Village Park, 240 Heath St W: About Four Suites a Floor in Forest Hill

Village Park is what Forest Hill buyers mean when they say they want a condo that feels like a house. There are about 66 suites spread over 17 floors, so each floor holds only a handful of large homes, and the building has an indoor pool and a concierge. Before you buy, you need to settle one thing the listing sites disagree on: what your fee actually pays for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Few suites, big floors

The numbers tell you what kind of building this is. Sixty-six suites over 17 storeys works out to about four suites per floor, which is very low for a Toronto tower. That usually means large suites, more corner exposures and short hallways where you see the same few neighbours every day.

Condos.ca lists its recorded suites at about 1,745 square feet and an average of about $1,053 per square foot, but that size figure is based on a narrow sample. Treat it as a sign that large two-bedroom plans dominate, not as the full range, and ask for the measured size of any suite you are considering.

Agent descriptions of the building mention open living areas, hardwood floors, large windows, built-in shelving and solariums. An enclosed solarium is one of the features of buildings from this era that new condos rarely replicate, and it gives you usable space in the winter as well as the summer.

The fee question you need answered first

Here is where I want you to slow down. Condos.ca lists the fee as covering only common elements, water and building insurance. A Forest Hill agent’s building profile lists heat, hydro, air conditioning, cable, parking, water, insurance and common elements. Those two lists describe very different monthly costs.

I could not confirm which is current. Buildings sometimes move to individual metering, and listing sites sometimes carry old data. The only reliable answer is the corporation’s current budget and the status certificate, which will show what the fee covers and what you pay separately.

Do this before you compare fees with anything else. A fee that includes heat, hydro and parking is a very different proposition from one that does not, especially in a suite of 1,700 square feet or more.

Living in a low-density tower

Four suites to a floor changes daily life in ways buyers notice quickly. Elevator waits are short, corridors are quiet, and most suites get more than one exposure. It also means fewer owners share the cost of the elevators, roof and pool, so each owner’s share of any major project is larger than in a 300-suite tower.

Expect plans from the late 1970s, updated to varying degrees. Separate dining rooms, generous closets and wall space for art and furniture are common in buildings of this type, which is why downsizers from houses tend to like them. Owners who have renovated have often opened the kitchen, so compare the suite with the original plan and ask what work was done and whether it was approved by the board.

With 17 storeys on a street of low-rise houses, upper suites can see a long way over the tree canopy. Ask which way the suite and its solarium face, and visit at the time of day you would actually use the space.

A pool building next to its twin

Village Park has an indoor pool and sauna, and agent profiles add an exercise room, steam room, whirlpool, a garden and storage lockers. With a concierge and security guard on site, it is a full-service building at a small scale.

Its neighbour is Village Terraces at 260 Heath Street West, an 18-storey 1981 tower with about 132 suites, an outdoor pool and a broader size range. Buyers in this pocket should look at both. Village Park tends to suit those who want fewer neighbours and larger floor plates; Village Terraces offers more choice and turnover.

Both sit just north of Heath Street West and St. Clair Avenue West, between Spadina Road and Bathurst Street, a short walk from Forest Hill Village.

Daily life here

Forest Hill Village on Spadina Road covers coffee, restaurants, banks and the LCBO, and the Loblaws on St. Clair West is the closest full grocery store. Sir Winston Churchill Park and its ravine trails, Wells Hill Park and Cedarvale Park are all close, which makes this one of the best addresses in the city for daily walks.

This is a residential pocket, not a shopping district, and that is the point for most owners. Transit, schools and walkability details are in the data panel on this page.

What Village Park costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,053 per square foot, which is at the upper end for a Forest Hill building of this age. It reflects the suite sizes, the low density and the location rather than new finishes.

Only one suite was listed for sale when I checked, and none for rent. That is typical. With about 66 suites, there may be only a few sales in a year, so you should expect to wait for the right suite, and you should expect the building average to move on one or two trades.

On fees, I would not compare Village Park with anything until you have the current budget in hand, for the reason I set out above. Once you know what is included, put the fee on an all-in monthly basis next to the alternatives, including the house you may be leaving.

Renovation level matters a great deal here. A suite with an updated kitchen and bathrooms and an original suite of the same size can be priced very differently, so compare like with like. If you want to see what has actually sold, my building sold report shows aggregate figures from the MLS system.

Building specifications

Amenities at Village Park

An indoor pool, sauna and steam room in a building of this size is a real luxury, and the concierge and security staff suit owners who travel or spend winters away. Pools are expensive to keep up, so find the pool in the reserve fund plan.

Jatin’s honest take on Village Park

Village Park — 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.