Pet spas? Coffee bars? Colorado Springs apartment complexes take amenities to new levels
When Amber and Lyle Drones were looking for a new apartment last summer, they wanted a pet-friendly place to accommodate Zarra, their 18-month-old Boston terrier-pug mix. After they scouted about 50 apartment complexes , the couple - both stationed at Fort Carson - settled on the Mesa Ridge Apartments in Fountain. It wasn't just the complex's proximity to the Army post. The Drones were especially attracted to Mesa Ridge because of two of its amenities: a dog park where Zarra can run and play with other dogs, and a pet "spa" - a free, fully equipped dog -washing area that's more convenient than a grooming salon and easier to use than one's own bathtub. "The newer apartments, they're all pretty evenly priced ," Amber said. "But those are two things that they offered that other apartment complexes didn 't. That set it apart for us. In our eyes, we were like, 'That's where we should go'. " Apartment amenities used to me...