I gave Park Val apartments two stars because it's not the best place to live nor the worst.
Let's start with the good: The apartments are spacious. I can actually move around in my kitchen and fit about three people in my bathroom. I think that's huge plus especially if you have a family. Second, there's FREE parking on a private lot. In this day and age, that in itself is absolutely amazing. It takes that much more stress off of you to know your car is right outside and you won't break your
...pocketbook to park it. Lastly, the apartment is VERY close (across the street!) from a 24-hour grocery store and bowling alley with gas stations and fast food (McDonald's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Chinese Food, etc.) in walking distance!
So now the bad: The roaches! Need I say more? It's absolutely disgusting (and of course this isn't disclosed to you before you sign the lease). The apartment complex DOES try to keep them at bay with spraying, but who really wants to live with huge (up to 2 inches long), flying (YES, they DO take flight)insects. Also, the view and your neighbors are not so good. When you live at Park Val, there's a good chance you'll be looking.....right across the way at your neighbors' porch so if you're looking to have an awesome view of anything, you may be disappointed. Another negative, sometimes maintenance requests don't respond quickly at all. I've sometimes wondered if they've forgotten about me. Lastly, there are 3 washers and three dryers per building (five floors and about 10 apartments per floor, that's a estimate) to use these facilities. The dryers sometimes don't dry the clothes on one cycle.
Other things to consider:
-The Metro Link and buses are about a half mile from the building (walking, so that may be a good or not-so-good thing depending on how you look at it) NOTE: The walk way to and from the metro IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY LIT! (No fault of the complex, just FYI)
-There are a lot of bike trails in the area.
-Park Val has a pool. (Medium sized, closed on Mondays.)
-THERE ARE NO ELEVATORS! (So if you're handicapped or just don't like stairs, you may want to be on the bottom floor. The building is about five floors.)
-There is no doorbell. So if you have guests, tell them to call when they are at the door. This may be inconvenient.
So there it is. These are my experiences but I encourage you to take a look for yourself. Everybody is different so your experience be different, for better or for worse. Good luck!
Max of 2.