Renaissance Park Apartments

Renaissance Park Apartments is managed by the Riverstone Residential Group (formerly, by FPI Management) and offers one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from $970/month (675 Sqft.) - $1,245/month (837 Sqft.) with a $500 deposit [October 2010]. Located on Unitrans W bus line, upstairs units feature cathedral ceilings, interiors upgraded as recently as 2004, washers/dryers in some units, a car wash area, and a half-mile running area. The management office is nice and always offers fresh baked cookies, but unfortunately, the rest of the apartment complex is showing its age. All the upstairs units are connected by a series of very old and sometimes rotted planks. These planks house hornets and stray nails and tend to be very noisy when neighbors walk on them.

They offer flexible lease options for 1-15 months. Furnished apartments are available.

The laundry rooms are used by a large number of people, so there is frequently a wait to do your laundry on the weekends. Also, the cathedral ceilings are nice in the winter, but death in the summer: the walls and roof are completely uninsulated, and once the outside temperature climbs above ninety degrees, the old air conditioning units running 24/7 will not be able to keep your apartment any cooler than eighty degrees, eighty-five if you live in a corner unit. Management has started to replace some of them with more powerful models, and while this keeps the upstairs units cooler, it also results in very large PG&E bills.

High speed internet is provided by High Density Networks for $24 a month, but has never worked consistently or quickly (as of 2007). Sometimes it makes dial-up look good. Though still listed on their website, this service didn't seem to be available as of August 2010.

As of 2011, it sounds like water, sewer, and trash are fully covered in your rent. Previously, as with all FPI Management properties, you had to pay a National Water and Power bill. This bill was not issued based on how much water you, personally, used. Rather, you paid for a percentage of what the complex as a whole used. For a one-bedroom unit, double occupancy, the bill averaged between $55-60 per month.

To learn more about rental housing options in Davis, check out our Housing Guide as well as our Apartments pages.

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Older Reviews

• Reviews from 2005 to 2008

Current Reviews

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2009-02-06 23:50:24   Yes, the walls are paper-thin, and it sometimes sounds like our upstairs neighbor will fall right into our apartment, but I have faith that wont happen! The thin walls don't matter at all as long as you have respectable neighbors. It is a very quiet complex and management is very strict about this, which is great. I disagree with any negative comments about management, they are very helpful and accommodating. They care very much that their tenants are happy to live here. They're always throwing parties for their tenants too! —KJW

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2009-03-21 17:01:50   I lived there from December of 2004 until July of 2007 and I have to agree with a lot of what has been said......management is very sweet until you have signed your lease and then they do become much more lax...also, not signing for packages is very discourteous to the tenants...I also went without A/C for about a month during the first summer after I moved in.....the other tenants can be very unfriendly, loud, etc...and the icing on the the cake was for about two months before I moved out.....about 2am every night, my neighbors downstairs had loud sex complete with the banging of the bed, etc....it was time to leave! My place was impeccable but yet management still charged for a lot of things...... —Madonnalc74

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2009-05-13 12:53:33   I just signed a lease at Renaissance Park after giving it a thorough visit, so, while I can't attest to the actual experience of living here, I can provide an update on a few of the comments about the complex.

First, all of the wooden second-floor walkways seemed very sturdy. Of course, the planks are wood so they need to be replaced from time to time, but it seems like they are better maintained now than reports from a couple of years ago would suggest.

Also, when you have a package (UPS or USPS) delivered that doesn't fit in your mailbox (but is still smaller than, say, a microwave), apparently the courier will put it in a larger, secure mailbox and leave the key to that box in your regular mailbox. I don't know how well this system actually works, especially for larger deliveries, but at least there is a system in place.

Additionally, the apartments recently switched management from HDN to FPI (in case that wasn't clear from the blurb). Not sure what the implications of the switch are for residents, but no complaints have been posted on the wiki thus far...

