383 Sorauren Condos: A New Brick Mid-Rise Among the Old Lofts

383 Sorauren is the building I show buyers who love the Sorauren Park pocket but do not want a century-old factory. It is a 2016 brick mid-rise designed to sit comfortably beside the old lofts, with modern systems, one- and two-storey suites and a fee that was designed from the start to stay lean. It also backs onto a rail corridor, and that is the first thing to think through. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

New construction that borrows from the old factories

Before this building, the site was a parking lot and storage facility squeezed between a lumber yard and Robert Watson Lofts, backing onto the railway. Gairloch’s Bill Gairdner told The Globe and Mail he went after it after losing several bidding wars while house-hunting in the neighbourhood himself, and the project was pitched as a boutique building for budget-conscious buyers who wanted more space.

Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance designed it as a modern take on the area’s early-1900s industrial buildings. The brick was imported from Nebraska, a reddish-purple ironspot with darker inset bricks, and the chamfered corners needed about 50 custom brick shapes. Double-height brick frames wrap the balconies on the middle floors, and the upper levels step back, which gave the architects more variety in the floor plans.

The building also changed shape on the way to approval. The 2012 proposal UrbanToronto reported was 11 storeys and 149 suites, presented at a community meeting held by the local councillor; what was built came in at around ten storeys and 142 suites. That kind of trimming is common on west-end infill sites and usually reflects neighbourhood and planning feedback on height and massing.

The result reads as a sibling to the old lofts rather than a glass tower dropped among them. That matters on a street whose appeal is its industrial character.

Layouts: one- and two-storey suites, nine-foot ceilings

At launch the building offered 142 suites from studios to three-bedroom-plus-den, averaging around 750 square feet, including two-storey penthouses and two-storey townhouse suites facing Sorauren. Strata.ca’s unit mix shows about two-thirds one-bedrooms and one-plus-dens, a quarter two-bedrooms and a small number of larger plans.

Ceilings start at nine feet, with walls of windows, hardwood floors and Corian counters from the original spec. This is a soft loft in style only: you get industrial-flavoured design outside, but a conventional new-build suite inside. Most suites were designed with outdoor space.

Parking and lockers were sold separately from the suites, so not every unit has them. Confirm both in the status certificate before you assume either comes with the suite you like.

The rail corridor and the park

The building backs onto the rail corridor, and east-facing suites look over it. Some buyers like the open view and the sense of space; others notice the trains. Visit the specific suite more than once, including at a busy time of day, and ask about window performance.

The upside is the location. Sorauren Park, with its fields, off-leash area and farmers’ market, is a short walk south, the Roncesvalles strip is a few minutes west, and Dundas West is at the top of the street. The City’s planned Wabash Community Recreation Centre at the southeast corner of the park, reusing the old Canadian Linseed Oil Mills building, is scheduled for construction from 2026 to about 2030. Expect some disruption, then a major new pool and gym within walking distance.

Daily life here is quieter than the Roncesvalles strip itself. Sorauren south of Dundas is a short, mostly residential street of lofts, houses and a few remaining commercial uses, so evenings are calm once you are off Dundas, and the park does most of the work an amenity floor would do in a tower.

Fees: designed to stay low

The developer’s pitch was basic amenities and low fees, estimated at launch at about 50 cents per square foot. Fees have risen since, as they do everywhere, and across the three suites listed when I checked they averaged about 78 cents per square foot. That is still a reasonable level for a building with a concierge and a staffed lobby, and it reflects the decision not to build a pool or a large amenity floor.

Sources disagree on what the fee covers. Condos.ca lists heat as included; Strata.ca says only water is included and that hydro, heat and air conditioning are separate. Ask for the current budget and confirm the inclusions in writing, because it changes your all-in monthly cost.

Pricing: new-build premium on a loft street

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $973 per square foot. Strata.ca’s averages by unit type are higher, from roughly $1,095 for one-plus-dens to about $1,215 for two-bedrooms, and it ranks the building second of 18 Roncesvalles condos on price per foot, with values up around 3% over the past year. The gap between the two sources is wide, so treat the true figure as somewhere in that band and look at the specific trades.

Activity is healthy for the area: Strata.ca counts nine sales and seven leases over the past twelve months. For context on the street, Condos.ca puts Robert Watson Lofts next door at about $1,113 per square foot and High Park Lofts on Roncesvalles at about $1,009, so on Condos.ca’s numbers 383 Sorauren sits a little below both, despite being the newest of the three.

Three suites were for sale when I checked, two one-bedrooms and a one-plus-den, asking from about $559,000 to $839,000. For the building’s recorded trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 383 Sorauren Condos

The package is deliberately modest: a gym, a party room, guest suites, a concierge and a rooftop terrace planned with cooking and dining areas, heaters and a gas fireplace. It keeps fees down while covering what most owners actually use.

Jatin’s honest take on 383 Sorauren Condos

383 Sorauren Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Roncesvalles more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.