Village Gate, 18 Lower Village Gate: Gated Forest Hill, All-Inclusive Fee

Village Gate at 18 Lower Village Gate is a building for people who are done with condo shoeboxes. The suites start above 1,000 square feet, the complex sits behind a staffed gatehouse in Forest Hill, and the fee covers almost every utility, hydro included. It is also close to 40 years old, so how you read the paperwork matters more than how the lobby looks. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A gated, low-rise enclave in Forest Hill

Village Gate is not a tower. It is a pair of seven-storey buildings set on landscaped grounds at Heath Street West and Walmer Road, with a gatehouse and security staff at the entrance. Number 18 is the first of the two, completed in the mid-1980s; its twin at 19 Lower Village Gate followed.

That format attracts a particular buyer. Most owners here are not first-time buyers or investors; they are people who have sold a house in the area and want the same postal code with someone else shovelling the snow. The low height means you know your neighbours, the elevators are not crowded and the grounds feel more like a private estate than a condo complex.

The two buildings share the grounds, and descriptions of the complex mention a clubhouse, library and landscaped gardens. Ask which facilities belong to which corporation, and how shared costs are split between them, because that affects your fee and your vote.

Suites sized like houses

Condos.ca records suite sizes from about 1,048 to 2,019 square feet. In other words, the smallest suite here is larger than many two-bedrooms in new midtown towers. Descriptions of the complex mention one- and two-bedroom plans with large balconies or patios, floor-to-ceiling windows, generous kitchens and full-size bedrooms.

These are 1980s plans, and that cuts both ways. You get separate dining rooms, real storage and bedrooms that fit a king bed with room to walk around it. You may also get closed kitchens, original bathrooms and layouts that need work to feel current. Many suites here have been renovated, and some have not; budget accordingly.

Ground-floor suites with patios are the closest thing to a house in the building. If you have a dog or garden, those are the plans to ask about.

The fee covers almost everything, including hydro

This is the part that makes Village Gate hard to compare. Condos.ca lists the fee as covering heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, cable TV, building insurance and parking, on top of common elements. Very few Toronto buildings still include hydro, and almost none built in the last 20 years do.

So when you see a large monthly fee here, do not set it against a new building’s fee directly. Add the new building’s hydro, heating and cooling bills, parking and cable back in first. The gap shrinks considerably. It does not vanish, because a gatehouse, staff and an outdoor pool on a small number of suites are expensive to run.

Bundled utilities also mean every owner pays the same share whatever they use. If you are a light user of air conditioning, you are partly paying for your neighbours. Most buyers here accept that in exchange for a predictable bill.

Daily life near Forest Hill Village

The location is the second reason to buy here. Forest Hill Village, with its cafés, pharmacy, LCBO, banks and restaurants, is a short walk, and descriptions of the building mention Loblaws within walking distance for groceries.

For green space, Wells Hill Park, Winston Churchill Park, Nordheimer Ravine and the Cedarvale ravine are all in the area. If you walk a dog or run, the ravine system is the real amenity, more than anything inside the building. Transit details are in the panel on this page.

The neighbourhood is also unusually stable. Forest Hill South is mostly houses and low-rise apartment buildings, so you are not buying next to a construction site for the next decade, which is a real contrast with Yonge and Eglinton to the northeast.

What Village Gate costs, and how to compare it

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $884 per square foot. Because the suites are large, that translates into prices well above what most buyers expect from a seven-storey building, and well below what a detached house in Forest Hill would cost.

There were no active sale listings when I wrote this, which is typical. In a building of about 80 suites with long-term owners, resales are infrequent and good suites can sell quietly. If you want to buy here, watch both Village Gate buildings and be ready before the right plan comes up.

On price per square foot, compare it with other low-rise Forest Hill buildings rather than with new towers near Yonge and Eglinton. New construction carries higher prices per foot but smaller suites, separate utility bills and often extra charges for parking. Here, a renovated suite with hydro included can be the better buy even at a higher monthly fee.

Unrenovated suites deserve a discount. A full renovation of a 1,500 square foot condo, including kitchen and bathrooms, is a serious cost, so price that work into any offer. For recent resale figures, use the automatic data panel on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Village Gate

The amenity list is short but well chosen: a gatehouse and security, an outdoor pool with a sauna, an exercise room and a party room, set in landscaped grounds. For owners here, the security and the grounds matter more than the gym, and the outdoor pool is a summer amenity, not a year-round one.

Jatin’s honest take on Village Gate

Village Gate — 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.