99 Avenue Road: 60 Large Suites and Valet Parking in Yorkville

99 Avenue Road is for buyers who have already decided they want Yorkville and now want privacy more than a view of the CN Tower. It is a 12-storey building of just 60 suites, finished in 2002 by Max & Co Development, with valet parking, a 24-hour concierge and suites big enough to replace a house. The monthly fees are big too, and you need to understand why before you fall for the address. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Five suites a floor, and why that changes everything

Sixty suites over 12 storeys works out to about five homes per floor on average. That is a very different way of living from a Yorkville tower with twenty suites on every corridor: fewer neighbours, quieter halls, and a concierge team that knows every resident and every regular visitor.

That scale is what most buyers here are paying for. The building suits people leaving large houses in Rosedale, Forest Hill and the Annex who want to stay in the area, keep their furniture and stop shovelling snow, and both the suite sizes and the staffing reflect that buyer.

It also concentrates cost. With only 60 owners, every elevator modernization, garage repair or lobby renovation is divided among a small group, which is the main reason the fees here look the way they do.

Valet parking, a courtyard and a theatre

The amenity list is short and aimed at a particular lifestyle. There is a 24-hour concierge with security, valet parking, a landscaped courtyard garden, a gym, a sauna, a theatre or media room, a boardroom, a guest suite and visitor parking. Storage lockers are part of the package as well.

Valet parking is the feature buyers coming from houses notice first. You hand over the car at the door, and the building’s staff handle the garage. It is a real convenience in the winter and a real cost in the budget, because valet service means staff hours, and staff hours are the largest line in most luxury building budgets.

There is no rooftop pool or large party room on the list. That suits the residents: the building is built for privacy and service rather than social space.

When you tour, spend ten minutes in the lobby and the garage as well as the suite. How the staff greet residents, how clean the parking levels are and how the courtyard has been kept will tell you more about the board and the budget than any brochure.

Suites from a pied-a-terre to a full house

Sizes run from about 713 sq ft to about 3,792 sq ft. At the bottom that is a generous one-bedroom for someone who also has a cottage or a second home; at the top it is a full-floor-scale residence with room for a family, an office and guests.

Many suites here have been renovated by their owners over twenty-plus years, so condition varies a great deal from one to the next. Listings mention features such as ten-foot ceilings, several balconies and multiple parking spaces and lockers on some of the larger suites, but those belong to specific homes, not the whole building. Confirm ceiling height, outdoor space and the number of parking spaces and lockers for the exact suite you are looking at.

When you compare suites, treat finishes as a separate decision from the layout. A good plan in a dated suite is often a better buy than a weaker plan that has just been redone.

Where it sits in Yorkville

The building is on Avenue Road between Bloor and Davenport, which puts Yorkville Village, the Hazelton Avenue galleries, Whole Foods and the Bloor Street shops within a short walk, along with the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum and the University of Toronto.

Avenue Road is a busy arterial, and that is the price of the address. Suites facing the courtyard or the side streets will be quieter than those facing the traffic, so ask about orientation and visit the suite at rush hour before you decide.

The surrounding blocks keep changing, with new luxury projects proposed and built along Avenue Road and Bloor over the past decade. A boutique building that is already finished and settled is part of the appeal here, but check what is planned on the neighbouring lots before you pay for a particular view.

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

Pricing and those fees

Condos.ca reports a building average of about $951 per square foot. That is well under the averages at some of the newer or more tower-like luxury buildings nearby; The Prince Arthur at 38 Avenue Road, for example, shows about $1,452 per square foot. Suites here are large, and large suites usually trade at a lower price per square foot, so the comparison flatters 99 Avenue Road a little.

Two suites were listed for sale when I checked, a two-bedroom and a three-plus-one-bedroom, asking between about $2.4 million and $3.95 million, with monthly fees of roughly $3,900 to $4,700. Those fees include heat, air conditioning, water and parking, and they pay for a staffed, valet-run building of 60 suites. They are not a mistake; they are the service model.

That makes the real question how much the fee adds to your carrying cost compared with a house. Add the fee to your mortgage and taxes and compare it with what you spend today on a house, including snow removal, gardening, security and repairs. For many downsizers the numbers end up closer than they first appear.

If you want the actual recorded sales in the building, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 99 Avenue Road Private Residences

The amenities are about service and privacy: valet parking, a staffed door around the clock and a quiet courtyard. If you want a pool, a rooftop and a busy social calendar, a larger Yorkville tower will suit you better.

Jatin’s honest take on 99 Avenue Road Private Residences

99 Avenue Road Private Residences — 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.