Kingsdale, 238 Doris Ave: A 1997 North York Centre Tower, Heat Included

Kingsdale at 238 Doris Avenue is a late-1990s tower on the quiet street that runs behind Yonge in North York Centre. It is neither the cheapest nor the newest building on Doris, but it sits in a sensible middle: a staffed front desk, heat and cooling in the fee, and prices per foot well below the new towers on Yonge. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of the Doris Avenue towers from the late 1990s

Doris Avenue runs parallel to Yonge on the east side, and between the late 1990s and the late 2000s it filled up with condominiums. Kingsdale, registered in 1997, is one of the early ones, alongside the two Imperial buildings next door at 256 and 260 Doris from 1998. The Boulevard at 188 Doris and Grand Triomphe II at 500 Doris came later.

Condos.ca lists the developer as Parkview-Kingsdale Holdings Limited, a single-purpose company, which was common at the time. I could not find an architect or a parent builder for it, so I would not assume a well-known name stands behind the construction. The reserve fund study and the building’s maintenance history will tell you more.

At 19 storeys and 200 suites, it is a mid-sized tower: about 10 or 11 suites a floor. That is enough owners to share the cost of a concierge and a gym without the crowded lobby of a 400-suite building.

It also means a steady supply of resale and rental listings. When I checked there were two suites for sale and two for rent, which gives buyers and appraisers real comparables to work with, something smaller buildings on the street often lack.

Sizes that work for couples and small families

Suites run from about 629 to 1,258 square feet. That puts the smallest one-bedrooms at a size many new towers now sell as two-bedrooms, and the largest two-bedroom-plus-dens near the size of a small townhouse.

The corner suites are the ones to look for. One I saw described faced southwest, with a large balcony, a breakfast area in the kitchen, a walk-in closet in the primary bedroom and two separate temperature controls, which is useful when one person likes the bedroom cooler. Listings also mention ensuite laundry and owned lockers.

Heating is forced air, according to listings. Ask how old your suite’s system is and who is responsible for it, since equipment from the late 1990s may be near the end of its life if it has not been replaced.

What the fee covers, and where sources disagree

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, water and building insurance in the fee. That means you pay your own hydro, and in my view the heat and cooling inclusions are the valuable part, especially in a corner suite with a lot of glass.

Parking is where sources disagree. The building summary on condos.ca does not list parking in the fee, but at least one listing showed parking among the inclusions and described the fee as covering everything except hydro. Confirm on the status certificate whether the suite has a space and whether any parking charge is separate.

The suites listed when I checked averaged about $1.00 per square foot in fees. For a building with a concierge, a security guard and heat and cooling included, that is reasonable for the age and staffing.

Compare carefully with the Imperial buildings next door, whose fees also include hydro and parking according to condos.ca. A building that bundles more will always show a higher fee and often a lower price per foot, so line up the total monthly cost, fee plus hydro plus any parking charge, before deciding which is cheaper to own.

Life one block off Yonge

The appeal of Doris Avenue is that you get Yonge Street without living on it. Listings point to the subway, the North York Civic Centre and Mel Lastman Square area, the library, grocery stores including a Loblaws, and a long run of restaurants along Yonge, all within walking distance. The data panel on this page has the transit, school and walkability detail.

Doris itself is a residential street of towers and parkland, so evenings are quieter than on Yonge. The building has an outdoor children’s play area, which is rare at a condo and tells you families do live here. Highway 401 is a short drive south via Yonge.

North York Centre continues to add towers, and more have been proposed along Yonge between Sheppard and Finch. If your suite faces west toward Yonge, ask what is planned on the sites in front of it before you pay for the view.

Pricing: the middle of the Doris Avenue range

Condos.ca puts Kingsdale’s average at about $681 per square foot. That is above the Imperial at 256 Doris at about $583, close to the Imperial II at about $703 and Grand Triomphe II at about $707, and below The Boulevard at 188 Doris at about $749. Newer towers on Yonge itself sell for well above all of these.

The two suites for sale when I checked were, asking from $439,000 to $689,000. That is a wide gap, and it reflects how much more a corner two-bedroom is worth here than an interior one-bedroom.

For what suites have actually sold and leased for, use the medians in the data panel or my building sold report. With suites also available to rent, investors should compare the rent medians against the fee and property tax before buying.

Building specifications

Amenities at Kingsdale

The amenity package covers what most owners use: a staffed front desk, a gym and sauna, a party room and a meeting room. The outdoor play area for children is the unusual one, and with the civic centre and its parks nearby, families have more options here than in most towers.

Jatin’s honest take on Kingsdale

Kingsdale — 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.