900 Mount Pleasant, 900 Mt Pleasant Rd: Plaza’s Brick-Podium Midtown Condo

900 Mount Pleasant is the building I show buyers who like midtown but not the glass canyon on Yonge. It sits on Mount Pleasant Road with a red brick base that looks like it belongs on the street, and it has larger suites than most of what was built around Yonge and Eglinton in the same years. The fee is not small, and I will explain why that is less of a problem than it looks. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A brick podium that fits Mount Pleasant

The defining feature here is the base. Instead of a glass tower that drops straight to the sidewalk, Plaza gave the building a red brick podium that rises about six storeys, with the tower set above it. On a street of older brick houses, low-rise shops and mid-century apartments, that scale matters.

From the sidewalk, it reads more like a solid mid-rise than an 18-storey tower. From inside, the podium suites have a different feel from the tower suites: closer to the street and the trees, with more of a neighbourhood view than a skyline one.

The building’s dates are recorded inconsistently. Condos.ca lists 2008 as the year built, while its own description says 2011, and the condo corporation was registered in December 2008. One listing site even describes 900 Mount Pleasant as a 10-storey building by a different developer, which does not match the 18 storeys and Plaza credit on condos.ca. If the exact dates matter to your financing or warranty questions, the status certificate and declaration settle it.

A wider range of suite sizes than most of midtown

Suites here run from about 531 sq ft to about 2,086 sq ft. That top end is much larger than what you find in most Yonge-Eglinton towers of the same era, and it is why I see downsizers coming out of houses in North Toronto and Davisville look here.

The listings when I checked were a one-plus-den in the 700 to 799 sq ft range and a two-bedroom in the 800 to 899 sq ft range. The larger suites trade rarely, so if you want one, be ready to wait and to move quickly when it comes up.

With 239 suites, this is a mid-size building. It is large enough to support a concierge and a good set of shared rooms, and small enough that the lobby does not feel like a transit hub at rush hour.

If you are coming from a house, measure your furniture before you fall for a floor plan. The larger suites here can take a real dining table and a sofa that seats more than two, which is the test most midtown condos fail.

The fee, and what it replaces

On the two suites for sale when I checked, fees ran from about $860 to $1,034 a month. Across the active listings, condos.ca shows about $1.18 per square foot, which is at the high end for midtown.

What you get for it is a full package: common elements, heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking. Hydro is not in the list, so you will pay your own electricity. Compare that with a newer midtown tower where heating, cooling and parking are often extra, and the difference in real monthly cost is smaller than the fee line suggests.

There is a second reason the fee is higher per foot here. A brick podium, a concierge and a set of hosting rooms spread over 239 suites cost more per suite than the same services spread over 500. That is the price of a mid-size building, and for many owner-occupiers it is worth it.

Still, ask for the budget and the last few years of fee increases. A fee that is already high per foot leaves less room before it starts to weigh on resale value.

Living on Mount Pleasant north of Eglinton

Mount Pleasant Road has a different rhythm from Yonge. It is quieter and more residential, and the blocks around the building mix older houses with mid-century rental apartments and, increasingly, new condo towers on the side streets toward Yonge.

That change is ongoing. The block around Erskine and Broadway has seen 101 Erskine go up, and a 35-storey building is proposed at Redpath and Erskine. Ask which way the suite you are viewing faces, and what is approved on the lots in that direction.

The subway, grocery and parks nearby are in the data panel on this page. Day to day, you get the convenience of Yonge and Eglinton within walking distance while living a few blocks back from the busiest part of it.

Pricing: midtown peers, with more space at the top

900 Mount Pleasant averages about $828 per square foot on condos.ca. That is right in line with its 2008 and 2009 midtown peers: Quantum North Tower shows about $827, The 88 on Broadway about $826 and Panache about $818. Newer towers in the area, such as CityLights on Broadway at about $858, ask more per foot.

When I checked, the two suites for sale were asking from about $599,900 to $685,000,. Nothing was listed for rent, which is unusual for a 239-suite building in midtown.

Thin supply cuts both ways: it suggests owners stay, but it gives a buyer few live comparables. Use the sold medians in the data panel, and for the larger suites, look at recent sales of similar-sized condos across midtown, not just this building.

Building specifications

Amenities at 900 Mount Pleasant

The amenities lean toward hosting rather than fitness: a party room, media room, meeting room, guest suites and BBQs, with a concierge at the door. If a gym or pool matters to you, confirm what the building offers before you buy.

Jatin’s honest take on 900 Mount Pleasant

900 Mount Pleasant — 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.