From my assessment, even if NWP is $50 for a 1bdrm, this place is still cheaper than all of the other 1bdrms of comparable quality around Davis this year. It's not right in town but the bike paths running behind the building take you directly downtown or to campus, and there is really easy access to I-80. The neighborhood is really residential and peaceful, and the complex is flanked by nice houses, rather than other apartment buildings or commercial space. We shall see how living here goes, but, for now, even given reports of thin walls (and I have yet to live in an apartment with thick enough ones - the noise factor is just a side effect of apartment living), I am confident that Renaissance Park was the best possible choice for someone like me who values privacy, quiet, space, and convenience. —LauraLibby

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2009-06-27 20:46:03   This is the worst place I've ever lived. The living space is small, the cabinetry made of particleboard and the appliances are outdated. Upstairs apartments with single pane windows and vaulted ceilings get very hot. Everything about this place is cheap and mean. “It’s the least they could do, so they did it” would explain the deplorable conditions here. They also charge extra for water, sewage and garbage, which was new to me. I made the mistake of sub-letting for a few months. Don’t let it happen to you. —Marshall

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2010-01-27 13:43:04   don't move in here. I have to pay for the water which costs about $30 per person! it doesn't matter how much u use it, it all depends on the apartment complex. and also, freaking maintenance sucks here. it takes about a week to get it fixed! I wouldn't recommend this place at all. —tahoeian

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2010-02-11 16:57:29   I lived at Renaissance Park a couple years ago. I liked living there, then only reason why I moved was because the rent was raised, I was losing a roommate so I had to find something cheaper. The walls are thin, however there's really not much they can do about that... The management was always very nice, I had no problems with Maintenance. If things have changed in the last 2 years, I wouldn't know. However, when I was there I enjoyed it! —Emily507

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2010-06-10 16:57:29   In my experience Renaissance Park is an horrible place to live. I have been living there for 1 1/2 months, despite my 3 months contract: I left because living in that apartment was PAINFUL.
First of all nobody checked the apartment before my move in, so the heater was not working (it was December), both bathroom and kitchen sinks were leaking, the dishwasher was spitting out water from the kitchen sink, carpet not new and walls not painted: it was a mess. The maintenance guy fixed the heater with some tape pretending it was fixed and 10 days passed before the sinks were fixed. Moreover you cannot imagine how the apartment was dirty: just to have an idea the bathroom was so disgusting that in order to clean it I had to mop up walls and ceiling with bleach. Every time it was raining my patio and my front door were flooded. The apartment ceiling was the 'pop corn' stile, built before '70, which means risk for very severe lung diseases if you inhale it. The parking lot was very dark, the only two existing lamps broke during a storm and never replaced. Just to finish, some robbers entered into the gym, stole the TV (never replaced) and vandalized the gym. When I left, the apartment was cleaner than ever and anyway the manager charged me for cleaning: this was of course her percentage... —anonymous

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2010-08-02 10:44:12   I'm writing this because I am pissed! they lock down the water system once a week to "fix" it(it's been like 2 months). also, like I said, their maintenance sucks balls. they treat u like u don't know for shit. —tahoeian

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2010-08-24 09:44:31   This place really sucks. I've only been living here for a month, however this place has had so many problems.

When I moved in, here were the problems:

-broken screen windows
-missing piece of wood for patio
-drainer broken
-leaks in all of the sinks
-cold water turned EXTREMELY hot and then back to cold
-mass insects such as ants, silverfish, and spiders
-mold

ALSO...pieces of the ceiling seem to have been falling off...i'm not sure. there are flakes that appear on my carpet. I would be careful of this place, that ceiling stuff can be really hazardous for your health. and I would warn against people with children, as their health could be affected more so.

the management are nice, until you report a problem. after they "fix" things, they don't ever go in and check it.

although this place is cheap, the maintenance and everything will drive you crazy. you get what you pay for.

I will definitely not be renewing my lease. —LisaMark

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2010-08-25 10:13:28   So, I have lived in RP for 13 months, and the overall experience has been somewhat mixed. As an update to my post from last year, I will try to provide an accurate balance of the pros and cons of actually living here.

