Been there for two years, looking forward to leaving.

The size of the apartment is great. The layout good. The location is fairly convenient. The maintenance is poor.

In two years at Riverside Park, I received six blank rent statements. I was given an attitude by the business office staff every time I called to find out how much rent was owed and to request that a completed statement be issued (never got one).

When I was given a tour of the property, I was told that the entrance security system would be up and running in a couple of months. It still is not functioning, and I doubt that it ever will be. Do not believe the leasing agent if they tell you the same thing.

The security at the gatehouse is a joke. The other day we had to honk the horn because the guard was sleeping. Since the construction started on Building I, the pedestrian gate has been kept chained off (except for school bus times) which adds time to anyone's commute if they walk. (and I frequently walked, as I could get to the Metro quicker than the shuttle bus service)

Package room hours were cut drastically during my residence there. I finally got a P.O. box close to my work because I could only get to the package room one day a week, once they stopped having evening hours.

Getting maintenance performed has been a major chronic problem. Towards the end, I learned that I needed to make three phone calls per request: One to maintenance, one to the business office afterhours to leave a message, and one to the emergency maintenance afterhours number. Even so, it still took over three days to have anyone come to assess the HOLE in my shower wall. And they only came because I was flooding the apartment downstairs, apparently.

Another tip, when requesting maintenance: Don't confuse them by reporting more than one thing at a time. They can't cope with more than one task at a time. When the come up to unclog your tub drain (for the SIXTH TIME) don't confuse them by mentioning that your toilet runs, that your screen door is chronically either impossible to close or falling off, and that your closet doors are very difficult to open & close and scrape the ceiling. You'll be lucky to get the tub taken care of...and you'll be standing in a backed up tub again in two weeks.

There were at least four floods in my apartment in two years. One was from a failing air conditioner (at least two calls to get serviced). One was from a garbage disposal that developed a hole in the side and leaked all over the kitchen (also at least two calls to get serviced). Twice my bathroom flooded from unknown causes upstairs--and twice my bathroom ceiling had to be replaced.

Plumbing is a SERIOUS problem at Riverside Park (just look at the stained carpet & walls in the hallways and you'll be able to locate the problem areas!) and needs to be replaced. It is my understanding, however, that the "renovated" apartments are NOT getting new plumbing. It's cosmetic work only. I have asked for a new shower head since I moved in (it sprays wildly) but was never given one. The water pressure is great, though. My toilet has been flushing itself for months, but nothing has been done about it in spite of my having reported it at least three times.

Not too long ago, a project to 'update' the appearance of the lobbies & hallways was started. It has not been finished, except in the lobby, which means that hallway carpeting has bizarre patches and the paint job doesn't match anything. Rather ugly. And in the lobby, the furniture was BOLTED to the floor. Thank you for trusting your residents & not treating them like criminals. If you're getting bad vibes from your residents, maybe you should take some time to figure out why'''

There have been a couple of shuttle bus drivers. The woman who was there until recently was very unprofessional, so it's nice to see that she has been replaced. Long time residents will tell you about how the shuttle used to run until much later in the evening...wouldn't it be nice to have a service like that'

The grounds are very tidy, but nobody has done anything about a couple of lights in the parking lot that need repair.

THERE ARE NO EMERGENCY LIGHTS IN THE HALLWAYS. If the power is out, the hallways are pitch black. And, yes, the power goes out often. I frequently return home to find all of my appliances blinking 12:00 at me.

I have loved the view, but hate the car dealership's light pollution. If you want to have a home that gets dark at night, get an apartment on the west side of the building. If you don't mind being able to read in bed with the lights off, get a view of the river.

It has been fascinating to live on the edge of the Wilson Bridge construction. Every few weeks, the streets and intersections around the apartment complex change. Makes it kinda like a game. There is noise from the traffic and sometimes the construction. Lately, construction trucks have been driving through the complex to get to their worksites.

Fellow residents are nice. It's truly a mix of all kinds of people, and brings all of the joys and problems.

I'm sad to leave little things (the convenience of the shop & dry cleaner in the complex, for example, or the balcony) but I'm very much looking forward to an updated apartment with a dishwasher manufactured after 1980. It's the little things, folks.

User Responses
From: singularandhappy	Date: 02/15/2007
To "Anonymous" above! I think that you're a wanna-be author! You find the smallest inconveniences that we all go through in life as a way to attempt sarcastic humor via your complaints. Once finished, the Wilson Bridge project will be convenient, modern and help alleviate the heavy traffic in the metro area!And why should Harry sit in one room all day long when most people are at work! He's there until 7 pm and for more than several hours each day of the weekend! If you can't stand the lights of the car dealership, perhaps you should open your pocketbook and purchase some black out drapes! After two years of no sleep, you still didn't get the picture? You never thought to buy yourself one of those big, round, "gets the water all over your body" showerheads? I just love mine, especially since the water is nice and hot and the pressure is great. Up here on the 16th floor, in my "penthouse" as I like to call it, the problems and little anxieties in life just drift away as soon as I un"lock" my front door (which has never been changed). I walk into my large living room, dining room and my cute little kitchen (which I love) and look out at all of the plants on my balcony in the Spring, Summer and Fall, walk into my large bedroom abounding with closet space, so much so that I had to go out and buy more clothes in an attempt not to have them look so empty!! Believe me, at my age hopefully, you will begin to realize and appreciate all of the beauty in life, in people, in nature, in renovation, in culture and diversity, in the sound of a healthy child running down the hall, in tearing down and building better, replacing carpet and even bolting down furniture. Just the fact that you can hear, see and have your health, wake up in the morning to a new day...that, my dear Pessimist, is called LIVING! Perhaps you'll even get a laugh at that poor guy or gal in that tiny, little room where he or she spends 8 hours a day/night with his or her titilatingly interesting job; yeah, you know, "sleeping-gatehouse-guard-beauty"! You're lucky that you have a car with a horn to honk; many people don't! So please open your eyes and your heart and quit complaining! Wake up and smell the coffee and the ethnic food and thank God you have ears to hear and eyes to see! This place, Flor, Tracey, Michelle, the neighbors, the folks with whom you ride up and down in the elevator, they're all great! And if you'd quit b****ing, you're probably pretty great, too! C'mon! Renew your lease; smile; take an Indian or Thai cooking class, whistle a happy tune and make a friend! :)

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