Luxor Gardens

Pros

• Luxor Gardens has stepped up their game.
• Leanna McGiboney, the property manager, is described as the best manager they've had in decades.
• Leanna clearly cares about the property's quality and the tenant experience, and she handles issues promptly.
• The units have been upgraded and remodeled with features like laminate flooring, ceiling fans, and updated fixtures.
• Office and maintenance staff are helpful.
• The leasing agent is described as very nice, professional, and capable.
• Residents describe Luxor Gardens as beautiful and quiet.

Cons

• Luxor Gardens is described as a dirty slum.
• There is no maintenance; if a furnace breaks at night, residents are left without help.
• The property manager is mean and incompetent.
• Sidewalks are not shoveled during winter and the grass isn't cut in summer.
• There is mold in the bathrooms and a smell under the kitchen sink that went unfixed.
• Maintenance requests are ignored for months, and safety concerns persist.
• The property is blighted, with overgrown weeds, vacant apartments, and absentee ownership.
• Rent increases occurred during periods of neglect, such as a 27% rise in 2022.

Review

Luxor Gardens inspires a wide range of experiences among its residents, from glowing praise to scathing complaints. On one side, a number of tenants have found relief and genuine improvement under what they describe as more attentive management and recent upgrades. They point to a property manager, Leanna McGiboney, as a standout figure: "the best manager they've had in probably decades," someone who "clearly cares about the quality of the property and the tenant experience." Reviews abound about responsiveness and problem-solving, with statements like, "If there's an issue or something she can help you with, she's ON it!" Several tenants credit Leanna and the office with ushering in upgrades, noting that many newly available units have been remodeled with laminate flooring, ceiling fans, updated lighting fixtures, new showers, sinks, and more. A commenter even expressed sincere gratitude for the application process and management, saying, "Couldn't be more happy with our apartment or the application process. Thanks Leanna!"

In addition to management, there's a sense among some residents that Luxor Gardens has become a more appealing place to live thanks to physical improvements. There are positive remarks about the community's atmosphere in certain sections, described as "beautiful and quiet," and several people affirm a generally favorable experience with the leasing and maintenance teams since the transition to new management. The sentiment is that the property has the potential to be a solid middle-class apartment option when it's run well and maintained properly, with renewed confidence in the ability of onsite staff to handle issues promptly.

Yet this favorable picture is far from universal. A large portion of the reviews paint Luxor Gardens as a place plagued by neglect and danger, especially at times when maintenance was sparse and there was a lack of consistent oversight. Several longtime tenants recount mold problems in bathrooms and under sinks, with one person describing a bathroom that became "infested with black mold" after leaks from an upstairs unit and an unresolved hole that was eventually "torn out" and never properly filled for months. Others recount ongoing leaks, failed repairs, and a pattern of maintenance requests being ignored for extended periods. One resident recalls moving out from a home filled with mold and a ceiling that had caved in above the top floor, while another describes a bathroom hole left unfixed for a year and a half, despite repeated work orders.

Safety and livability concerns run through many of the negative reviews. Several tenants report leaving doors unlocked at night, sleeping with windows open, and feeling unsafe enough to install their own security measures. The promise of a "safe, quiet, and clean" environment is frequently called into question, with phrases like "a farce" and "violated every day as a matter of routine." Reports of limited police patrols, more drugs and guns on the property than in nearby streets, and general blight - overgrown weeds, vacant apartments with mismatched blinds, and the vacant-eyed look of several buildings - contribute to a bleak portrayal of the property at times. The management's attitude is critiqued as well - some tenants describe an arrogant stance that seems more punitive toward tenants who want to live quietly than supportive of a stable community.

Financial management and aesthetic upkeep have also drawn critical attention. A notable grievance is the rent increases that accompanied a decline in maintenance: a roughly 27% rise in the summer of 2022 occurred alongside a "complete breakdown of property maintenance," with seven weeks of lawn neglect documented and subsequent enforcement only after codes enforcement threatened sanctions. The result, according to one tenant, is that the property looks and feels underfunded and under-resourced, with the implication that premium rents are paid without corresponding improvements in service or upkeep. The same reviewer notes that the management's response to basic needs - like a broken exterior light - could be delayed for months, turning ordinary maintenance into a drawn-out ordeal.