PROS:

For 13 months, I've really enjoyed both the gym and the pool. The gym is minimalist and probably doesn't have what some people would want, like free weights, but it's clean, uncrowded, and has a treadmill, which is all I really ask for. Sometimes there are loud splashing kids or loud splashing adults at the pool, which can be annoying, but usually it's peaceful and relaxing. They are both so convenient and seem to be well-maintained. Parking is also easy and plentiful. I like the neighborhood so, so much, plus how close RP is to the South Davis greenbelt - I can bike to town or campus without seeing so much as a stop sign! Also, the big trees on the property are lovely and provide shade and privacy. The laundry rooms aren't very crowded. I've never had to complain about noise - I would even say noise in this place is better than in any other apartment I've lived in. I have nothing bad to say (anymore - I used to have dirt blown under my door by their leaf blowers but that's no longer a problem) about the landscapers who come Wednesday mornings at a reasonable hour (I hear them at 8:30 at the earliest) and keep the place looking nice. Also, when I've put in maintenance requests, they've been taken care of quickly (although not always with high quality). The management just lowered the pet deposit from $500 (absurd and prohibitively expensive!) to $200 (although maybe this is just for cats, I'm not sure). However, apparently there is also a $5/month pet rent, which the office did not tell me about on the first two of my three inquiries about the new policy.

I think the apartments themselves are acceptable - on the better side of what I've seen elsewhere in Davis for a similar price. The 1bdrms are 650 sqft which is, in my opinion, plenty of room for one person, but a bit crunched for more than one. I haven't had any real problems with bugs or mold or anything else that people have reported, but, come on, it's an apartment building. It's not the management's fault if your next door neighbor is a slob who attracts pests that then invade your kitchen. And it's the resident's responsibility to report the problem so that they can treat the problem. Welcome to apartment living. The appliances aren't new, but at least they are functional. The AC and heat have been more or less unproblematic. The closets in the hall and bedroom are huge (but there isn't really enough storage in the kitchen or bathroom for my needs). I also really like the patio area. It kind of makes me feel like I'm in my own little tree house.

CONS:

My first four or five months at RP were generally great, but, I believe, sometime in that period the management company changed. Since then, there have been some minor but still frustrating issues. To begin, when the management changed, they also changed the locks (fine, safety first) on the amenities (pool, gym), but didn't communicate this to residents (well, at least, to me), nor did they provide me with a new key until I tried to use the gym one winter morning to no avail and had to ask them about it. If my rent includes use of the amenities, it seems that the management is obligated to provide me with access to these amenities. They got the new key into my mailbox the next day, but still. Also, I was informed that, under new leases, NWP will be included in rent (can someone confirm or deny this and perhaps update the wiki?). But, because I re-signed my lease back in the winter, I still have to pay the bill myself. BUT, the new rent is the same as what I pay, which kind of makes it look like they are screwing over their loyal residents. I'm just saying. Also, there have been frequent changes in office staff, so it's been difficult to establish a relationship with anyone that might facilitate communication with the management. I think, as a result, their resident service (customer service?) has suffered. A lot of residents have been there way longer than anyone in the office, and it is aggravating to need to explain myself and my history with the apartment all the time to the staff. Mostly, I've had positive interactions with them, but I think that, to some extent, they need to adopt more of a "how can I help you" attitude, rather than assuming that the residents are troublemakers or hostile. The issue I cited above about the office not mentioning the pet rent (as well as the amenities key incident) is a good example of the overall insufficient communication from the management to the residents.

THE GIST:

Rent-wise, I think you can get more for your money in Davis in terms of apartment size and upkeep, but the place will be farther from town, or pets won't be allowed, or you will be surrounded by loud students, etc. Overall, I would still recommend this place to a friend, but with a few warnings about the management and the age of the apartments. I definitely think the location can't be beat, especially if you enjoy living in Davis but also need to travel to Sac regularly. It's a kid- and pet- friendly environment, relatively well-maintained, and quiet. I'm satisfied to be living here for another 12 months, but will definitely evaluate whether a third year is in order or not throughout the fall. —LauraLibby

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2010-08-25 10:31:31   My housemate and I have lived here for about 7 months now. Our experience thus far has been a little lackluster. Management as well as office staff is awesome. They are all very friendly, inviting, and helpful. I would rate their customer service about a 9/10 for sure. Now that's seemingly the highlight of our living experience.

