Birchwood Hills

Do NOT move here!! when we moved here, previous company was some what reasonable in terms of price. Then this new company bought the place and all previous employees were replaced.
First red flag was that they started like updating website, making it seem more upscale when the units have not been updated at all. Nothing was updated. Then, lease renewals started coming and price jumped so much. current tenants had higher rent than what it was being advertised again for no upgrades. These new... people dont care, all the care is investment.
Lets talk about community, neighbors kind of suck. there is dog poop every where. you see them and people dont pick up. i will say new management tried to give notices saying to pick up after your pet but nothing really changed. Group of kids terrorizing the neighborhood and always outside unsupervised leaving trash bikes toys in the middle of the road.
Main road got damaged from plows and it took them so almost 8 months to finally re do the road. people were getting flat tires constantly from how bad the roads were and the answer was always oh we are looking for a contract.
Last, this place does have rats. do not believe them, you will get them and they dont really do anything about it. and you will get mold. it is a nice place to the eye but you will get your rent raise astronomical for no reason other than you live there. In this economy rent is already high, but to constantly deal with dirty, rats, annoying kids, bad neighbors, and cars going 100 mph in a cul d sac almost hitting you, it is noooottt worth it. Since these people took over, almost all neighbors, people that have lived here for more than 5,10 years moved out. That says a lot. Read More

I'll start with the great.

Management doesn't bother us at all except for the need-to-know, and whenever there has been an issue with the apartment, the maintenance crew come within an hour.

Snow plow, regular maintenance, lawn care, etc is handled with ease without anything required from the tenants except to move our vehicle. I'm unaware of any vehicles being towed so I'm glad management is understanding and have given ample warning.

The apartment and neighborhood is nice and quiet. I... can't hear my neighbors immediately next to me. If there is any noise, it's usually because of kids or dogs within the day time.

The area and trails are gorgeous and well maintained. Driving and walking around is always a joy, especially when visiting the pond. If you have a pet dog or enjoy hiking, this is a great area.

Some of the neighbors are nice and keep to themselves.

The apartment is spacious and decent. It really does feel like you're getting 3 rooms, but don't expect to get fancy appliances or counter tops. I don't think our place has been renovated since the 90's.

The garage is great. It's not a private garage, but it's better than having your car exposed to the elements.

The schools are small which can be a good or bad thing.

Now for the not so great.

You'll have to drive far to get to a grocery store or other necessities. Shirley isn't that great of an area. Their nearest store smells like pot. Leominster is probably the nearest city.

If you live in a certain area, USPS aren't allowed to deliver packages to you, so expect to pick them up. Speaking of USPS, their mailman is by far the WORST mailman ever. You'll constantly receive other people's mail and expect to lose any important mail. I'm not exaggerating.

The front door is thick, but the basement door is just glass that gives access to the rest of your apartment. Could you say you 100% trust your neighbors or the entire neighborhood?

Parking space is awful. I think the expectation is to have one car in the garage and if you have an extra, you park in front of the garage. But who wants to block someone in? There are not enough parking spots and there seems to be frequent tension among the tenants. If each tenant purchased a parking spot there wouldn't be parking spots for guests.

In summary, I think it's a great place to live despite all of the negatives I mentioned. I wish rent could go lower, Shirley becoming a better place to live, and the apartments needs to be updated. Read More

We really enjoyed our stay here, Michelle the manager is very professional and caring of the units and the people that live in them as well as Eric and the rest of the staff. The staff here are all hard workers and make sure you have all you need for a pleasant stay. The units are all very clean and well kept. We were very surprised by how quiet it is especially with so many dogs we never heard barking. Would not be moving except we recently purchased a house. We highly recommend Birchwood... Hills . Thank you for a great stay !!
The Stones Read More

My wife, cat, and I moved into a townhouse on Carriage Lane when we moved to the state for a new job. The staff in the complex were great and easy to work with. The unit itself was in great condition, and was a very comfortable place to call home. The area is very quiet, and not overly developed at all. I highly recommend Birchwood Hills to anyone looking for a townhouse (which seems to be rather hard to find in central MA).