Living in Park Crest I’ve had the opportunity to watch Clark Builders Group’s Ovation Park Crest constructed from excavation to completion. The 300-unit high rise began construction around the same time as Greystar’s Ascent and both ended up completing construction roughly around the same time this winter. Now both are competing against each other to fill their hundreds of apartment units with little precedence from the market, which could mean good deals for apartment hunters.
The 19 story building is similar in style to sister building One Park Crest, with fewer balconies, but with a more modern layout at window elevation. The building has all of the elements one can expect of any new high rise apartment, elaborate club room, gym, and a future pool which one can assume will be done before this summer, although there’s still some significant work left yet.
Unlike Ascent, Ovation does not have significant roof top common space. However, it does have an advantage by having a true outdoor lap pool, something most high rises lack, especially those with roof top pools. It’s yet to be determined how well the pool and sunken plaza will interplay with the adjacent hill side and plans for a “water feature” per the builder.
One thing many in the neighborhood, myself included, have been waiting too long for is a sidewalk connection that currently is non-existent on the north side of Westpark Drive.
In fact, since construction began at Ovation Park Crest, all pedestrian access has been blocked by construction fences which have forced some pedestrians to walk on the busy street for over 100 feet. It is absolutely a disappointment that the County is not properly enforcing pedestrian provisions for construction sites, as is evident by the duplicate situation occurring at the site of Hanover Arbor Row; a condition that can be expected for the next two years.
Perhaps Park Crest and other neighborhood residents can forgive and forget once a new sidewalk is installed along north Westpark Drive, helping to connect the neighborhood to offices at Greensboro Drive and future development without compromising safety. In terms of the new residents of Ovation, of which I have seen several starting to move in, I’m sure it is something that they will come to expect as well.