Pros
- Really great office staff
- Nice, big pool
- 24 hour gym, with free water!
- Soda Machines by the pool if you need a quick fix
- Plentiful parking no matter where you live in the complex
- Dim lighting, excellent for bedtime
- Washer/dryer available inside the unit

Cons
After moving in, we received a water/sewage bill unexpectedly. Before moving into the place, we were never verbally told that we would have to pay for water/sewage ourselves. That was a shock for us as it adds on to the overall cost of living here, which actually makes it cost roughly the same as living at another complex that does not charge you for water or garbage services.

Our other primary qualm is the issue with the maintenance. They seem to take their time to get to the problem, they attempt to "fix" it, then they write it off as complete. Next thing you know, the problem still exists. I once called in for a silverfish problem, and the maintenance said they fixed it; however, we still have plenty of silverfish roaming around every few days or so. I called to have the towel rod in my bathroom fixed, and that lasted for about 2 days... it then started to fall off again. My housemate called to have his leaking sink fixed, that took maintenance quite a while to get to. My housemate then called to have his toilet fixed as it began to leak water from the reservoir. After maintenance fixed the reservoir, it still continued to leak. Some of these problems have actually been better taken care of by ourselves.

Another huge problem for the last several months has been the constant water interruptions. Every week our water has been getting shut-down for about 4-6 hours. Sometimes we haven't even been notified and we end up with no water to shower or brush our teeth before classes when this happens. We can't even wash our hands. Each notice I've read for the last 2 weeks has said that this would be the final interruption, however it continues to happen. When will this stop? It is terribly inconvenient for residents to have to work around this water shortage every week.

Last but not least, we seemingly have yard-work done extremely early in the morning, and I believe every Wednesday. If not every Wednesday, then at least once per week. Typically in my past apartment experiences yard-work was done in the afternoon so that it would not perturb people who are sleeping or resting. Every Wednesday I have to shut my window as I am rudely awoken at 7:30-8:00am by the sound of lawnmowers and weedwhackers. This lasts for about 3 hours straight. The windows are so thin here that closing them is useless. You can still hear the yard-work just the same whether or not your windows are open or closed.

Oh yes, another thing I noticed was that the little dog stations here are never refilled with doggy bags. There are a lot of dog owners at this complex and it would probably be convenient if the doggy bags were stocked.

—ThUn

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2010-10-19 14:33:55   I lived at Renaissance Park for two years and during that time had almost no complaints. True, things broke more often than I'm used to, but the maintenance staff was generally quick and polite about repairs. It's mostly family and older students who live here so you don't have to deal with the noise and partying that happens at other complexes. Also, there's always ample parking and I've never had a problem with a car being towed. The managers are generally nice and usually always have cookies waiting for you at the office. It's right on the W line and next to the Green Belt which is convenient for non-motorists. It's also close to Walnut Park (?) which is great for bbqing and such, Safeway, great restaurants, Davis Creamery, and I-80. I don't think the high speed internet is available anymore, but either way it was so slow it wasn't worth it. My only word of advice is to check over your security deposit refund and make sure they didn't try to get more money than they deserve. They wanted to charge me for painting of walls that they did only because they wanted a different color. Also, they say that they charge for cleaning no matter what (minimum $80), so be prepared for that. —Lenka

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2010-11-04 23:55:47   I have lived here for just over a year. And while maintenance has always been painfully slow (3 WEEKS to fix the A/C once!!) and required a million calls a day to get a response, it's always been quiet. As a graduate student, that was the most important thing for me. However, lately that has changed. In the past several weeks there have been numerous very loud parties in the apartments around me. This includes weekdays, and they sometimes go as late as 4am with people spilling onto the balcony/patio or out into the common walkways. I've had to call the cops 3 times for noise complaints. This might make me seem lame, but when it's 3am and I have a 9am exam and the balcony next door is full of screaming drunk girls... I feel that it's warranted. Don't move here if you need any form of quiet at any time of night. This is turning into a party place. I've complained to the office, they do absolutely nothing. I hate moving, but I'm researching my rights as a tenant and am going to try to get out of my lease on a breach of contract. Quiet hours are 10pm - 8am and they're not being enforced. —SCDG9

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2011-02-10 08:53:57   The management is nice, but it doesn't help that this apartment complex is old and falling apart. The ceilings are have the gross clumps, and it occasionally falls if your neighbor upstairs stomps.

