Preserve at Goose Creek

I lived here for about a year and with any apartment there’s ups and downs. Other than one neighbor (you know who you are) playing crazy loud music and bass, it’s an extremely quiet complex. There is also a 24 hour courtesy staff member who you can call with any complaint and they address it right away. Here’s some reflection on my experience:
Good: very nice pool and grill, welcoming lobby, friendly staff (most recent group; previous management was not very nice or responsive but they left last November), and nice looking apartments.
I found their prices extremely reasonable for a Houston-​area one bedroom. I also really like that they leave the gates open from 4 – 6 pm for folks coming home from work so you don’t have to pull out the gate key card. Also, parking is open so no worries about visitors like some places.
The commute to either clear lake or near bush airport is no big deal. Very nice options of 146 or beltway 8 with little to no traffic.
The new management extended office hours until 6 pm so that’s a huge help. I used to not get back in time and always have to go in on Saturdays if I had something to talk with them about or get a package.
Nearby Emmett Hutto has a decent little jogging path (almost a mile and a quarter all the way around). With all the rain we had, it was actually quite pretty with wildflowers and trees.
You’re also extremely close to places like Kroger, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot, etc etc etc. Everything is on Garth road, no joke.
Awesome storage unit on the balcony/​patio. You can fit a lot in there.
I got brand new appliances when I moved in and I loved having the whole gambit: dishwasher, oven, microwave, fridge, washer, dryer.
Bad:
The last major storm really wrecked havoc and we had a hole in our wall for one month due to dry rot. We live on the top floor and the roof had been damaged basically acting as a water slide right toward our living room wall. It took frustratingly long for someone to even come look at it and the damage perpetuated and grew during the waiting period. It was finally back to normal, but contractor type work moves at a snails pace. I will say smaller problems like clogged toilets or broken garbage disposals took less than day or two so no complaint there. But, there seems to be a person who is lazy or inexperienced. The caulking on our walls/​floors looked pretty messy and bad and a «fixed» towel rack holder was done crookedly. Don’t expect perfection but they are quick to do some type of fix.
The pet deposits and monthly fees make it so not worth it to have one. But if you don’t care about paying, they have nice dog doo doo bags and walkways and grass available.
If you get packages from USPS often, you’ll probably get stuck with waiting for the office to open on a day when you get off work in time. They never bring it to your door so you have to be available during office hours.
A disappointing recent change was a big increase in the charge for using a credit card for rent. It used to be $ 5 but now it’s $ 20. We used to pay $ 5 to earn miles on our credit card but $ 20 is ridiculous. Still I’m glad we can even pay rent online (a bank account has no fee).
The bill can be confusing because the water bill is always months behind. So in April you may be paying for whatever arbitrary amount the complex used several months earlier.
You have to pay for valet trash monthly in addition to a garbage removal fee. And they’ve just instituted a fee if you don’t put out and remove your garbage bin during set time windows. For all this hassle I’d really love to see some recycling! I had to drive to the Baytown green center if I want to recycle.
Finally, take note that NO utilities are included in the rent. My electricity was with reliant and varied between 40 and 160 a month. The only option for Internet is Comcast xfinity.
All in all I’m glad we found this location for our first Houston home and I felt safe and welcome in this conveniently located complex.

Nice pretty place to live. They keep everything looking so pretty and the fast maintenance service is awesome! Close to everything you need and the apartment staff is very friendly. They have a small gym and nice resort pool which they keep very cool in the summer.

The Preserve is the new name of Camden Baytown Housing Apartments.
There are big plans for a $ 1M remodeling and upgrades with no time announced as to when the projects will start.
There is a new GOURMET coffee bar in the main building. The drinks I tried were fine… slightly watery even if I selected the «small cup» option but that’s to be expected from those automatic dispenser machines.
I have met with the new staff especially the new Manager and it seems to be going the right place. We will see if there will be improvements to a few things:
1) Work out hours — it is STILL ADVERTISED that the gym is open ²⁴⁄₇. I met a new resident that moved 2 weeks ago (December 2012) with the impression that it was open ²⁴⁄₇ as it was part of the brochure and agreement he spoke with Camden associates. I informed him that when I moved roughly 6+ months ago, that was CHANGED to 10am-​11pm.
** We will see if that was changed. The future projects involves a major remodeling and expansion of the gym.
2) Pool — cleanliness was still an issue in regards to the frequency a skimmer was used; feathers and leaves floating. The large amount of chlorine in the past was problematic to me as it irritated my skin and bleached my swim trunks.
*** The future remodeling involves an outdoor kitchen at poolside.
3) Noise at the number 800 units: lots of teens and young adults are extremely loud from what one of the new residents mentioned. Music from cars can be heard blaring.
*** Management from Camden had issued a notice 3 weeks ago (end of November 2012) reminding residents of noise after 9PM and any residents caught violating the rules would be fined.
4) Improper disposal of trash under balconies or not picking up after one’s dogs.
*** I occasionally witnessed this while running around the campus but Management from Camden also sent this notice warning residents that fines and penalties would be issued to those who violate the rules.
Summary:
ACS and Credit/​Debit auto-​deduct and one-​time payments are in the process of being implemented during the transition of management. Right now checks are made payable to The Preserve At Goose Creek.
They have upgraded units which have new floors, wall paint, NEW APPLIANCES (fridge, washer/​dryer in-​unit, microwave, oven). The prices are somewhat expensive but you get what you pay for; I have compared it to other apartments that my colleagues have recommended — the Preserve is still top-​notch. I will be doing more research next year with the adjacent private community apartments to compare prices and quality of service from their Management.
The Preserve is the new Landlord that is completely independent from Camden. We will see if any improvements arise from the new staff. I am excited and hoping they start by March 2013.