Parkway Plaza Apartments

Everything you need in an apartment just minutes from downtown and PSU.

I would not recommend this apartment to anybody! The staff is awful, and don't care about anybody. All that matters is that they can take your money at every chance possible. You'll pay an activity fee for a pool that's open 60% (if you're lucky) of the time during pool season, because either the life guard who unlocks the gate just doesn't want to show up or it's dirty and broken. This also pays for the gym, which most of the equipment is broken. If you need something fixed, you have to call the emergency maintenance number if you want it done in a timely manner. 6 to 8 weeks is pretty average for any work order put in through the main office. Laundry is contacted out so Parkway Plaza can be hands off, ie if the laundry breaks, you, as a tenant, need to contact the laundry company because it's not Parkway Plaza job. Read your lease thoroughly. There is no way to get out of your lease. You can only transfer your lease (which includes you finding someone to take over your lease, as well as pay parkway plaza a fee to transfer your lease). Parking is an absolute pain in the a@s. There is NO guest parking for free. It's $5 for someone to keep a car in the guest lot over night. Overall, Parkway Plaza (and it's staff) will do it's best to charge you for a bunch of things that you never get. I would recommend finding any other place to live but here.

I remember when this used to be a good place to live. Before spending a year there, my grandmother lived there for nearly six years back in the late nineties and early 2000s. During that time, the building was a mix of students, professionals, and senior citizens. There was also dedicated assisted living for those who needed it. Staff was courteous, professional, and responsive. It was largely on this experience that when I needed a place to stay in a pinch that I moved here.

How times change. This place has fallen mightily. It is borderline amazing that they are still in business. The word “slumlord” comes to mind when thinking about management. Words to describe the building once you’re include dump, sewage, and squalor. Their level of responsiveness is similar to their replies to reviews on their Facebook page (“We're sorry to hear you had a bad experience with Parkway Plaza. We always welcome any suggestions for improvement from our residents so that we can continue to better our service. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!”). They shine in shirking responsibility, passing blame, and being generally objectionable. Here’s some of what you may get to experience.

Pros: you’re walking distance to a couple of pizza places, a grocery store, a Fitology, and a sushi place. Cable and internet are included in the rent.

Cons: highlights (emphasis on highlights) are below.

Move-in: their leases start on a Friday and end on a Monday to allow the apartment to be turned around. Well, mine wasn’t turned around. I later learned that this was because their entire cleaning and maintenance crew had quit. The new crew did eventually get things cleaned. You will pay a $600+ activity fee. Presumably, this goes towards the pool (which is open from around April to September) and the fitness center. The fitness center has two treadmills, a couple of elliptical machines, and some out of order weight equipment.

Laundry Rooms: these are also were the trash chutes are located. Trash will back up there and will be in the laundry rooms on the second, third, and fourth floor. You will get to experience this pretty often.

Heating & Cooling: if you’re going to live here, invest in a fan and a space heater. The air conditioning doesn’t come on until late July, so if State College is warm in the summer, you’ll be sweltering. The heat went out on the weekend in November and was not restored until a Tuesday. Temperatures in the apartment dipped below fifty. This was for the entire building.

Parking Lot in Winter: if you have a car, a minimalist path will be cleared in the parking lot. The key word here is minimalist. You may want to have a shovel for your own car. Your lease will mention that you can borrow a shovel for a $10 deposit for some duration of around 30 minutes. If it’s not returned within that time, you lose the deposit. This can only be done while the leasing office is open, so if you would need to shovel before 9 or after 5 during the week, you’ll be out of luck. You won’t be able to see the lines for parking spaces until snow melts.

Bathtub stopped up: my bathtub stopped up. I went into the office to request maintenance. Office said they would request maintenance. When I got home that evening, the bathtub was still stopped up. I then filled out the request in their online portal. Nothing happened. When their office opened the next day, I called every hour on the hour until it was done. Surprisingly, that got things fixed. What was interesting is that the follow-up to my online request was done as I had the paperwork for it. That paperwork was dated 3 weeks after the fact.

Pet in B Building: your lease will state that pets aren’t allowed, and I believe if a pet is discovered, it’s around a $2,000 fine. Curiously, there are several truly disgusting things that you can be fined a lot less for. There was someone in B Building with a decent sized dog that I saw while in the gym a few times. He took the dog outside to poop and then walked the dog back in.

Laundry: you probably want to do your laundry somewhere else. The machines will ruin your clothes and staff will pass you to the company they contract with. That company will pass you back to Parkway Plaza. Then the company will send a contractor to look at the machines. The contractor will agree with you that the machines smell awful. This will be the last you will hear the situation.

Move-out: they’ll want you to clean the carpets, but won’t give a list of cleaners.

It boggles the mind that this staff is employed and that this building hasn’t been torn down. When another place became available, I a substantial amount to my new and much better place to move in early. This is some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

In conclusion, there is nobody in my life that I would wish these apartments on. If you decide to live here, you’re in my thoughts and prayers.

false

Within easy walking distance of downtown State College, Parkway Plaza offers a variety of floor plan options to fit your needs. Whether you're looking for a studio apartment or a one, two or three-bedroom, Parkway Plaza has the place for you!
All utilities are included in your rent and you'll love our amenities package with free cable, free internet, on-site pool and fitness center, computer...