Echelon Towers

Pros

• Echelon Towers is a nice place to live and retire.
• The area around Echelon Towers is a nice area with scenic, clean woodlands and a great place to unplug and relax.
• The property backs up to Lake Hazel and includes scenic, clean woodlands that offer a relaxing setting.
• Echelon Towers has huge upside potential.
• The complex has potential to be a genuinely nice fixed-income apartment option in a thriving township.

Cons

• The front door reportedly has no lock, allowing anyone to enter the building.
• Package theft occurs in the mail room, with management not resolving the issue.
• The on-site secretary is described as rude and unhelpful, contributing to a poor resident experience.
• The vending machines frequently malfunction, taking money without dispensing items or issuing refunds.
• Mold is present throughout the kitchen and cabinets, posing health concerns.
• Heating is inconsistent, leaving apartments uncomfortably cold in cold weather.
• Maintenance is inconsistent and ineffective, with several issues remaining unfixed.
• A large population of Canadian geese and ongoing feeding by outsiders create sanitation and safety hazards on the property.

Review

Echelon Towers is described as a nice place to live and retire in theory, a community with appealing surroundings and a tranquil lakeside backdrop. In practice, however, the complex is repeatedly portrayed as beset by problems that undermine everyday life. A central thread is the ongoing struggle with wildlife and residents who treat shared spaces as free-for-all feeding areas. The sight of Canadians geese roaming the property, accompanied by chronic litter and droppings, has become a defining frustration. The once-promising backdrop of scenic woodlands and a lakeside setting is often overshadowed by the perception that feeding animals and neglectful behavior are tolerated rather than deterred. The author emphasizes that with better self-control, accountability, and a proactive approach to maintenance and communal rules, the place could realize its substantial upside. Until that shift occurs, the sentiment is that the potential remains unfulfilled.

Several personal encounters highlight a broader pattern of management and service shortcomings. The office staff, including a manager named Denise, are described as unfriendly and difficult to understand due to accent and communication style, with complaints that these impressions persist despite voicing concerns. The front door security is a particular flashpoint: by 2025, there was no working lock, allowing anyone to enter, which amplifies fears about theft and safety. Packages are routinely left in the mailroom only to be stolen, and the response from the secretary, and sometimes the management, is perceived as unhelpful or dismissive. These experiences create a sense of vulnerability among residents, particularly those with deliveries or needing assistance, and contribute to a perception that security and accountability are not being adequately prioritized.

The operational irritants extend beyond security to routine amenities and responsiveness. The building houses two vending machines that operate inconsistently, taking money without dispensing goods, with the added frustration of being unable to obtain refunds after multiple calls to listed support numbers. This issue, while seemingly minor, is emblematic of a broader sense that basic comforts and conveniences are unreliable and poorly serviced. The sense of neglect is reinforced by reporting on trash and sanitation problems - issues that have been documented in media coverage and health department discussions - creating an impression of systemic maintenance failures that ripple through daily life.

The complaints about the environment around the building are persistent and multi-layered. Residents have observed a lack of effective enforcement of local ordinances against feeding birds, resulting in large geese populations that leave sidewalks smeared with droppings. The constant exposure to geese and their mess turns walking into a hazardous and unpleasant experience. Alongside this, there are repeated references to seasons with no landscape maintenance, where even basic lawn care is missing, transforming what should be a picturesque exterior into a neglected space. The back patio and surrounding scenic areas, which could otherwise offer respite, are marred by human behavior and inadequate enforcement of rules designed to minimize wildlife problems and protect pet safety.

Inside units, the battle with pests and climate control is stark. The reviews recount a persistent issue with mice appearing in apartments, though some residents express a tolerant attitude toward these intruders, choosing to trap and release them rather than engage with a system that seems unable to address root causes. Heating problems are a recurring theme, with several residents reporting years-long efforts to achieve consistent, warm temperatures, sometimes waking to freezing conditions. Mold in kitchens and cabinets raises concerns about indoor air quality and potential health risks. The lack of timely corrective actions from maintenance - despite repeated reports - paints a picture of a building where essential repairs are delayed or neglected, leaving residents to cope with discomfort and safety concerns on their own.

There is a strong sense of tension between the promise of the property's potential and the reality of how it's managed. A recurring observation is that capital expenditures and structural improvements seem to be deprioritized in favor of short-term financial performance. Some residents speculate that ownership may be privately held or publicly traded, with subsidies from federal programs playing a significant role in the building's financing. The question that lingers is where those funds actually end up; the implication is that money intended for maintenance, repairs, and modernization may not be reaching those ends. This raises broader questions about accountability, governance, and the long-term sustainability of a workforce and infrastructure that could otherwise support a comfortable, stable living environment for fixed-income residents.

Beyond the structural and administrative concerns, there is a more human dimension to the stories. The presence of squatters or homeless individuals, concerns about laundry facilities and expensive, unreliable machines, and the occasional damage to clothing from dryers are all cited as parts of daily life that complicate living in the complex. The narrative acknowledges the complex's strengths - the scenic setting, proximity to natural areas, and potential for a peaceful, affordable housing option - but positions these benefits as undermined by chronic mismanagement and a pattern of unaddressed problems. The repeated refrain is that with targeted investments, stronger enforcement of rules, and a genuine commitment to resident well-being, Echelon Towers could transform from a cautionary tale of "low-income, project-style living" to a model of well-managed, community-centered housing.

In closing, the overall impression is a community at a crossroads. The property sits on valuable real estate, adjacent to Lake Hazel and wooded areas that could be a true amenity if properly maintained and respected. Yet the current climate - characterized by unsafe entry, theft, unresponsive staff, unreliable amenities, and ongoing pest and maintenance issues - creates a sense of instability and dissatisfaction. The call is for decisive action: improved security, consistent maintenance and landscaping, better waste and litter control, more effective enforcement of anti-feeding rules to curb geese populations, and a transparent allocation of subsidy funds toward tangible improvements. If management can address these concerns with seriousness and accountability, the complex could realize the considerable upside that many residents already see but feel is currently out of reach.

Restaurants

• Chick-Fil-A (0.9 miles)
• McDonald's (2.1 miles)
• McDonald's (2.4 miles)
• Walt Whitman Service Area (2.7 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (3 miles)
• China King (3.2 miles)
• Hilltop Creamery (3.9 miles)

Transportation

• PATCO/NJ Transit: Lindenwold Station (1 miles)
• PATCO Westmont Station (4.8 miles)

Physicians

• CHOP Specialty Care & Surgery Center (1.2 miles)
• Rowan SOM Family Medicine Residency Program (1.2 miles)
• Prate Family Eye Care (3 miles)
• Cooper Internal Medicine (3.2 miles)
• Cooper Medical Building 1 (3.3 miles)
• Advocare Heights Primary Care (3.7 miles)
• The Endo Center at Voorhees (3.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Jefferson Stratford Hospital (1.4 miles)
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital (3.8 miles)
• Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital (5.6 miles)
• Virtua Berlin Hospital (6.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.5 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.7 miles)
• Walgreens (2.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (3.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.3 miles)

Cafes

• Jersey Java & Tea (4.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.9 miles)
• Starbucks (6.2 miles)
• Starbucks (6.6 miles)
• Starbucks (6.9 miles)
• Panera Bread (7.2 miles)

Parks

• Country Farms Park (6.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Charles Boromeo Catholic Church (7.6 miles)