Review for Staples Mill Townhomes Apartments

Staples Mill Townhomes, formerly known as Townhouse Park Apartments, is now under the management of PRG Real Estate. At first glance, this seems like a good thing, as the complex was in need of repair work and the old management company was fairly slow at improving the place. They have since repaved the parking lot and are promising many other improvements. HOWEVER, there are several things worth noting. Recently, residents were slapped in the face with the news that they will be forced to pay for mandatory cable (an extra $34 per month on the rent) from Comcast regardless if they don't want it, already have sattelite, or don't even have a TV under the guise of "lowering cable rates". (It's called subsidizing the people who want it by juicing those who don't.) Also, they attempted to charge me for replacing a broken thermostat, saying that it looked like someone had damaged it, when the thermostat housing was in the same poor condition it was in when I moved in in 1999. I argued with them until they dropped the charge. I was never even attempted to be charged for any repairs under the old company.

The parking situation frankly sucks. There are mostly enough spaces for residents as far as I can tell, but visitor parking is a real pain. There are parking permits (first instituted a couple years ago by the old company) and visitor spaces. So far, so good. However, the visitor spaces also require a permit - each apartment gets one and must pay $50 apiece for additional - and parking in one of those without a visitor permit will lead to a a $160 towing bill. The part that really gets my ire up on this is that there are also "free" (no permit required) parking spaces that look exactly like regular "permit required" visitor parking, but nothing to indicate which is which. A friend of mine came over recently only to get towed because he parked in a "permit required" space and neither of us thought to put the pass on the car.

I do have to give credit where credit is due, however. They did bend their rules a bit when my girlfriend was applying to be a roommate. She would not have qualified under normal "roommate" regulations due to her low income, but as mine was high enough to more than cover their stipulations they classed us as if we were a married couple as those regulations use combined income.

The apartments do have somewhat thin walls. I had a neighbor up until recently that almost drove me insane with her constant screaming at her bratty kids who did lovely things like scream and jump on their beds at 5 AM. If you live here just hope that you don't get the neighbor from hell.

I'm not sure I can say much about the security. I've never had an apartment break-in, but my girlfriend's van was broken into one night. Luckily the thief was too dumb to figure out how to crank it or get it into gear after snapping off the keyguard on the steering column, so they only took the change out of the ashtrays. That is, of course, if it truly was a thief and not the overzealous towing company attempting to make off with the car. (I say this because the friend who found his car towed recently had all of his change mysteriously disappear as well.) I was also once asked in the parking lot by a really sketchy looking guy if I knew where he could get some weed. My girlfriend has on occasion had to put up with comments from punks in passing cars after dark. However, I *still* feel safer here than I do in the city of Richmond.

Laundry rooms close at 8 PM, which is often rather annoying. This has been the case since I have lived there. Wash is $1.25, dry is $1.00.

Gas and water are included, which is a plus. Also, the ranges are gas and not electric, which is a huge bonus in my book. The kitchens and bathrooms are reasonably adequate without being too small.

The apartments are in need of improvement on the outside, and some on the inside as well. There are improvements planned, but I haven't seen them yet. I am leery, however, as the PRG company newsletter (publically available on their website) that mentions the complex states that they are looking forward to an "increase in rents" after renovations. That sure raises a red flag with me. The cable issue is already pushing it, as PRG seems to want to keep raising their "other income", meaning money that isn't strictly rent such as getting a kickback from the cable company, as they are already higher than many other rental companies in this regard.

After living here five years, I still say it's a pretty good place for the money. Not the best place to live by a long shot, but a decent value-priced apartment for the area. I live here because it's fairly cheap without being a hole in the wall. However, I must make this statement with reservations, as I cannot predict what direction PRG will be taking this place in the near future. As a complex populated with many lower income families, many of which are foreign and who do not speak English well or at all, it appears that PRG may be gearing up to price them out so as to make the place look more prestigious and bring in people with bigger wallets. Management is my primary reason for giving my thumbs down on a recommendation.