University Park Apartments

In February 2023 University Park was sold to Live More Ithaca (now Nest Communities). Since then our rent has increased by $300, pet rent increased by $25, and they stopped paying the $50 for internet.

During the past two winters the parking lots have never been adequately cleared of snow. The sidewalks have probably been cleared a total of 3 times. As a result, there is often ice covering the sidewalks and parking lots and they are difficult to navigate.

The buildings are in bad shape but no improvements have been made recently. The outside carpets are moldy, many AC units smell terrible, and there is no overhead lighting in the living room or bedrooms and very little natural light. Insulation is very poor, which drives our heating costs up and there's a hole in the outside wall where a woodpecker lives. Every summer we have a terrible time with fruit flies that live in the walls.

Yet the owners appear to justify higher rents because of superficial amenities like a "pet pampering station." And the swimming pool has never had water in it.

In short, the prices are similarly high as much nicer apartments and the quality has gotten worse recently.

The unit is ok. It’s old but livable. The natural lighting is terrible at daytime. I have to turn on the light in my living room to work. The room is very humid during summer, and it’s easy to have molds. The wall is thin, and the soundproofing is not that good. I live in first floor, and I could easily hear noise from above at night. The property management company is terrible. My unit is not very clean when I moved in, and I have to clean it again by myself since they refused to do it. They are also very hard to be reached out. They never answered the phone call and replied emails very slow. I have to physically be there every time in order to solve problems.

Management is absolutely terrible. They take a month to respond to you, and we are still waiting on our maintenance requests that were submitted two months ago. Our sink leaks, air conditioning is terrible. We actually switched out of the first apartment we moved into because it had living and dead bugs everywhere. The only reason we stayed is because the apartment unit we moved into is the only new building in the complex. so it isn't too bad. But definitely poorly constructed. Not worth the money. It'll work for now, I guess.

I have lived at University Park for a year and a half now, and in my opinion it is one of the better places to live in Ithaca for students in terms of value and price. Many of the other apartments near campus charge much more but do not have as many amenities. Included in the rent is a spacious floor plan, walk-in closet, and in-unit washer/dryer. It is a bit further away from Cornell's campus (about a 10 minute drive or bus ride), but I personally enjoy living somewhere that is a bit quieter and away from Collegetown. If you do not have a car, it is right next to a bus stop. It is a quieter place and I have never had any issues with noise.

I will add that before I moved in, this apartment was advertised as having a gym and pool, both of which have been closed the entire time I've lived there (probably due to Covid). So if those are amenities you're looking for, it doesn't actually have them. I also had some issues with the management when I first moved in (the wifi wasn't set up like it was supposed to be and I had to go to Spectrum myself to fix it). However, I believe they've had a change in management somewhat recently and have been a lot more responsive since then.

It's affordable and sizeable, but that's about it. Hasn't been updated in years, I've had packages stolen from my front door, and the gym/pool advertised haven't reopened since COVID. It's incredibly far from campus and downtown, and there's only 1 bus that only comes once per hour every day.

Has really great square footage for the price (710-ish?). Has a small patio too. Technically has a pool and gym but they have been closed a long time. Near the airport so its far-ish from campus but right on the route 32 bus line so not a big problem. Management doesn't ever bother us which I like.

The rental price is reasonable (maybe a bit lower than normal years due to low occupancy rate this year).

Quiet as long as you have a good roommate.

The outlook of houses may seem old. The inside is fine.

It is in Lansing. The bus stop is right in the front, but may take some time to get to campus (20-30 min).

1. Location: convenient. Walking distance to Ithaca Tofu, 5 mins drive to Target and Tops, 15 mins bus to Sage
2. Property management: very responsible, quick response and great service. Fast snow removal!
3. Apartment: new modeled, very big and bright. Heaters worked well during winter
4. Community: Cornell students and professionals, very quiet and safe. Free parking.

I don't currently live here but it was a very OK apartment in Ithaca. It was certainly one of the best in terms of location, size, and price combined. It is right near the mall, right near a bus stop, right near some running trails, and a pretty good size. There are a lot of children in these complexes too and there are a few playgrounds and an elementary school all within walking distance.

Old, but not bad