York Harbour Club, Bastion St: Parking in the Fee at West Harbour City

York Harbour Club takes up a whole block between Fort York Boulevard and Grand Magazine Street, and it rarely comes up for sale. When it does, the thing I point out first is the fee: parking is included, which is uncommon in a building of this age downtown. It is a mid-rise complex of compact suites with a park at the door, and it knows exactly what it is. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The last phase of West Harbour City

West Harbour City was Plaza’s multi-phase community on the lands south of Fort York and the Gardiner, just short of the waterfront. York Harbour Club was the third and final phase, and it fills an entire block on its own.

It is two towers, 15 and 17 storeys, joined by a podium. Condos.ca describes the podium as seven storeys, and UrbanToronto’s construction coverage in 2013 reported the podium glazing going in as the towers topped off, with completion first scheduled for late 2013. The corporation registered in March 2015.

Quadrangle Architects designed the complex with what UrbanToronto called an Art Deco-inspired flair with modern touches, meant to tie it to the earlier West Harbour City buildings next door. It is not a striking tower, and it is not trying to be. The scale is human, and the streets around it are short, mews-like and quieter than the arterial roads.

Parking in the fee changes the comparison

According to condos.ca, the maintenance fee here includes parking along with common elements, heat, air conditioning, water and building insurance. In most downtown buildings, parking is either a separate monthly charge or something you own and pay tax on separately.

That matters when you compare this building with a newer tower down the street. If the other building’s fee looks lower, add back its parking charge and its suite-metered heating and cooling. Often the gap disappears.

Do not assume every suite has a space. In complexes of this era, some suites were sold without parking, and the fee for those suites should reflect that. Confirm on title and through the status certificate exactly what comes with the suite you are buying.

It also changes how you value a suite. Two suites of the same size can carry different fees depending on whether a space is attached, and the one with parking may be the better deal even if it asks a little more. Work out the monthly cost of each, including what you would pay to rent a space nearby, before comparing prices.

Compact suites and live-work doors

Condos.ca puts the suite range at roughly 492 to 1,070 sq ft. UrbanToronto’s 2013 figures topped out a little lower, under 1,000 sq ft. Either way, this is a building of one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens and modest two-bedrooms, not family-sized suites.

A detail worth knowing: some ground-floor suites are live-work units with their own street-level doors. Those suit someone who wants a townhouse-style entrance or runs a small practice from home, but check the zoning and the declaration for what business uses are permitted before you buy one for that reason.

Mid-rise towers like these also tend to have smaller floorplates, which means fewer suites per floor and shorter corridors than a 40-storey tower. Ask how many elevators serve each tower, since with 502 suites across two towers that number affects your daily routine.

For a couple planning a family, the size ceiling is the honest limit here. A two-bedroom of 800 to 1,000 sq ft works for a few years, but if you expect to need a third bedroom, buy knowing that you will likely sell again rather than grow into the suite.

June Callwood Park and the Fort York edge

The building sits across from June Callwood Park, the city park designed by gh3 that was being built as the towers finished. For many owners that park is the backyard, and it is a real asset in a neighbourhood that is otherwise mostly glass and concrete.

Fort York National Historic Site, Exhibition Place, BMO Field and the lakefront are all within walking distance. The Gardiner runs just to the north, which is the trade-off for being this close to the lake: north-facing suites look toward the expressway, and you should listen from the balcony before you commit.

The neighbourhood has matured a great deal since the building went up. What was a construction zone of new towers and an unfinished park is now a settled residential pocket, with the earlier West Harbour City phases, The Garrison and the Library District condos along Fort York Boulevard forming one continuous community.

What York Harbour Club costs, and why listings are scarce

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $886 per square foot. For a 2015 mid-rise of compact suites, that is a solid number, and I think the included parking and the park frontage are part of what supports it.

When I checked, there were no suites for sale and only a couple for lease, which is unusual for a 502-suite complex. Low turnover often means owners are content to stay, but it also makes pricing harder, because there are fewer current comparables. The building sold report is the best guide to recent trades.

If you are a seller, scarcity works for you; if you are a buyer, be ready to move when the right plan appears, and know the building’s recent history before you make an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at York Harbour Club

The amenity list is practical rather than flashy: concierge, party, media and meeting rooms, guest suites, and an outdoor patio where barbecues are allowed. Beanfield Fibre is available, which is a real plus if you work from home, and June Callwood Park across the street does the job a big amenity deck would do elsewhere.

Jatin’s honest take on York Harbour Club

York Harbour Club — 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.