These 5 Apartment Complexes Come Dressed to Grill

Photos via Relative Properties

I had the distinct pleasure of spending the week before last in my hometown of Kansas City, which means I came back to Philly with barbecue on the brain.

Unfortunately, most rental apartments don’t have what it takes to get your ‘cue on: they either don’t have outdoor space that tenants can set up grills on or their outdoor spaces make no provision for grilling. (I’m blessed to rent from a landlord who did let me set up a smoker.)

But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for takeout from one of this region’s generally mediocre Q joints this summer. Instead, you should find yourself an apartment in one of these communities where grills come as part of the amenity package and cook your own. (Either that or find yourself an apartment close to one of the handful of good-to-great barbecue places.)

And since Memorial Day is at the end of the month, I suggest you hurry so you’re ready to grill that weekend.

Bucks County: Polo Run, Yardley (above) | 1- and 2- bedroom apartments, 601 to 1,040 square feet, $1,475-$2,015/month. Pets welcome.

New owners took over this Yardley apartment community recently and gave it a total refresh that improved the quality of its clubhouse and amenities all around and added some new ones to boot. One of those is a common picnic area with a barbecue grill.  You might be tempted, however, to pack yourself a picnic lunch and spread a blanket by the community’s picturesque pond instead. Other attractive outdoor amenities include a swimming pool and tennis court, and the renovated clubhouse contains all the luxury amenities apartment-dwellers have come to expect.

Polo Run Apartment Homes, 100 Polo Run Dr., Yardley, Pa. 19067 [Relative Properties]

Photos via Hankin Apartments

Chester County: New Kent, West Chester | 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, 793 to 1,700 square feet, $1,362-$2,946/month. Pets welcome (dogs allowed in select units); 2-cat limit, total weight limit 35 pounds for all pets; security deposit and additional monthly rent apply.

Hankin Apartments built this garden complex in East Goshen Township in the 1970s and has kept it up with the times ever since. Its outdoor amenities offer active and passive relaxation: there’s a swimming pool, a playground for the kids and sport courts outfitted for tennis and basketball. Or you can just lounge around the pool or hang out around the fire pit in the outdoor lounge, where you’ll also find a covered dining area and grill. The latest addition to the community is a building containing 24 upgraded LEED-certified luxury apartments outfitted with Energy Star-rated appliances and windows.

New Kent, 300 New Kent Dr., West Chester, Pa. 19380 [Hankin Apartments]

Photos via Korman Communities

Delaware County: AVE Newtown Square | 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, 707 to 1,375 square feet, $1,639-$3,107/month. Furnished flexible-stay apartments also available. Pets welcome.

New to the area? You might want to check into one of the furnished flexible-stay units in this stylish Korman Communities development to get a feel for the place while you search for long-term digs. The amenities here are so attractive, however, that you may just end up renting one of its apartments anyway. The outdoor courtyard includes a pool, fire pits, a picnic area, five grilling stations and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen. This resort-like community is just down the road from the heart of Newtown Square and a short drive from West Chester and two SEPTA Regional Rail stations.

AVE Newtown Square, 7000 Cornerstone Dr., Newtown Square, Pa. 19073 [Korman Communities]

Photos via Relative Properties

Montgomery County: Maybrook, Wynnewood | 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, 727 to 1,839 square feet, $1,960-$5,495/month. Cats and small dogs welcome; fee and additional monthly rent apply. Contact leasing office for details.

The courtyard at this luxury apartment complex next to Wynnewood Regional Rail station has Viking grilling stations and a fire pit. But nice as they are, the “community clubhouse” is the real showstopper. That would be the 1881 mansion that gave the development its name.  Built as the summer home of distiller Henry Gibson, it now includes a Grand Hall, bar, formal dining room, parlor and game room residents can use, along with gardens on its landscaped grounds, among other amenities. The apartments are pretty ritzy too.

Maybrook, 325 Penn Rd., Wynnewood, Pa. 19096 [Jefferson Apartment Group and Haverford Properties]

Photos via AIMCO

Philadelphia: The Sterling, Logan Square | Studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, 410 to 1,900 square feet, $1,468-$7,736/month. Pets welcome (up to 2 per unit); fee, additional monthly rent and breed restrictions apply.

This 1950s icon along John F. Kennedy Boulevard got a total makeover a few years ago when its current owner (the folks who just bought Carl Dranoff’s apartments) acquired the property. That makeover gave it a dynamite rooftop pool and social deck outfitted with things like underwater speakers in the pool, dining tables with gas fireplaces and an outdoor kitchen with grills and refrigerators. There are plenty of other snazzy amenities on the floors below — and great views of Center City from that rooftop resort.

Act fast and you can catch a break: management is offering one month free rent to tenants who move into select units by May 6th.

The Sterling Apartment Homes, 1815 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 [AIMCO | NHPMN Management]