Review: The Sycamores at North Park Published 2008-02-02 at 03:18:09Z under Housing 2 of 5 stars The Sycamores at North Park 3500 Palmilla Dr. San Jose, CA 95134 Price ~$1850+ Pros beautiful interiors, beautiful complex, new construction Cons security, cable tv, nothing nearby A nice place to live if you're on one of the upper floors, with a southerly view (for DISH or DirecTV service), and can tolerate a few inconveniences that come with new construction. Avoid otherwise. Among the industrial parks of North San Jose is North Park, a collection of apartment communities that includes The Sycamores. The complex itself is stunning, with a Mediterranean resort feel. The interiors are equally pleasing to the eye, with granite counters in both the kitchen and bath, Kohler fixtures, a gas range and high-quality appliances. The staff is friendly and eager to help with any questions or problems you have. Amenities within the complex include two pools, a fitness center (with basketball court), and an Internet café. Wireless Internet is available within the café, but nowhere else within the complex or at the pools. The location is convenient to 237, and is less than 10 minutes from SJC and 101. It's not too far from a waste management site (on the other side of 237), so if conditions are just right you might be in for a bit of aroma. Otherwise, the location is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, with few nearby shops or stores. Residents moving in in the near future, before construction is fully complete, may grow annoyed with regular fire alarm testing, especially if they tend to wake up after 8am on weekdays. Outside of testing, fire alarms go off briefly, several times a day, just due to wind gusts or other apparently random factors. In addition, the complex does not appear to have any form of bulk trash disposal. I confirmed this after speaking independently with three associates in the leasing office. If you can't break up large items to fit down the trash chute, your only options are to call an organization like the Salvation Army (if the item can be reused), or take the items to the local landfill yourself. Dumpsters at the bottom of the trash chutes are behind locked doors. AT&T is contracted to provide telephone, Internet and cable TV service. While this may not be an issue for telephone and Internet, AT&T Home Entertainment's cable options are woefully inadequate for HDTV enthusiasts. ATTHE resells DISH Network service, but hardware selection limits you to 7 of DISH's nearly 50 HD channels, and your HD receiver won't have a DVR. For some, a unit with a southerly view is a necessity, so that proper DISH or DirecTV service can be obtained. It is likely that these issues will go away once Uverse is deployed. Otherwise, DSL service is stellar, qualifying for all of AT&T's high-speed DSL plans. Users of AT&T Wireless phone service will likely find that most areas within the complex get poor or no wireless coverage. Security on-site is mostly for appearances. The complex is gated, with electronic locks making for efficient ingress, but fences can be easily hopped, and some gates can be opened simply by sticking your arm between the bars and pushing on the handle. Vehicle and apartment burglaries do occur, even in the "secure" areas of the complex. Bottom line: A nice place to live if you're on one of the upper floors, with a southerly view (for DISH or DirecTV service), and can tolerate a few inconveniences that come with new construction. Avoid otherwise. π © 2006-2008 David Nesting. Some rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. (For spam harvesters and poorly behaved spiders: poisoned addresses)