Woodlake on the Bayou

Few rental properties in west Houston still offer four tennis courts, and Woodlake on the Bayou has them alongside four swimming pools, a racquetball court, a private health club and a quarter-mile walking trail through the grounds. The community dates to the early 1970s and spreads across a heavily wooded two-story site on Briar Forest Drive, just inside Beltway 8 and north of Westheimer in the Woodlake-Briar Meadow section of the Briar Forest corridor.

The Richdale Group operates the property, which mixes one- through four-bedroom apartments with townhomes. Interiors keep the period features that renters of 1970s stock tend to want kept: crown moldings, wood-burning fireplaces and oversized patios and balconies. A 24-hour gate attendant staffs the entrance, and two dog parks serve residents.

Mature landscaping and the adjacent Woodlake Community Center, which adds tennis and racquetball, distinguish the site from newer infill. Shopping sits within walking distance along Westheimer, and Houston ISD serves the address. Beltway 8 and the Westpark Tollway carry commuters toward the Energy Corridor, the Galleria and the Chinatown corridor along Bellaire Boulevard.