265 Poplar Plains Rd: Eight Two-Level Suites Steps From St. Clair

265 Poplar Plains Road is one of the smallest condominiums in midtown, and one of the hardest to buy into. It has eight suites, most of them around 1,700 sq ft over two levels, on a quiet South Hill street a few steps from St. Clair. If one comes up and you have been waiting for a house-sized suite without a house, this is the kind of building you move on, after you have read the paperwork. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two corporations, registered on the same day

Something most buyers miss about this building: it has a sister. The condominium at 195 St. Clair Avenue West, YCC-421, was built by the same company, Combination Land Consultants, and registered on the same day, 3 October 1978. The two are mapped next to each other near the corner of St. Clair and Poplar Plains, and their corporation numbers are consecutive.

That matters because two small corporations that were planned together may share things on the ground: a driveway, a garage ramp, a garden, a wall or services. Where they do, there is usually a shared facilities or reciprocal agreement that sets out who pays for what. I have not seen that agreement, so I am not claiming one exists. Ask your lawyer to look for it in the status certificate package.

If there is one, read it as carefully as the budget. A repair to a shared garage or driveway can be split between two small groups of owners, and how it is split decides what you pay.

House-sized suites over two levels

Condos.ca records suite sizes at about 1,700 sq ft, and a suite featured in Post City was about 1,774 sq ft over two floors, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. That is the shape of this building: fewer, larger homes, closer to a townhouse than to an apartment.

The featured suite had an open living and dining room with a fireplace, a kitchen partly separated from the dining area, a primary bedroom with wall-to-wall storage and a glass-walled shower in the ensuite, and a second bedroom with a walk-in closet. Post City also described high ceilings, hardwood and custom millwork, but that suite had been redone by an interior designer, so do not assume every unit is finished that way.

With only eight suites, every one has been renovated differently, if at all. A suite that still has its original kitchen and baths is a different purchase from a designer renovation, and the price difference should reflect real renovation costs, not just finishes.

Two-level suites also change how you use the space. Living areas on one floor and bedrooms on the other give you the separation of a house, which matters if you work from home or have family staying. Before you buy, walk the stairs a few times and think about whether they will still suit you in ten years, because there is no getting around them inside the suite.

A small budget and a short fee list

The fee here includes water, building insurance and common elements, according to condos.ca. Heat, hydro and parking are not listed as included, so ask the seller for recent utility bills and confirm what the suite pays separately.

Condos.ca lists TSE Management as the manager. Even with a professional manager, eight suites is a very small budget. The roof, exterior walls, windows and any garage are shared between eight owners, and a 1978 building is past the age where several of those components come due.

Post City describes a private garden for residents, and condos.ca lists visitor parking, an enter-phone system, a security system and a pet restriction. Confirm the pet rule in the declaration and current rules before you bring an animal.

Ask the seller and the manager how the building has handled large repairs in the past. In an eight-suite corporation, the answer usually tells you more than the reserve fund balance does: whether owners planned ahead and paid through the reserve, or waited and paid through a special assessment. Either can be fine. You want to know which kind of building you are joining.

The top of Poplar Plains

Poplar Plains Road climbs the escarpment from the Davenport area up to St. Clair, and this building sits at the top end, close to the corner. That gives you a South Hill house street out front and St. Clair West’s shops and groceries a short walk away. Down the road are small boutique buildings such as the mansion conversion at 195 Poplar Plains Road.

St. Clair is where change is coming. UrbanToronto lists a proposal at 175 St. Clair West, designed by Richard Wengle, with two buildings of 14 and 12 storeys, as pre-construction. If it is built, expect years of construction nearby, and more new condos competing for the same buyers.

Transit, schools, parks and Walk Score for this address are shown in the data panel on this page.

What eight suites tell you about price

Condos.ca reports a building average of about $775 per square foot. For two-level suites of around 1,700 sq ft this close to St. Clair, that is modest for midtown. But with eight suites, the figure may rest on very few sales and can move a long way on one renovated or unrenovated unit.

There were no suites listed for sale or for rent when I checked. In a building this size, a year can go by without a listing, which is why buyers who want in usually need an agent watching for it.

To price a suite here, I start with whatever the building has sold, then look at 195 St. Clair West next door, other boutique buildings in South Hill and Deer Park, and condo townhouses nearby, adjusted for renovation, parking and outdoor space. Ask for my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 265 Poplar Plains Road Condos

There are no gyms or party rooms. You are paying for privacy, a shared garden and large rooms, which is what buyers at this size and address are usually after.

Jatin’s honest take on 265 Poplar Plains Road Condos

265 Poplar Plains Road Condos — frequently asked questions

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