Trotters Park

This is a wonderful apartment community. Beautiful, new & location is perfect for townie life. Lonnie, Drew are so professional & caring. Really helped me with choosing just the right apt with a gorgeous view. Rick takes great care of the apts & is super fast to address any maintenance issues. (Rare) Garages & storage make transition from house to apt doable. Balconies are functional. Monthly events are helping to make it a community. I do miss having a fireplace though. No hidden clubhouse fees & clubhouse/​pool/​gym are stylish & comfortable.

I was incredibly excited to move into Trotters Park. Paying upwards of $ 1300 for a one bedroom apartment, you find yourself with many hopes and expectations for your new home. Here’s a breakdown of some of the good and bad we’ve experienced in our first two weeks:
The good:
— The apartment is gorgeous! The units were designed very well and have a great appeal inside and out.
— The appliances are all electric, including a dishwasher, built in microwave, garbage disposal, stacked washer and dryer unit, and all stainless steel kitchen appliances.
— The amenities are amiable. A clean pool, well maintained community, dog waste stations, the ²⁴⁄₇ gym, and online bill management are all things that I will grow to appreciate.
— The area is a perfect blend of close to downtown, grandview, short north, and freeway access, while not being too close as to make parking or the neighborhood too cramped or crowded.
The bad:
— Understanding that these are brand new units, I was expecting to greet my fresh, new home as my own, not dealing with deterioration or debilitation that comes with previous occupancy. Going through my new home for the first time and seeing the washer and dryer were used (lint in the dryer and signs of age) and there were a number of scratches and dents on the walls and cabinets, I was a little upset. These are not the things you want to see from a brand new home.
— Knowing the property is being built, I would have expected having adequate trash removal would be in place before any residents moved in. I wouldn’t consider a dumpster primarily used by construction crews and 100 yards away from my apartment to be adequate, especially with the trash that comes with a big move. No one wants to carry 5 loads of trash and boxes there and back across the length of a football field. A new trash compactor is being installed closer to the occupied housing, but I cannot dispose of my trash in future promises.
— The noise can be a bit much with the close proximity to 315 and the number of semi trucks that drive up and down Michigan Ave, many of which are beer deliveries for Short North and Italian Village bars I assume.
The ugly:
— A community not offering recycling options is becoming more and more rare, with the recent rise in environmental interest and the ease of having that amenity. So for a brand new community in Columbus to not have that option or any plans to, I was a bit turned off. Not being deterred so easily, I’ve submitted an email to the corporate office requesting they look into this feature. However, «we will contact you shortly» in response is taking a few more weeks than anticipated. Only time will tell if recycling becomes a community feature.
— When I heard that the community was exclusively AT&T for internet, phone, and cable (with option of Dish Network), we contemplated cancelling our deposit and dropping our application for the apartment. Being forced to deal with a company which is the consensus of one of the worst customer service companies to deal with, and arguably the most difficult to deal with as an ISP was not something that I wanted to hear when moving into this community. I understand not wanting to have cable lines running along the exterior as it would diminish the curb appeal, but given there are no other options for cable and internet through broadband internet and cable connections in Columbus, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
— The parking situation. I can understand overlooking a recycling option, opting for a broadband only clean layout, and many other flaws mentioned above, but the parking situation is one that cannot be viewed as anything beyond corporate greed. To start, let me acknowledge my appreciation for the control over the parking in my community. Being within walking distance to Goodale park means there will inevitably be random people trying to snag free parking. The parking passes allow the community parking to be regulated and violators to be towed, which is great. It’s more so great because the community has limited the available number of spots to park by 50%, so you’re already competing with neighbors for spots, while competing with people who don’t live there would be awful. The limitation comes by means of «front door parking», which is effectively handicapped parking for those whose handicap is having an extra $ 100 to spend each month for a reserved parking space. Given the miniature storage units are $ 75 and one car, unattached garages are $ 150, it’s hard to not look at this as a way to make extra money, especially as the remaining half of the units are completed and residents move into them. This means that when you come home to park, you’re greeted by 2 empty spaces by each entrance, and all the parking away from those spots being taken.
So with the good, the bad and the ugly, you come for the good, expect some of the bad, but end up leaving because of the ugly. Of course, I’ll update after 6 and 12 months when I’ve had more time here.