Review for Crosswinds Apartments

The complex used to have nightly security patrols. Since the buyout by Arlington, this no longer appears to be the case. That said, I do not feel unsafe walking around the property or neighborhood at night.

Parking has never been a problem. There is no reserved parking (which has its good and bad points) and no covered parking (which can make for a hot car in the summer, depending on where you park).

I have had no major concerns about crime in the area. I did have my bicycle stolen shortly after I moved into my apartment, but I also did not have it chained up. That doesn't justify having it stolen, of course, but it does underscore the need for basic common sense no matter where you live.

The speed and response to maintenance requests varies. We had an air conditioning unit go out in the hottest part of the summer and it took nearly a week to get it replaced, but it was replaced with a brand new, state-of-the-art unit. A plumbing problem was quickly resolved, although it took cutting through the drywall in the bathroom to do so. The drywall has not been repaired/replaced yet, but I'm sure I just need to call and remind them it needs to be done.

That said, there is no central heating or air - heat is provided by electrical wall heating units, and A/C is delivered by a single wall unit that is rigged up to vent to the whole apartment. Most of the time, this is acceptable. Our electric bill during the peak of the summer was nearly $200.

The units are well-maintained, although even the largest 2-bedroom units are a bit on the small side. If you have a lot of stuff, you might want to invest in a mini-storage somewhere. In general, the tenants are respectful and clean - although some of them need to remember to clean up after their pets in the pet-walk area.

It's generally nice and quiet. We don't hear a lot of noise from the neighbors - although I will concur with a previous reviewer - you probably do not want to rent on the side facing City Bites. There is an urban nightclub right across the street, and their patrons tend to get very loud and boisterous late at night on the weekends.

My biggest complaint is with the indoor pool and the exercise room. The indoor pool has been closed to the public for some time now as they have been "waiting for a pump". This "wait" has gone on for quite a few months now, and the pool is currently an unusable, toxic-looking chemical mess.

The exercise room is similarly a disaster, with most of the equipment having been in a state of disrepair for months. Since the cable television in the exercise room (provided when McKinley managed the site) has been cut off, I'm guessing there is no priority to return the room to full usability any time soon.

All in all, Crosswinds is a decent place to live. The location is superb, close to a major upscale shopping mall, major department stores, library, an organic supermarket, restaurants, bookstores and several good hotels. Less than a 5 minute walk away: Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Akin's Natural Foods, Braums, Denny's, Zorba's Greek Food, Big Lots, CompUSA, Staples, a 24-hour Kinkos, Bed Bath & Beyond, and lots more.