be a good neighbor

How to Be a Good Neighbor in Our Apartment Community

If you are new to our Meadows Crossing housing community, welcome! We are glad to have you here. This is a great place to live, full of friendly GVSU students. For students who are new to living in off-campus housing, you may find a few challenges ahead. In this blog we will talk about what it takes to be a good neighbor and the steps our residents can take to create a positive community with their neighbors. 

People Are Different And That’s Good

It’s important to understand and respect people around you who may not see or interact with the world in the same way you do. There are introverts and extroverts, early birds and night owls, people who cook Szechuan from scratch and those who have takeout on speed dial. And that’s fine. The world is a more interesting and functional place because of this variety.

Unfortunately, sometimes conflicts arise when neighbors with opposite or opposing lifestyles or habits share limited space. If you are a person who needs absolute quiet to study or go to sleep, you will likely not appreciate the musician next door practicing the drums at 2 AM. Very sociable people tend to have large social circles, and their neighbors may get tired of seeing these friends all of the time. No one really enjoys hearing the couple next door fighting…or not fighting. 

Be a Good Neighbor

There are mature and productive ways of dealing with these kinds of problems, however, and putting them to use can prevent problems from escalating from minor annoyances to full-blown war tactics. Here are our recommendations:

  • Take the time to establish clear lines of communication with your neighbors. Exchange contact information with them, and try to get to know them a little. People who know and like each other are more likely to care about each other’s feelings and boundaries and respect them. You may not have the time or interest to forge friendships with everyone around you, but, at the very least, introduce yourself and take the time to tactfully explain your needs. This  is a great first step in heading off conflict.
  • Respect your surroundings. Try to keep quiet hours between 11 PM and 8 AM. Noise travels farther than you may think it does, not just through walls but even outside and across the parking lots. 
  • Keep an eye out for your neighbor. Let them know if you see any suspicious activity or something that may compromise their safety or wellbeing.  
  • Instead of criticizing behavior, come up with suggestions for an alternate plan that would help. No one likes to be scolded, but most people will respond to suggestions that are reasonable and politely expressed. 
  • Be open to suggestions yourself. You may think that the way you do things is the way to do things, but it’s possible that other people may find some of your habits annoying too. If they come to you and want to discuss something, do not immediately get defensive. Instead, listen and see if some kind of compromise can be made.
  • If you can’t come to an agreement with your neighbor or they are openly hostile to your suggestions, talk to management about what steps can be taken to mitigate the problem. We at Meadows Crossing want to be here for our tenants and help them to make the most of their time here with us. Communication is the key to maintaining a harmonious relationship among the many different kinds of people who live here.

Meadows Crossing has long been in this business. We make it our priority to build and maintain a community here within the larger off-campus near GVSU housing ecosystem, and that community begins with positive relationships among good neighbors. If we can be of help to you in reaching that goal, don’t hesitate to contact us.



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map of Meadows Crossing and Grand Valley State University

Location

10745 48th Avenue, Suite B-100
Allendale, MI 49401
Get Directions: View Google Map

Utilities

DTE Energy: (800) 477-4747
Consumers Energy: (800) 477-5050
Spectrum TV/Internet: (855) 895-5302

Contact

Phone: (616) 892-2700
Fax: (616) 892-2702
Email: info@meadowscrossing.net

Office Hours


Monday - Friday: 10am - 4:30pm

Saturday: 10am - 3:00pm

Sunday: Closed

 

ONLY SINGLE BEDROOMS AVAILABLE FOR 2024-2025!

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2024-2025!

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For 2020 in the NATION! 

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