Parkside Commons

I have lived in this gated complex for four years. The staff is great - responsive and always pleasant and helpful - if I were rating just them, they would get 5 stars. During the time I have lived here, the rents have gone up significantly. My biggest complaint is that the entry gate closes at 5:00 PM. If you're a tenant, you are given a programmed gate opener (extras cost $55). However, if you have a visitor who arrives after 5:00 PM, they have to wait until someone with an opener drives in behind them and opens the gate. Typically this is workable if it's family or friends who tend to be a little more patient, especially if they arrive during "peak" hours when many residents are returning home from work. But if they arrive late at night, they may have to wait for 20-30 minutes for a resident to come along behind them and give them access. On the other hand if you want to order pizza/take out delivered, or Amazon wants to deliver, those drivers will NOT wait more than a few minutes for someone to come along. So, your option as a resident is to walk to the gate at the front of the property with your opener, and for a lot of folks like me who live at the back of the property, that's a long walk when a delivery person is chomping at the bit to get in. Being able to admit visitors to what is, after all, your home after the entry gate closes for the day is apparently viewed as an "amenity/extra" because the manager says that the property owners will not pay to install a system. Of course the gate merely gives the illusion of security, since it's broken and left standing open on a fairly frequent basis.

Not safe to live here. 34 car tires were just slashed! There is no security. Very scary to live here1

Parkside is a decent place to live. It's pretty safe and quiet, though if you live on the west end of the complex, you'll have to deal with BART tracks outside your apartment. There's no a/c in the apartments. The maintenance staff is great, and problems are addressed promptly. However the laundry facilities and the accessible apartments are not fully wheelchair accessible. As long as you're not in a wheelchair, there's no problem. Unfortunately I am, but it's better than being homeless. The office staff are very nice. I'd recommend this place, unless you're in a wheelchair.