Portage Bay

Here’s the skinny — my previous review is still valid in a lot of ways, but a lot has changed since then. I’m keeping the 4 star rating but want it to be known that my feeling is that of 3.5 stars rounded up rather than the former 4.5 stars rounded down.
We’re still happy with the place, but over time have had our gripes. Here’s a list of gripes/​changes/​etc, good and bad, since my last review and in our 3 years here:
1. Manager changed. We loved Jacque (now at the Trees), and while Amy (formerly at Arlington Farm) is an experienced manager in her own right, she pays a quarter of the attention to us that Jacque did. I’m sure Amy will not learn our apartment number before we leave.
2. Rent is going up. For us as current residents it’s only gone up to reflect the water ordinance in Davis — this has been totally fair and as current residents this is NOT a true gripe. I note this because I know that the people who move into our apartment in the Fall will pay $ 135 more than we do now, and that should be factored into how you feel about a place.
3. The complex is old, and nearly everything that can fall apart on us has in these 3 years. The maintenance staff is solid though and they attend to these things really fast, so it’s not that bad, but it’s still pretty annoying to have to put in maintenance orders every few weeks because this cabinet broke and this drawer broke etc. You’d think we’re a bunch of rowdy college apartment-​abusers but we really aren’t, we’re pretty quiet and gentle people but if it’s a door, it’s fallen apart on us.
4. They’re renovating. This is cool for people who live here in the future but kind of sucks for us living here now. We didn’t have a shower for a few days, water is off every few months, the parking lot was closed for a few days for repaving (UPDATE: twice), the tiling in our bathroom had to be redone so we couldn’t use that for a day (UPDATE: also twice). I’ve woken up to the wonderful sound of a shovel plowing through rocks as they remove the stone-​based outdoor décor. Every counter in the apartment had to be cleared (twice) for new granite counters (looks great, but I’m moving in a few weeks). A number of areas that used to be lawn are currently dirt with exposed irrigation infrastructure. As you might be gathering it’s just been a handful of inconveniences and the improvements for current residents have been minor, though notable (our shower and bathroom floor are definitely nicer). Let it be known this place will probably be gorgeous and dead quiet five minutes after I leave, cause that’s how luck works.
5. Dogs are allowed now, which I just learned the other day. This is a double-​edged sword but certainly less of a limitation to those who might want to live here but would refuse to part with their fuzzy friend.
6. Can pay online now, which is a nice feature I haven’t taken advantage of.
7. Your only cable/​internet option is Comcast. I don’t know why it’s even allowed for complexes to have exclusivity with one provider. Ever seen the South Park episode with the cable companies? It’s like that; you have no leverage. If you’re unhappy with any part of your service — odds are something will come up at some point — you have no negotiating power at all. In fact if they wanted to, they could just rub their nipples (South Park) and force you to pay for 300 Colombian channels and you’d have little choice in the matter. Instaconnect is now an internet option at least, so you can potentially ditch the cable company altogether.
All in all we’d still recommend Portage Bay Apartments. That being said, we started off here enamored and we’ll be leaving sort of indifferent. The things we loved about it — management, quiet — are effectively gone, as new management and constant renovations leave us without that warm fuzzy feeling we had at the start.
But isn’t that about how everything goes?

I lived in Portage Bay for 2 years. The buildings are on the older side but are well maintained. The landscaping is very well maintained as well and helps make the complex a more beautiful place to live. There’s a pool and spa, ample parking, and discounted memberships to the country club down the street. It’s also right on a bus line and near bike paths and parks.
On top of everything else, one of the best things about Portage Bay is the management. Jacque, the manager, is very friendly and helpful. Maintenance requests were usually taken care of quickly and there’s an annual pool party with free food and free plants (there are patios/​balconies in all units with built-​in planters). Jacque also makes homemade holiday and birthday cards for residents, which is a nice touch (especially for such a large complex!).