Couture Condos, 28 Ted Rogers Way: 476 Compact Suites With Bills Included

Couture is a building of small suites. Every one of its 476 homes falls between about 557 and 977 square feet, which tells you exactly who it was built for: singles, couples and investors who want to be a short walk from Bloor and Yonge without paying Yorkville prices. What makes it more interesting than it looks is the fee, which covers heat, cooling, water and parking. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A slim glass tower among beige brick

When Couture went up, UrbanToronto pointed out how much its glass cladding stood apart from the beige brick and precast apartment slabs that line upper Jarvis. That is still the best way to understand it. It is a slender glass tower on a two-storey podium, with an indented front facade, set among older rental buildings and offices.

Monarch Group built it with Mississauga’s Graziani + Corazza Architects. Early marketing named suites after cities, such as a 590 square foot one-bedroom called Tokyo and a 665 square foot one-bedroom-plus-den called Milan, and those plan names still show up in listings.

Glass towers from this period are pleasant to live in for the light and the views, and from the upper floors of a 42-storey tower the views open up in every direction. The cost is solar gain. A south- or west-facing suite with floor-to-ceiling glass can run warm in summer, which is part of why an included air conditioning charge is worth more here than it sounds.

Sources differ slightly on height. Condos.ca and UrbanToronto’s construction coverage describe 42 storeys, while an earlier neighbourhood blog described the plan as 44. The finished building is generally listed at 42.

Compact suites, and what that means for resale

Condos.ca shows suites from about 557 to 977 square feet. There are no large family suites here, which keeps the building’s buyer and tenant pool consistent: people who want a well-located one-bedroom, one-plus-den or small two-bedroom.

That consistency is a strength for investors, because you know who your tenant is. It is a weakness for owners who plan to grow, since you cannot trade up within the building. If you think you will need a second bedroom within a few years, buy the two-bedroom now rather than counting on moving upstairs.

With 476 suites in a narrow size band, many units share the same plan and exposure. When you sell, you may be competing with a near-identical suite a few floors away. View, floor height and condition become the main ways to stand out, so they are worth paying for when you buy.

Layout matters more in a small suite than in a large one. In a 600 square foot one-bedroom, a long entry corridor or an awkward den can waste a real share of the space. I would pick a squarer plan with a proper bedroom door and a usable den over a slightly larger suite that is mostly hallway.

The fee covers more than most

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking in the fee. For a 2013 glass tower, that is a generous package. Many buildings from the same era bill heating and cooling to each suite, and on a glass-walled unit those bills are not small.

Because utilities are pooled, the corporation carries the risk of rising energy costs, and those costs flow back to owners through the fee. Look at how the fee has changed over the last three to five years in the status certificate and budget, not just today’s figure.

Parking is listed in the fee, but that does not mean every suite has a space. Confirm whether the suite you want comes with parking or a locker. Spaces and lockers sometimes appear for sale on their own here, which tells you some owners hold them separately.

Living on Ted Rogers Way

This short stretch of Jarvis, renamed after the Rogers founder, sits between Bloor Street East and Charles. Rogers Communications has its head office nearby, and the Bloor and Yonge shopping and subway hub is a short walk west. Church Street and the Village are to the south.

Upper Jarvis is a mix of older rental slabs, offices and newer towers, and it is quieter in the evenings than Yonge Street a few blocks west. For many owners that is the appeal: you are close to everything at Bloor and Yonge, but you come home to a calmer street. Check what is approved on nearby sites before buying a suite whose view you are paying for.

Couture has company. The black towers of X Condos and X2 rise at Jarvis and Charles just south, and buyers often compare the three. X2 offers a podium pool and larger suites; Couture offers a more inclusive fee and a lower average price per square foot. The panel on this page covers transit, schools, parks and food nearby.

Price per square foot and what is listed now

The building average on condos.ca is about $816 per square foot. That is a little below X2 to the south and well below Yorkville, which fits a 2013 building with compact suites and an older-stock street.

At the time of writing only one suite was listed for sale, along with a separately listed parking or storage item and two suites for lease. One active suite is not enough for a range, so I would rely on recent sales of the same plan instead.

Because the fee includes heat, cooling and water, compare Couture’s total monthly cost with a newer tower that meters utilities separately, not just the fee line. On a 600 to 700 square foot suite, the difference over a year can be meaningful.

Building specifications

Amenities at Couture Condos

Couture’s amenities are practical rather than showy: concierge, a party room, media and meeting rooms, guest suites, a hot tub and a landscaped outdoor area behind the tower. There is no pool, so if that matters, look at X2 down the street.

Jatin’s honest take on Couture Condos

Couture Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.