Lately, there has been trouble with MICE. There are holes everywhere in this apartment.

In addition, there is an unusually large amount of spiders and silverfish and it is just disgusting.

As others have said before, the walls are really thin, and I can sometimes even hear upstairs people talking.

Yard-work is insanely early, loud, and obnoxious.

Thank goodness my lease is going to expire soon...I can't wait to get a cleaner/more modern apartment!

—thisaccountisforthis

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2011-02-16 19:58:19   As an update, they've installed a bunch of lights, that make the place obnoxiously bright during bedtime. It becomes difficult to sleep with all of these lights outside of my window shining in.

Something is wrong with the ventilation so when you shower your windows steam and fog up even with the vents on and the windows cracked; this creates mold around the edges of your windows.

The number of silverfish in this complex only continues to rise. We've called about it, and it seems like maintenance can't do anything about it. Every day I find a silverfish or two lurking around the apartment. It's so disgusting. I've never had a silverfish problem with any of my past apartments.

They continue to do yard work almost every Wednesday and it's obnoxiously loud. It drives me nuts every Wednesday when I'm trying to get some rest, and then there are lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and weed-whackers at 8:00AM.

Seemingly, they've started doing the almost bi-daily "water maintenance" again. Shutting off your water at peak hours of the day when people have to get ready for classes or work. Sometimes the notices they put on your door fly away and you never get notification until you try to turn on your water and nothing comes out. —ThUn

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2011-02-17 15:58:34   What I learned by living in these apartments over winter is that not only are the apartments old but they need serious upgrades. The air just comes in through the windows and sliding doors which make for higher utility bills. They just told everyone that rent to renew can be up to $1339 depending on one or two bedrooms. These apartments are just not worth the cost. Additionally, they don’t let you keep things in the patios like BBQ’s, hammocks, and since storage space is limited to a couple of closets they won’t let you keep anything outside or in front of your apartment. Noise can vary depending on who the neighbors are and there was recently a fire in one of the sections of the complex. Overall it makes for a waste of money. —justsomeone

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2011-03-14 12:56:20   Do not get AT&T DSL if you live here. The wiring is so old and faulty that your connection will continuously drop out, especially if downloading or streaming large files. Had an AT&T representative come out to check our connection, and he inspected the apartment's wiring. He said that if we want a stable connection we would have to get the management to agree to upgrading the complex to cat5 wiring; and asking to do so would probably come out of the tenant's pocket... —ThUn

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2011-03-14 14:59:10   Just to add to my previous review... the management does not give a damn about you or your complaints. The person living in an apartment near me has a dog that barks ALL THE TIME, for hours and hours, sometimes in the middle of the night. I've made numerous complaints to the office, and have been told over and over "Yeah, we know. We'll send her a notice." Well today I went to the office to complain (2 hours, trying to study for finals), and it was a new guy (this happens a lot, turnover is really high in the office for some reason). He looked in her file, and SURPRISE! there was not a single notice filed or anything else indicating that she has a nuisance dog and has been warned. Really, Renaissance? Just telling me what I wanted to hear? Ridiculous. I can't wait to move. —SCDG9

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2011-03-23 11:13:47   Well,I've been here a few years and the property has been improving. They first fixed the front parking lot, then they replaced all the lighting. The lighting was a big improvement. They are currently remolding the club house, which is exciting!! As what I've heard, they are putting in a pool table, a cafe lounge, a game room and free Wi-Fi! It will be nice to be able to enjoy those things right after finals or a long day just to unwind. I know it's not the best property in Davis, but it's well worth the price. I just renewed my lease and I will no longer have to pay for water, sewer and trash! Plus I was able to add my new dog for an additional $200 pet deposit. —some1ndavis

