryer in the unit but every 3-floor building has laundry facilities where it only costs $1 to wash and $1 to dry. The trade off for no washer and dryer is that ALL UTILITIES ARE INCLUDED in the rent. I'm stressing this point because everywhere else we looked, rent was more expensive AND the tenant was required to pay utilities themselves. You also get free parking which is awesome and we never have any trouble finding a spot.

The apartment manager, Betty, is very pleasant and accessible and works hard to make it seem like she actually values your business. This is a big change coming from a huge complex where management was rude, unhelpful, and dismissive.

Bottom line: If you don't want to spend your whole paycheck on rent but still want to be in a nice apartment in a great area, Mason Gardens is for you.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/18/2009
If Sam2444 is who I think he is, then he has already left Mason Gardens Apts, just months after his posting. I wrote the 7/30/2009 post. He is accurate that the 3 bedrooms are the only ones which have been close to properly remodeled. The rest have 40 year old stoves and 20 year old (semi-broken) refridgerators and deeply stained carpets. I once asked to move to a different apartment in the complex and was told that I would have to pay extra for new cabinetry in kitchen, and could not get new appliances other than those 40/20 year old ones already in the "remodeled" 2BR unit. Betty is quite good at saying "no" to the real work that needs to be done on this complex. She was the manager during the years when this was Section 8 apartments and still treats us like we should be grateful for having a hovel to stay in. Ultimately, because of the location and lack of maintenance, this property will be torn down to make "luxury" condos or apartments, during the next real estate boom in 10 years. In my opinion, this aparment would only seem like a "nice complex" if you're used to living in a Bronx slum.
From: sam2444	Date: 10/28/2009
Nope, still here. I've never been in one of the two bedroom apartments at Mason Gardens so I can't comment on them but we are quite happy in our three bedroom.

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