Wood Partners invited us to an open house Wednesday night and a tour of the new Alta West Davis apartments on Davis between Marlborough and Rosemont.

What we learned, mostly, is that it’s really, really nice, y’all. The 24/7 gym is outfitted with TechnoGym touch-screen equipment. The in-house bike shop will include tools and bike rentals, plus covered bike stalls outside. A community room features an open  kitchen with a waist-high marble-top island and four wood-and-chrome stools, a pool table and four cozy lounge areas. Plug your phone into a dock on the wall, and it pipes music throughout the room. Fancy, right?

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The company, which has similar apartment communities on Henderson Avenue and in The Dallas Design District, is making obvious efforts to fit in here. They’re working with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff to design custom bike racks on the Davis side. And they’re reaching out to local businesses to offer specials and discounts to residents.

They want Urban Acres to deliver groceries to residents, and for Jacob Waters of Lake Cliff Boot Camp to offer his circuit training classes.

“We really want to become part of the neighborhood,” says Amy Laws, a regional sales and marketing director for Wood Residential.

This development is very close to my home. I walk my dog past it frequently. I’m glad most of the construction is over. The facade looks nice. There is a mix of brick and stone, an aesthetic akin to bedazzled jean pockets, in my opinion, but at least it’s minimal. The yellow green paint complements the new St. Cecilia Church. And the sidewalk on the Davis side is premium, plenty wide and with freshly planted saplings.

The Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association worked with Wood Partners to make sure the design stayed true to the style of our neighborhood.

I’m not just saying this because they served me a Woodchuck hard cider and sent me home with a tube of six truffles from Dude, Sweet Chocolate, although you never know, but I suspect that Alta West Davis could end up being pretty good neighbors. The complex has 207 units. All those new neighbors will affect traffic on that already awkward stretch of West Davis. But the Better Block guys have their sights on that problem, so maybe a solution will arise.

With Zang Triangle apartments, which opened at Zang and Colorado a year ago, Alta West Davis adds almost 500 new high-end apartments in our neighborhood. Another 200-unit complex is planned near Methodist, and there are 39 coming to Bishop, a total nearing 700 units. That could mean some 900 new paychecks, healthy ones, most likely, in our micro economy.

And the demand is there. Alta West Davis leased 25 apartments before they even opened a leasing office on site, Laws said. Apartments range from 563-1,214 square feet and lease for $750-$1,660.

Here are a couple of pics, from my iPhone with the cracked screen:

A typical kitchen

The community room