21 Hillcrest Ave, North York: A Higher Fee That Covers Heat and Cooling

21 Hillcrest Avenue looks expensive on paper. Its fees run well above the towers around it, and buyers who compare only the monthly number often walk away. Look at what the fee pays for, though, and this 2004 tower near Empress Walk becomes one of the easier buildings in North York Centre to budget for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The fee is high because it covers more

Across the five suites listed for sale when I checked, fees worked out to about $1.35 per square foot, with one-bedrooms in the 600 to 699 square foot band paying roughly $830 to $885 a month. That is well above the roughly $0.84 per square foot that listings at The Pinnacle, a few doors away on Hillcrest, were carrying.

The difference is in the inclusions. Condos.ca lists heat and air conditioning in the fee, as well as common elements, building insurance, parking and water. In many North York Centre towers you pay for heating and cooling yourself, either through your hydro bill or a separate meter, and that bill can be significant in a glassy suite in July or January.

So compare total monthly cost, not fees. Ask the seller of any suite you are considering at a rival building for a year of hydro bills, add them to that building’s fee, and then compare. The gap usually narrows, though it rarely closes completely here.

From studios to large suites, with 9-foot ceilings

Condos.ca puts suites at about 399 to 2,090 square feet, which covers compact studios at one end and large family-sized suites at the other. Most of what trades is one-bedrooms and one-plus-dens in the 600 to 699 square foot range: all five sale listings when I checked fell in that band.

REW lists 9-foot ceilings, large windows and balconies as unit features. Nine-foot ceilings were a selling point for a tower of this era, and they make a mid-size one-bedroom feel more open than the same floor area in many 1990s buildings nearby.

The concentration of one-bedrooms has two effects. For sellers, it means competition from neighbours listing the same layout at the same time. For buyers, it means plenty of comparables and room to negotiate, which is what I saw with five similar suites on the market together.

When I checked, there was only one suite listed for rent against five for sale. That mix varies month to month, but it suggests this is not purely an investor building, and owner-occupiers tend to push for good upkeep at the annual meeting. Ask the property manager roughly what share of suites are leased if that matters to you.

Who built it, and what the sources disagree on

REW names Monarch Homes as the developer, while condos.ca does not list one. I treat the developer as likely but unconfirmed, and if it matters to you, the original declaration in the status certificate will name the declarant.

Sources also differ on amenities and pets. REW lists a gym, pool, multimedia room, lounge, guest suites, sauna and 24-hour security, while the condos.ca list I have shows a concierge, party room, meeting room and sauna. On pets, REW says cats and dogs are allowed, while condos.ca notes a pet restriction. Tour the amenity floor and read the rules before you rely on either list.

Del Property Management is listed as manager by both condos.ca and REW, so that point at least is consistent.

Life between Empress Walk and Sheppard

Hillcrest Avenue sits just east of Yonge in the heart of North York Centre, with The Pinnacle at 8 Hillcrest and Empress Plaza II at 18 Hillcrest across the road. Empress Walk, with its cinema, LCBO, drugstore and underground link to the subway, is the neighbourhood’s anchor, and the data panel on this page shows how far the station is.

The Loblaws at Empress Walk closed in October 2025, and Wikipedia reports a T&T Supermarket is slated to replace it in 2026. Until it opens, check where you will actually do your grocery shopping on foot.

Mel Lastman Square, the North York Civic Centre and the central library sit across Yonge from Empress Walk. That cluster of civic buildings, shops and transit is the reason demand holds up in this pocket even as newer towers are added around it.

What 21 Hillcrest costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $633 per square foot. That is below The Pinnacle at 8 Hillcrest, at around $790, and below Empress Plaza II across the street at about $703. Part of that discount reflects the higher fee, because buyers price in the monthly cost when they bid.

Here is the arithmetic I walk clients through. A 650-square-foot one-bedroom here pays about $250 a month more in fees than the same suite at around $0.84 per square foot elsewhere. If heating and cooling that suite would cost you, say, $100 a month on your own meter, the real premium falls to about $150. Get actual utility bills from a comparable suite to replace my placeholder. Over a five-year hold, weigh that against the lower purchase price per square foot.

When I checked, five one-bedrooms in the 600 to 699 square foot band were asking between $419,000 and $468,000, with fees between roughly $830 and $885 a month. Five similar suites on the market at once gives buyers leverage, so look at recent closed sales rather than asking prices.

For closed results, use the sold data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 21 Hillcrest

You get a staffed lobby and the usual North York Centre package of social rooms and a sauna, and REW adds a gym, pool and guest suites. Because the lists differ, walk the amenity floor on your showing and ask the concierge what is open and bookable.

Jatin’s honest take on 21 Hillcrest

21 Hillcrest — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.