DNA3, 1030 King St W: 605 Compact Suites and a Big Amenity Floor

DNA3 is a big building that lives like a small one on the street. It is 14 storeys and 605 suites at King and Shaw, the last phase of Canderel’s DNA community, with shops along King and most of its amenity space stacked on the first two floors. Suites are compact, the building has deep resale and rental activity, and that makes it one of the easier places on King West to buy, sell and compare. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The last phase of the DNA community

Canderel Stoneridge built DNA in phases along King West, and DNA3 at 1030 King was the third and final one. Graziani + Corazza Architects designed it as a cubic mass with offset projecting fascias that carry the line from one street face to the next, and Cecconi Simone handled the lobby and interiors.

The building is organised as two wings, which the marketing called Towers A and B, joined at the base. A 2010 UrbanToronto report describes the lobby running through from King Street to Shank Street at the back, while the architect’s project page mentions King and Shaw; check the entrances when you visit. Either way, the King frontage was planned with a substantial retail component. At 14 storeys it reads as a mid-rise from the sidewalk despite its 605 suites.

Green roofs, low-E glazing and individual suite metering were part of the original design. That last point matters to you as a buyer, and I come back to it in the fees section.

King and Shaw is where King West’s condo corridor meets the older neighbourhoods to the north. Queen West, Ossington and Trinity Bellwoods Park are a walk up Shaw, while King’s restaurants and offices run east toward downtown. It is a busy, mostly built-out stretch, so the changes you will notice are new mid-rises filling remaining sites along King rather than a wholesale shift in character.

An amenity floor, not an amenity room

DNA3 put a lot of space into shared facilities. The original plans included a fireside lounge of about 1,000 square feet with an open kitchen and bar, a lobby with skylights, a sculpture garden and several seating areas, fitness studios, and a so-called Rain Room with large recessed rain showers between the change rooms. A second-floor outdoor terrace sits between the two wings, and condos.ca also lists a rooftop deck, concierge, party room and visitor parking.

In a building of mostly one-bedroom suites, that matters. When your own living room is small, a good lounge, gym and terrace become part of your everyday space rather than an occasional extra.

The other side is cost. A large amenity program in a building of this age is due for refreshes, and gym equipment, lounge furniture and the Rain Room’s plumbing are not cheap to maintain. Ask what has been renovated since 2015 and what the reserve fund study schedules next.

Compact suites, built for city living

Condos.ca lists suite sizes from about 339 to 920 square feet. The current listings tell the same story: all six were in bands below 800 square feet, and most were one-bedroom-plus-den plans between 600 and 699 square feet. The model suite at launch was a one-bedroom of just over 600 square feet.

That size range shapes who lives here. It is a building for singles, couples and investors, not for families looking for a third bedroom. The upside is liquidity: with hundreds of similar suites, there are always comparables, and buyers and renters know what they are getting.

Within that sameness, small details make the difference on resale. Look for a den that can actually take a bed or a desk with a door, a usable balcony, a sensible kitchen run and an exposure that avoids staring straight into the neighbouring wing.

What the fee covers, and what it does not

Condos.ca lists heat and water as included. Parking is not listed, and the building was designed with individual suite metering, so expect to pay your own hydro and, depending on how your suite is set up, possibly your own heating and cooling charges. Confirm with the property manager exactly which utilities are billed to the suite and by whom.

Across the six active listings, fees ran from about $435 to $665 a month, or roughly $0.87 per square foot. That is a moderate level for a 2015 building with this much amenity space.

A building with 605 suites spreads its big repair bills across many owners, which is one quiet advantage over the boutique lofts nearby. The trade-off is scale: elevators, the garage and the amenity floors see heavy use, so look at service contracts and the age of major equipment.

What DNA3 costs

Condos.ca shows a building average of about $949 per square foot. Keep in mind that small suites carry a higher price per square foot than large ones, so the building average looks richer than it would for a building of bigger units.

At the time of writing there were seven suites for sale and several for rent. The six listings with size data asked between about $460,000 and $684,000, from a one-bedroom under 500 square feet up to a one-bedroom-plus-den in the 700 to 799 square foot band.

With that many listings, buyers have choice and sellers have competition. If you are selling, price against the suites that are actually on the market in your size band. If you are buying, the building’s own sales history is the best guide; my building sold report pulls it together.

Building specifications

Amenities at DNA3

For a 605-suite building of mostly small units, the amenity package is a real part of the value: a large lounge, fitness space, terraces and concierge give residents room the suites themselves cannot. Check which spaces are bookable, what they cost to reserve and whether any were closed for renovation.

Jatin’s honest take on DNA3

DNA3 — 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.