Starrcoll, 73 Oriole Gdns: A 15-Suite Low-Rise off Avenue Road

Starrcoll is one of those midtown buildings most people only discover when a suite comes up. It is a three-storey, 15-suite condominium on Oriole Gardens, a quiet side street a few blocks north of St Clair West, and it was registered in 2007. There is very little published about it, which is exactly why you have to do more homework here, not less. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Fifteen suites on a side street

Starrcoll is small even by boutique standards: 15 suites over three storeys, registered as a condominium in August 2007. condos.ca does not name a developer, builder or architect, and I could not find one in other public sources. For a building this size that is not unusual, but it means the corporation’s own records are your main source of facts.

The building sits on Oriole Gardens, a short residential street in the pocket north of St Clair Avenue West and near Avenue Road, an area of older houses, small apartment buildings and mid-rise condos. Being on a side street rather than on St Clair or Avenue Road is the main lifestyle point. It is quieter, and there is no retail at grade.

condos.ca records the plan number as TSCP-1877. Most Toronto condominium corporations are written TSCC; ask your lawyer to confirm the correct corporation name and number on the status certificate so that every document matches.

Heat and air conditioning in the fee

The most useful fact I have about Starrcoll is its fee structure. condos.ca lists the fees as covering air conditioning, common elements, heat, building insurance and water. Having both heating and cooling included is uncommon in newer buildings, where each suite usually has its own system and its own bill.

That makes monthly costs more predictable, especially in July and January. It also means the building’s central heating and cooling plant is a shared asset, and at nearly 20 years old it is a line item to look for in the reserve fund study.

Parking is not on the fee list. Ask whether the suite you are looking at comes with an owned or assigned space and a locker, and whether there are any separate charges for them. On a residential street in this part of midtown, a parking spot matters.

Ask, too, how the heating and cooling is controlled in each suite. In some buildings with included HVAC, owners can set their own temperature year-round; in others the building switches between heating and cooling on fixed dates in spring and fall.

The amenity list, and why I would verify it

condos.ca lists a long set of amenities for this address: a pool, concierge, car wash, guest suites, a media room, visitor parking and an elevator. Its own overview describes the building as a quiet boutique property.

That combination is unusual for a 15-suite, three-storey building, because a pool and a concierge are expensive to run when only 15 owners share the cost. The list may be accurate, it may reflect shared facilities, or it may be a data error. I could not confirm it from another source, so I would not pay for those amenities until you have seen them in person and in the corporation’s budget.

The same caution applies to anything else you read about this building online, including rules on pets, rentals or renovations. If it is not in the declaration, by-laws, rules or status certificate, do not rely on it.

How a 15-suite corporation works

In a building this small, the board is a handful of owners, and decisions about repairs, insurance and the reserve fund are made by people you will see in the hallway. That can make the building pleasant and well run. It can also mean a single dispute or a single large repair is felt by everyone.

Each owner’s share of a major bill is large. A roof, an elevator modernization or garage repairs split 15 ways is a very different number from the same work split across 300 suites. The building is professionally managed by Crossbridge Condominium Services, which helps, but the money still comes from the same 15 owners.

Before you buy, ask how many of the 15 suites are owner-occupied and how many owners sit on the board. A building where most owners live in their suites and the board turns over occasionally tends to be run with a longer view than one where most suites are rented and the same two people have made every decision for years.

Pricing a building with almost no public data

There were no suites listed for sale or rent at the time of writing, and condos.ca does not publish suite sizes or a building average per square foot for Starrcoll. With 15 suites, sales here can be months or years apart, so there is no clean building number to quote.

A suite here has to be priced against other small low-rise condos around Yonge-St. Clair, Deer Park and Forest Hill, adjusted for size, condition, parking and the fact that heat and cooling are included in the fee. A fee that looks high next to a newer building can be fair once you add back a separate heating and cooling bill.

If you are buying or selling here, my building sold report is the place to start, and I can pull the comparable boutique sales nearby.

Building specifications

Amenities at Starrcoll

Treat the amenity list for Starrcoll as a starting point, not a promise. An elevator and visitor parking are what matter most day to day in a three-storey building; confirm anything beyond that in person and in the budget.

Jatin’s honest take on Starrcoll

Starrcoll — 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.