Liberty Village Townhomes II, 42 Western Battery Rd: Terraces, Low Fees

Liberty Village Townhomes II is what I show buyers who are tired of elevators. You get your own front door, stairs instead of a lobby, and in many suites a private rooftop terrace, in the middle of Liberty Village and for less per square foot than the towers around it. What you give up is everything a tower lobby gives you. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Stacked townhouses in a neighbourhood of towers

CanAlfa Group, led by Walter Jensen, spent years assembling the old industrial land in Liberty Village, and a Globe and Mail report from the period of the first Liberty Towers launch says the company cleared chemical debris and industrial waste before building. Its first residential wave was 466 low-rise townhouses at one end of the site, spread along Western Battery Road, East Liberty Street and Pirandello Street. This second phase, at 38–42 Western Battery Road and 46 East Liberty Street, is one of the larger, with 117 suites under TSCC-1705.

CanAlfa also built the supermarket at the centre of the neighbourhood, originally a Dominion, to anchor the retail that followed. The towers came later: Liberty Towers, Bliss and the rest of CanAlfa’s high-rises went up around these townhouses over the following decade.

The architecture is deliberately traditional: Georgian-inspired facades with stone detailing, large windows and generous balconies. Next to the glass towers that went up around it, the complex reads as a small residential street rather than another condo block, and that is a big part of its appeal.

This is a self-managed lifestyle compared with a tower. There is no concierge, pool or gym in the complex. Listing data does show a security guard and a security system, and Icon Property Management as manager.

How the suites are laid out

Stacked townhouses split into two kinds of suite. Lower suites are mostly one-level, often one-bedrooms with a ground-floor or garden terrace. Upper suites are multi-level: a Globe and Mail feature on a two-bedroom stacked townhouse in Liberty Village described a street-level entry with stairs up to an open living, dining and kitchen floor, two bedrooms above, and laundry and a private rooftop terrace on the top level.

Suites here run from about 356 to 1,577 sq ft. The smallest are compact one-bedrooms; the largest are multi-level two- and three-bedroom plans with the terraces. Both active listings right now are in the 700 to 799 sq ft band.

Stairs are the trade-off. An upper suite can mean climbing two or three flights from the front door to the terrace, every day, with groceries. That is fine for most buyers in their twenties and thirties and a dealbreaker for some downsizers. Be honest with yourself about it.

The rooftop terrace is the point

The agent quoted in that Globe feature called the rooftop terraces the complex’s best selling feature, describing a typical terrace of about 400 sq ft with running water, a gas hookup and privacy. In a neighbourhood where most outdoor space is a narrow tower balcony, that is a genuine difference.

Not every suite has one, and sizes vary. When you look at a listing, confirm whether the terrace is exclusive-use common element, what you are allowed to install, and who pays to maintain the membrane underneath it. Roof terraces on a 2005 building are exactly where leaks start.

Parking, storage and daily life

Parking is in a shared underground garage and is included in the fee for suites that have a spot. The Globe feature mentioned a suite with two lockers, but storage varies by unit, so check what the specific suite owns. Listing data also shows visitor parking, which is useful in Liberty Village, where street parking is tight.

Daily life here is the Liberty Village routine: a 24-hour supermarket, cafés and restaurants within a few minutes’ walk, Liberty Village Park nearby and King Street just north. Listing data shows pets allowed and barbecues permitted, but confirm both in the rules before you buy. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

When these townhouses were new, the Globe reported that about 1,000 people lived in Liberty Village and projected 7,000 to 10,000 at full build-out. That build-out has largely happened. It explains the strengths of living here, with shops, restaurants and services on every block, and the weaknesses, mainly rush-hour crowding and very little street parking.

Low price per square foot, low fees

The building average is about $674 per square foot, well below the Liberty Village towers. Zip Condos at 80 Western Battery Road averages around $841 and Toy Factory Lofts around $931. Part of the discount is age and the lack of amenities, and part is the stairs.

Two suites are listed for sale, asking between $499,000 and $629,900, a one-bedroom and a one-bedroom-plus-den, both in the 700 to 799 sq ft band. With so few listings, recent sales across all the CanAlfa phases are your best comparables.

Fees on current listings average about $0.72 per square foot, low for the neighbourhood, and they include parking, water, building insurance and common elements. Heat and hydro are not listed in the fee, so expect to pay them yourself. That is normal for townhouses and it means your winter bills are yours to manage, but the fee itself stays low because there is no concierge, pool or gym to fund.

Building specifications

Amenities at Liberty Village Townhomes II

There is no amenity floor here, and that is the deal: your outdoor space is your own terrace, and your fee is not paying for a pool you might never use. If you want a gym, budget for a membership at one of the many nearby gyms.

Jatin’s honest take on Liberty Village Townhomes II

Liberty Village Townhomes II — frequently asked questions

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