DNA Condos, 1 Shaw St: King West Soft Lofts With Parking in the Fee

DNA at 1 Shaw Street is the building I suggest to buyers who like the King West address but not the King West price per square foot. It was the first phase of Canderel’s three-building DNA community, finished in 2006, and its fee quietly covers heat, cooling and parking. It is a soft loft, not a hard one, and once you accept that, the numbers start to make sense. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Phase one of a three-building community

DNA was planned as a three-phase community at King and Shaw. The first two buildings, a 15-storey tower and a 9-storey building, sit on the south side of King and share a two-storey lobby. DNA3, the third phase, came later on the north side of King with roughly 600 suites, retail at grade including a grocery store, and its own amenities.

Condos.ca records the corporation at 1 Shaw Street, TSCC-1767, as 15 storeys and 317 suites. The neighbouring building at 1005 King Street West is part of the same community, and listings sometimes mix up the two addresses. Confirm which corporation a suite belongs to before you read a status certificate.

Canderel is a long-established Montreal-based developer, and the DNA phases are among its better-known Toronto projects. I could not find a published architect for the first phase, so I will not name one.

Soft lofts: what you do and do not get

DNA is marketed as loft-inspired, which in practice means a soft loft. One loft guide describes nine-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and a brick, steel and glass exterior. You get the open plan and the big windows, but not the timber beams or 12-foot concrete ceilings of a converted warehouse.

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at roughly 370 to 1,410 square feet. The bottom of that range is very small, closer to a studio than a one-bedroom, and those suites are mostly bought by investors. The larger two-bedroom suites and the corner units are where owner-occupiers tend to land.

There are also ground-level townhouse-style suites along Douro Street. The same guide points out that they are very public, with front doors and windows right on the sidewalk. They suit someone who wants a front door, less so someone who values privacy.

Many upper suites have balconies or terraces, and east-facing terraces are singled out as a plus. With a 15-storey height, upper floors can get views toward the downtown skyline over the low buildings of the Niagara area.

Floor-to-ceiling glass is great for light, but it has a cost. South- and west-facing suites can run warm in summer, and older sealed window systems lose more heat than a modern one. Because heat and cooling are in the common fee here, that is a building-wide cost rather than your own bill, which is one more reason to look at how the window and HVAC reserves are funded.

Interior finishes are now about 20 years old in suites that have not been updated. Expect original kitchens, flooring and bathrooms in some units, and price a renovation into any suite that has not been touched.

Amenities and the shared lobby

For a 2006 building, the amenity list is solid. Reported features include a concierge, a split-level lounge with a bar and fireplace, a gym, an aerobics and yoga space, a party room with a kitchen, a landscaped courtyard and a rooftop terrace with BBQs.

Because the first two buildings share a lobby, you are part of a larger community than 317 suites suggests. Check the shared facilities agreement in the status certificate. It sets out how costs for the lobby, amenities and any shared garage are split between the corporations, and those costs show up in your fee.

The location at King and Shaw

This is the west end of King West, where it runs into Liberty Village and the Niagara neighbourhood. Massey Harris Park is close by, Trinity Bellwoods and Ossington are a short walk north, and Liberty Village has groceries, gyms and coffee a few minutes south. The King streetcar runs along the front of the community.

Shaw and Douro are quieter than King itself, which is one reason suites facing the side streets are easier to sleep in. Construction has been close to constant along this stretch of King for years, and that is likely to continue as more of the remaining low buildings are redeveloped.

DNA3 across the street helped the daily routine here, because its retail includes a grocery store. For owners at 1 Shaw, that means a quick errand without walking into Liberty Village.

What DNA costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $961 per square foot. Compare that with the figures for newer towers in King West and Liberty Village before deciding; for a 20-year-old building with a good amenity package, I think it is close to fair.

The fee is the part buyers misread. Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance, water and parking as included. In most newer buildings nearby, heat and cooling are on your own meter and parking is a separate charge, so a higher-looking fee here may cost you less overall once you add those back in.

There were no suites for sale when I wrote this, and one for rent. Small studios, standard one-bedrooms and the Douro townhouse suites all trade at different price levels, so compare against the same suite type, not the building average alone.

For recent resale figures, see the data panel on this page, or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at DNA Condos

The concierge, gym and rooftop terrace are the amenities owners actually use day to day, and the split-level lounge works as an extra living room for entertaining. For a soft-loft building of this age, it is a more complete package than most.

Jatin’s honest take on DNA Condos

DNA Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.