Parkside at Northtown III, 880 Grandview Way: Big Suites, All-In Fee

Parkside at Northtown III is for buyers who have done the maths on new North York one-bedrooms and decided they want a real home instead. The smallest suites here are bigger than many new two-bedrooms, the price per foot is among the lowest on the Yonge corridor, and the fee covers your hydro, heat and parking. You are buying a 2002 building, and I want you to go in knowing what that means. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Part of the Northtown group, built by Tridel

Northtown is the cluster of condominiums built east of Yonge Street, between Finch and Sheppard, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, on streets like Grandview Way, Northtown Way, Sommerset Way and McKee Avenue. Parkside III at 880 Grandview Way is one of the later towers in the group, registered in July 2002.

Listings name Tridel as the builder, and Del Property Management, which is part of the Tridel group, is listed as manager. That pairing is common across Northtown and is one reason these buildings have held up: Tridel’s buildings from this era are generally solid concrete construction, and the exterior here is concrete and brick.

The name tells you there were earlier Parkside phases, but I could not confirm their addresses from a source I trust, so I would not assume shared facilities. Ask management exactly which amenities belong to this corporation and which, if any, are shared with neighbouring buildings.

No small suites, and some very large ones

The defining fact about this building is its suite sizes. Condos.ca lists suites from about 709 to 1,855 square feet, which means no studios and no compact investor one-bedrooms. Even the smallest one-bedroom here is larger than many new one-bedroom-plus-dens.

At the top end, the suites are genuinely family-size. One listing for a large upper suite described four bedrooms, nine-foot ceilings and a two-storey-high balcony, which tells you the building includes some unusual multi-level or double-height plans. Ask whether the suite you are considering is one of those.

Large suites in a 2002 building usually mean dated kitchens and bathrooms unless an owner has renovated. The renovation cost on a 1,500 square foot suite is real money, so get a rough quote before you commit, and compare updated and original suites separately.

Parking matters more in a building like this. Families in large suites often run two cars, and one listing came with two spaces. Since parking is in the fee, ask whether a second space changes the monthly charge, whether the corporation rents out spare spaces, and where in the garage the space sits.

Pool, car wash and a social committee

Listings for the building describe a 24-hour concierge, a gym, an indoor pool, a hot tub, a sauna, a party room, guest suites and a car wash, and condos.ca adds a meeting room, a security guard and a security system. One listing also mentioned an active social committee, which in my experience is a good sign that owners are engaged.

The pool is the one I would confirm in person. Condos.ca’s list for this building shows the sauna but does not show a pool in the part I could see, so walk the amenity floor on your viewing and ask whether the pool is part of this corporation or shared.

Day-to-day life off Yonge

Grandview Way is a quiet internal street east of Yonge, so you get the services of the Yonge strip without living on it. Listings point to a park right beside the building, a Metro supermarket and a community centre nearby, and easy access to Highway 401; the data panel on this page has the transit, school and Walk Score detail.

The quieter internal street is the main reason families pick Northtown over buildings that front Yonge. Traffic on Grandview Way is mostly residents, and the park is beside the building rather than across a main road. The trade is a slightly longer walk to the subway and the Yonge shops than from a tower right on the strip.

The Yonge corridor between Sheppard and Finch has seen a lot of new tower construction since this building went up. That brings more shops and restaurants, and also construction and taller neighbours. Check the City’s development map for the sites closest to your exposure.

Pricing: about $656 a foot for space

Condos.ca puts the average at about $656 per square foot. That is in line with its Northtown neighbours: Grandview at Northtown at 88 Grandview Way and the Marquis at 8 McKee Avenue are both around $675, while Sommerset at Northtown and Grande Triomphe sit higher, at about $749 and $737. New towers along this stretch of Yonge typically ask far more per foot for much smaller suites.

Part of the low figure is simply size. Large suites sell for less per square foot than small ones, and this building has no small ones. Compare a two-bedroom here with a two-bedroom at Marquis or Grandview, not with a new one-bedroom.

There was one suite for sale and none for rent when I checked, which is typical of a building where owners live in their suites. The fee includes hydro, heat, air conditioning, water and parking, so add those back onto any newer building’s fee before you compare. For real recent trades, use the data panel or my building sold report.

One caution on fees: per square foot they look moderate, because large suites spread the building’s fixed costs. In dollars, the monthly fee on a 1,500 square foot suite is still a big number, so budget it in dollars, alongside property tax, before you decide what you can afford.

Building specifications

Amenities at Parkside at Northtown III

Guest suites and a car wash are the practical extras here, the kind of thing families and downsizers actually use. If the pool is confirmed, this is a full amenity package for a 148-suite building.

Jatin’s honest take on Parkside at Northtown III

Parkside at Northtown III — 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.