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2011-04-19 20:54:32   I have lived here for 2 years now and although at first I had some issues with getting maintenance order attended to promptly, I have had a very pleasant stay. The office staff has always been exceptionally nice to me, the maintenance man is very friendly, and the cleaning lady always stops and pets my dog while I'm walking him. They are renovating the clubhouse to update it and make it a more modern fit for the city's college students and they have listened to the tenants' suggestions and added more lights to the parking lots and drainage to the lawns as to prevent flooding of the sidewalks. When I needed my locks changed because I lost my keys, they immediately changed them after hours and were genuinely concerned for my safety. They also have always worked with me on partial leases and reasonable rent requests. —JenTX

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2011-05-04 09:57:41   Renaissance Park has many great amenities to offer you, We have a brand new club house that has a top of the line Game Room & Pool Table!! We offer flexible lease options from 1-15 months and you have the option to furnish your new apartment home! Renaissance Park is now accepting fall deposits! Stop by and take a tour today and secure your new home!! —renpark

Renpark, please see your user page by clicking on your linked user name or clicking here.

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2011-08-25 17:05:57   I wanted to write a review for this complex long time ago, but I chose to wait till I moved out for the review to be an accurate description of my living experience in Renaissance Park.

#1) Intelligent, caring, professional and prompt office staff. Starting from Chelcie the office lady to Elbern the hilarious maintenance man.

#2) Peace — In my last apartment I lived on J St. and everyday I was woken up at 6am by the sound of freight trains. I was able to really appreciate the peace and quietness that was provided in this complex. There wasn't a specific type of resident here either, as residents were students, families and everyone else you can imagine. I saw a few old folks here as well.

#3) Entertainment — The club house felt like an extension of my living room. Xbox, PS3, 3D TVs, pool table, 24 hour gym and more TVs to watch movies on was what I desired when I sought an affordable yet enjoyable home to stay in.

#4) I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a place to stay in without breaking the bank. Never once did I regret my decision to spend an entire year here. I wish my stay was longer, but I must move on to bigger cities.

Don't hesitate to grab yourself a spot here, you won't regret it. You will be thankful and glad you went ahead with this. Management is as transparent as they appear, so don't fear to ask them for assistance. They're quite nice! —Ramn

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2011-09-21 12:40:14   This will be my third and final post about RP, as I moved out this month after a 25 month stay.

Since my last post, in which I mentioned management communication issues, there has been yet another switch in main office staff, but this time for the better. The current managers are astute and friendly. They thoroughly answered all of my questions, particularly pertaining to moveout, and they never once gave me that "And you are?" look.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet here, but they recently completely overhauled the clubhouse (except the gym), so it now includes a pool table, a video game room, lots of huge flat screens for watching sports or movies or whatever, and a pod coffee machine, all for resident use. Plus, there is now really crazy green, orange, black, and metallic decor, which is certainly better than the previous beigebeigebeige. They have somewhat extended clubhouse hours so you can play Xbox (or whatever) after work, if you're into that.

There are also ongoing renovations to specific apartment units. Some are getting new bathrooms, kitchens, or floors, etc. I am not sure what the algorithm is for determining which apartments get what updates, or how that influences the rent of that unit, but it might be a nice opportunity to get more modern comforts, particularly given the dearth of updated apartments in Davis.

Also, they just redid the pool and are working on fixing all the second-floor catwalks (which really weren't so bad to begin with).

To be perfectly honest, I would almost certainly have renewed my lease again if I didn't need more space to combine households with my partner. Way to end on a high note, RP. It has been real. —LauraLibby

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2011-10-27 16:10:07   Renaissance Park has many great amenities to offer you, We have a brand new club house that has a top of the line Game Room & Pool Table!! We offer flexible lease options from 1-15 months and you have the option to furnish your new apartment home! Stop by and take a tour today and secure your new home!! —ChelcieRichardson

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2011-12-06 09:30:25   I am currently living here and enjoy the place except for a few things. At least twice a month they have "water interruptions" and turn off the water for hours at a time to fix plumbing and boiler repairs. It is getting kind of annoying. They picked the week of finals to cut down all the trees throughout the apartment. From 8am to 4pm you can here yard work being done very loudly, as you are trying to study for finals. —2201JBA