I lived in the apartment complex from 11/04 until 8/05. This place always has some deal going on (free rent, reduced rent, etc.) and when i first signed up i was able to reduce my rent rate from 650 to 474 a month by combining deals. so, i had a decent one bedroom. probably the best "older" apartment in tempe. it is five stories high, and i was on the fifth floor. HUGE balconies, definitely my favorite part. the balconies were even carpeted! if i looked to my left i could see the superstition mountains, straight ahead i could see "a" mountain on mill ave, and to my right i could see the big bank building in mesa. the unit was laid out very well. cable and internet is prewired, i set it all up myself in a few minutes. ok...
security- every now and then i saw some dude patroling the grounds on his bike at night. community was also gated. i felt safe here for the most part.
parking- never an issue really, there is even a parking garage! but after 10 dont count on parking close.
appearance/upkeep- grounds are well maintained. apartment is aging (probably 30-40 years old) but they are doing as many renovations as possible to keep it up. only so much they can do though.
management- sometimes friendly, sometimes a bunch of jerks. management changed 2 or 3 times while i was there.
maintenance- TERRIBLE. they refused to fix anything in my apartment until i moved out. no dishwasher, garbage disposal, for the entire time i was there. they also refused to fix a leaking toilet. during monsoon season, several wholes developed over my bathroom sink and water was coming steadily down. they flat out told me they would do nothing about it until i left. thankfully i only had a few weeks to go at that point.
condition of unit- new carpet and paint when i moved in. great! appliances sucked, as i mentioned, but i learned to do without.
noise level- amazingly quiet! BUT, i was on the 5th floor so i could never hear ground noises really. plus, the walls are literally like a foot of cement. although, since i did have a unit right off of baseline, i heard traffic when in my bedroom. didnt notice it at all after the first week or so.
basically, just keep in mind this is an aging community. but if you cant afford to stay at the newer tempe apartments like "cityscape" or lakefronts neighbor "lakeview", then i strongly urge you to consider this place. great location, too!