Chris T.
2/5
I'm going to be as transparent as possible as a former resident by breaking this down into several categories:
Staff: I found the staff to be rude at times. Office and Maintenance. They had some major turnover when an investment firm took over, got rid of all the friendly people in the office. Occasionally they'd send out rather nasty general emails to the entire property Maintenance team as well, during my time there it didn't appear any of the staff lived on property which really reflected their lack of care for the place. A lot of "not my problem" as they pass by the same messes for weeks without picking it up. While they do perform repairs in a decent amount of time, their policy on A/C repairs is very questionable(at the time I lived there, they said they wouldn't fix it if it was 85 or below outside), so I'd hope your HVAC doesn't go on a weekend, because it's not getting fixed until the weekdays.
Gym - the gym offered is generally inadequate. Certain residents lack etiquette, so expect open loud phone conversations, no equipment wiped down after use. There's a planet fitness down the street that's a better option.
Noise: Depending on where you live on the property, there's 2 annoyances, either the 295 noise, or if you live at the front of the property, the construction from the condos on an adjacent property; that noise includes jackhammering, other construction equipment and obnoxiously loud workers as they bulldoze what was once a great forest view that's been bulldozed. There's also general apartment noise, if you're on a top floor it's not as bad, but if you're on either the second or first floor, you will hear your neighbors stomp, and the last part of my residency was a frustrating daily occurrence. Aside from that when all this is not going on, it can be nice and quiet and peaceful, or at least it was when I first moved in.
Parking: depends on how many units in your building are occupied, and if they all are be prepared to do a lot of walking if you work late. They offer covered parking at a premium, but a few of those structures were decaying, leaving you in danger of having you vehicle under rubble if a big weather event happened.
Security: There is none. 2 events happened in my last year that were noteworthy. A tenant moved in that appeared to be dealing out of the apartment, later on they were burglarized by breaking in thru the back door. Somewhat timing related, 2 residents had their motorcycles stolen.
Trash: The location of the dumpster invites outside residents to throw stuff away, which usually results in jammed trash compactors, punishing those who pay to live there. There's also a trash valet service you're forced to pay whether you utilize it or not. There's also no plastic/glass recycling onsite, they quietly nixed that due to the overflowing abandoned trash left by either departing or outside residents; so there's only cardboard recycling, which was never clearly communicated to the residents. There's also an issue of where people walk their dogs, if you're in a first floor unit, expect to see that a lot.
Appliances: You're better off getting a renovated unit. the non renos, most stuff is severely out of date and older than you.
Proximity to things: You're 15 min from downtown providence, 40 min to Worcester, about an hour to the Casinos in CT, but Boston can vary, which is disappointing if you're working there at certain times of the day. There is a bike path a mile away that is an amazing escape.
Price and value: They adjust their prices to the market which can be a pro and con at the same time. you could lock into a low rate if they have a large number of unoccupied units, or it could be more if fewer units are available. Renewal increases are another story, once the investment company took over those shot up to what other corporate landlord owned properties are asking, which could be upwards of 8% and higher.
Overall it could be a nice property, but it would take a lot of work on their part, and the only way they'd take note is if a larger portion of the property goes unoccupied.