The concerns aren't limited to long-term residents or isolated incidents. Some reviewers describe experiences spanning years and multiple managers, with frequent turnover and inconsistent policies. There is also a sense of resentment toward owners perceived as distant or absentee - described as "absentee Lakewood, New Jersey ownership" - whose lack of day-to-day oversight exacerbates the neglect seen by tenants. A veteran renter recalls a cycle of new managers every year or so, with issues like pet deposits being stolen or chronic complaints about persistent odors (weed), roof leaks, and a top-floor ceiling collapse that was never promptly addressed. The pattern of dealing with problems appears uneven: some days or weeks bring quick responses or voluntary fixes, while other times leave residents waiting for months.

Against this backdrop, individual stories of resilience and frustration coexist. Some residents who have endured years of instability still hold out hope for genuine improvements under capable managers and better upkeep. Others have chosen to leave Luxor Gardens for healthier surroundings, citing mold, unsafe conditions, and a sense of being neglected during their tenancy. There are accounts of tenants being pressured or threatened with eviction if they took matters into their own hands - such as repairing a front light or addressing a safety issue - creating a climate of fear rather than cooperation. For a potential renter reading these accounts, Luxor Gardens reads as a property with real potential in parts of its operation but with a history of significant, sometimes dangerous, lapses that have left many residents wary.

In sum, Luxor Gardens embodies a complex juggling act between improvement and decline. On the one hand, the presence of a proactive manager and recent unit renovations offer a hopeful vision of what the property could be when supported by engaged ownership and consistent maintenance. On the other hand, a chorus of residents recounts years of mold, leaks, dangerous living conditions, delayed repairs, and disputes over rent that suggest deeper systemic issues within the management structure and ownership approach. For anyone considering moving in, the takeaway is clear: Luxor Gardens can be a clean, quiet, and well-maintained home under strong, responsive leadership and persistent, hands-on oversight, but it can also devolve into a problematic, unsafe, and poorly maintained environment when those elements are missing.

Restaurants

• Ohio Street Lounge (0.4 miles)
• Woodside Bar & Grill (0.5 miles)
• Tulune's Southside Saloon (0.7 miles)
• Bigdogz Grill (1.1 miles)
• Sue Bee's (1.2 miles)
• Baker's Loaf (1.3 miles)
• Haven Bar (1.4 miles)

Parks

• Lorain Park (0.5 miles)
• Roxbury Park (1.4 miles)
• Elim Field (2 miles)
• Stackhouse Park (2.7 miles)
• Peoples Natural Gas Park (2.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Patrick's Church Rectory (0.6 miles)
• St Vincent De Paul Caring Ministries (1.5 miles)
• St Benedict Church (1.5 miles)
• Faith Chapel (2.1 miles)
• Crossroads Community Church (2.5 miles)
• Westmont Presbyterian Church (2.5 miles)
• Our Mother of Sorrows Church (2.6 miles)

Pharmacies

• Rite Aid (0.8 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.7 miles)
• East Hills Family Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Forest Hills Pharmacy (2.4 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.5 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.9 miles)
• Genoa Healthcare (3 miles)

Physicians

• Johnstown Screening & Diagnostic Breast Center (1.3 miles)
• Memorial Medical Center Women's Center (1.3 miles)
• Highlands Orthopedics (1.3 miles)
• Penn Highlands Health Plan (1.3 miles)
• Lihui Tang MD (1.3 miles)
• Zeidan Boutros MD (1.3 miles)
• Conemaugh Cancer Center (1.3 miles)

Hospitals

• Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center (1.3 miles)
• Select Specialty Hospital (2.6 miles)
• Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center - Lee Campus (2.6 miles)
• James E Van Dandt VA clinic (2.7 miles)

Cafes

• The Morning Grind (1.4 miles)
• Flood City Cafe (2.4 miles)
• Mill House Cafe (2.7 miles)
• Starbucks (3.1 miles)

Transportation

• Ken Lantzy All Star Game (2.3 miles)
• CamTram (2.5 miles)
• Amtrak (2.9 miles)
• Johnstown Train Station (2.9 miles)