West Village Apartments in Ithaca, NY

Pros

• They liked the layout of the apartment they looked at.
• They found Google Maps worked great and had no problems getting to their location.
• They were actually satisfied with the architecture; it was quite decent.
• They think it’s a great place to live.
• They consider it not a bad place to live and have never had a problem.

Cons

• The apartment is rough.
• There are regular shootings and stabbings.
• The apartment is a little small.
• The office manager talks about residents on Facebook.
• There were fights on the main street upstairs, and a cop was shot in front of the house.
• The apartment was infested with roaches due to a hoarder upstairs.
• Neighbors hate each other and there are frequent shootings and robberies.
• The staff hates working and running the place.
• It is not as safe as it was in fall 2002.
• The place is a dump and not safe to live.

Review

West Village Apartments in Ithaca is best suited for independent adults who want a compact, functional living space at an affordable price and don’t mind a rough, sometimes volatile environment. The clear draw is a decent apartment layout and a central, walkable location on the city’s main street, but the upside ends there for anyone seeking consistent safety, predictable upkeep, or a calm atmosphere. For families evaluating assisted living options, this community only makes sense if budget is the dominant constraint and reliable safety is not a prerequisite.

The strongest practical positives lie in the apartment itself. Several units offer sensible layouts and architectural elements that can feel workable for daily living, with residents noting that the space can be workable if approached with tempered expectations. In addition, the location on the main thoroughfare makes errands and accessibility straightforward, and the maps-enabled access to the property reduces friction for first-time visitors. For someone who prioritizes a straightforward, no-frills living space and the convenience of being close to services, these points can be meaningful.

Yet the favorable points do not survive the weight of the surrounding realities. Safety concerns dominate the feedback: frequent reports of fights, shootings, robberies, and the presence of drugs on or near the property color the experience far more than any architectural charm. Noise and disturbances from neighbors further erode the appeal, with notes of ongoing disputes, loud gatherings, and even police activity in front of the building. The combination of crime-related stress and a sense of disorder makes consistent peace-of-mind rare, a critical factor when families weigh options for seniors or anyone needing reliable security.

Maintenance and management shortcomings amplify the risk profile. Reviews suggest a pattern of disengagement from the staff, complaints about the office manager’s responsiveness, and a general impression that management itself is stretched thin or out of touch. The result is a recurrent sense that problems, whether maintenance issues, pest intrusions like roaches, or neighbor conflicts, are inadequately addressed or slow to resolve. In short, the operational backbone isn’t dependable enough to counterbalance the safety and noise concerns that dominate residents’ experiences.

With these dynamics in mind, the big trade-off becomes clear: the modest, livable apartment and convenient location do not compensate for ongoing safety risks and unsettled management. Families evaluating alternatives should prioritize facilities with demonstrably safer environments, consistent on-site staffing, and proactive maintenance, settings where security, routine, and predictable operations are built into the core experience. West Village may appeal to a specific budget-minded niche, but it falls short for anyone who expects stability and quiet as foundational requirements.

For decision-making, the recommendation is to screen alternatives that emphasize reliability and resident well-being. Look for communities with on-site security, clear protocols for incident response, regular housekeeping or pest control, and transparent, responsive property management. If considering West Village, approach with a concrete plan: visit at different times of day, talk with current residents about perceived safety, verify rent and lease terms, and insist on written commitments for response times to maintenance and safety concerns. If a senior or a loved one depends on daily assistance, the verdict should be to look elsewhere, the case for West Village rests on cost considerations, not safety or support infrastructure. In practical terms, these factors decisively tip the balance toward alternatives that deliver dependable safety, orderly living environments, and the level of assisted living support that families expect.

Restaurants

• Spring Buffet (0.6 miles)
• Maxie's Supper Club & Oyster Bar (0.7 miles)
• Chili's Grill & Bar (0.8 miles)
• Liquid State Brewing Company (0.8 miles)
• Wendy's (0.8 miles)
• Arby's (0.8 miles)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill (0.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Wegmans (0.6 miles)
• Walgreens (0.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (0.8 miles)
• Apothekara (1.3 miles)
• Green Street Pharmacy (1.3 miles)
• Kinney Drugs (1.4 miles)

Physicians

• CNY Medical Professionals (0.7 miles)
• Kumar Manoj MD (0.7 miles)
• Cayuga Foot And Wound Care - Dennis Gould DPM (0.8 miles)
• Ithaca Dermatology (1.1 miles)
• Cayuga Dermatology (1.1 miles)
• Cayuga Family Medicine (1.1 miles)
• Family Medicine Associates (1.2 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (0.9 miles)
• Gimme Coffee (0.9 miles)
• Waffle Frolic (1.4 miles)
• Gimme Coffee (1.4 miles)
• Starbucks (1.4 miles)
• Dolce Delight (2.1 miles)
• Allechant (3.2 miles)

Transportation

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car (0.9 miles)
• U-Haul Moving & Storage (0.9 miles)

Parks

• Conway Park (1.1 miles)
• Buttermilk Falls State Park (1.2 miles)
• Cass Park (1.3 miles)
• Dewitt Park (1.3 miles)
• F R Newman Arboretum Park (1.4 miles)
• Taughannock Falls Overlook (1.7 miles)
• Ithaca Dog Park (1.8 miles)

Theaters

• Cinemapolis (1.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• Temple Beth-El (1.4 miles)
• St Paul's Methodist Church (1.5 miles)
• Tabernacle Baptist Church (1.7 miles)
• First Congregational Church (2.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Hammond Health Center (1.7 miles)
• Cayuga Medical Center Maternal Child Health Unit (2.5 miles)
• Cayuga Medical Center (2.5 miles)
• Cayuga Hospital (2.6 miles)