baycityrlr

Garces Drive is part of the Parkmerced planned community. This consists of a few high rise apt buildings, and many smaller apartment buildings and multi unit townhomes. The feel of this street and area is somewhat boring, you wouldn't really know you were in SF with the lack of its characteristic unique architecture. You are also far from the more hip and 'cooler' parts of SF and feel somewhat isolated from other city residents.

I had friends who lived on Gonzalez Drive a few years ago, and they often complained about the apartment, they have since moved out. Apparently things are getting in disrepair and showing their age, there are some pest problems, the windows had no screens so you could not open them lest you get many insects inside. The kitchen and bath were in dire need of updating, complete with harvest gold appliances.

There are many many apartments along Font Blvd. The pros are it is very close to campus, the apartments are huge inside, and the community has some green space. The cons are it is far from the rest of SF, and the apartments are older and in disrepair. If you are a student or work in West SF, this would be a good location, and the apts are somewhat affordable, for their size.

Most SF residents enjoy its eclectic unique vibe. This area does not have that vibe in any way. It is a very sterile feeling, homogenous planned huge apartment community that does not have any local feel. The apartments all look alike, and not in a good way. This makes sense when you know the both original developers and the current owners are a company located in New York. This lack of a local connection really hurts this development. The apartments are getting run down also.

Serrano Drive is in the Parkmerced community, which is a somewhat homogenous, aging planned apartment community near the SFSU campus. One big problem with living in this area is the lack of parking. There are not nearly enough parking spaces for the large number of people who live in this community. You may end up parking far from your residence. This area is convenient for students but otherwise not much to offer.

Pinto Avenue is an ok place to live for SFSU students, but there is not much other reason to live in this area. The apartments are run down and I heard had some pest problems. It is also pretty noisy, mostly due to the large student population and close proximity to campus. I knew somebody who had their car broken into and vandalized here, so I'm not sure about the safety and security.

Tapia Drive is in the Parkmerced apartment community near the SFSU campus. This end of the development is a little nicer than most, the common areas are well kept and apartments are ok. The apartments themselves are quite spacious by SF standards, which is their main plus, along with the close proximity to campus. Some apartments are getting a little run down and showing their age.

Rivas Avenue and the surrounding Parkmerced community are made up exclusively of apartments, some large high rise buildings, and some small apartment houses with 10 units or so. They were mostly built in the 1940s and 50s and unfortunately this shows. People I know who have lived here complain of mold and mildew problems in the buildings, and they are in need of renovation.

Arballo Drive has some decent apartments, especially for SFSU students. It is very close to campus, for easy, convenient walking or biking. The apartments are older but spacious, and fairly expensive but not any more so than the rest of SF. There are many other students living in these apartments, so it is a good atmosphere for SFSU students.

Vidal Drive runs along the perimeter of Parkmerced, a planned community of apartments and townhomes in SF. This community runs the gamut, from townhouses to duplexes and quadriplexes, to high rise apartment buildings. Vidal Dr has a somewhat industrial, sterile feel to it that is not as fun and unique as the rest of SF.