Motif Lofts and Towns, 41 Ossington Ave: Lofts Plus Rebecca St Towns

Motif Lofts and Towns is the building I show buyers who want to live on Ossington, not just eat there. It is a five-storey mix of lofts over retail and a short row of townhomes on Rebecca Street, designed by RAW Design, and it has almost no amenities by choice. It is also the most expensive building per square foot in this group of west-end boutiques, and you should know why before you pay that. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Lofts on Ossington, townhomes on Rebecca

Motif is really two products on one corner. The loft building faces Ossington Avenue, with retail at street level and suites above. Behind it, a row of townhomes runs east along Rebecca Street. The townhomes have floor-to-ceiling south-facing windows and rooftop terraces with views over the neighbourhood toward the downtown skyline.

The mix changed during sales. When Reserve Properties launched in 2010, the plan was 12 lofts and 9 townhomes. The lofts sold faster, so in 2011 three townhomes were dropped and the middle of the building gained a floor, adding seven lofts. The revised plan was 19 lofts, 6 townhomes and about 2,700 square feet of retail.

Condos.ca lists 28 units, and the difference may come from how retail or other units were counted, so rely on the status certificate rather than marketing numbers. The building was originally scheduled for occupancy in spring 2012; the corporation was registered in March 2016. If you are buying, the registered declaration is what governs.

RAW Design, charcoal brick and ipe wood

RAW Design, with Roland Rom Colthoff as lead architect, designed the building, and II BY IV Design Associates handled interiors. The exterior uses charcoal brick, glass, steel and ipe wood, borrowing from the former industrial buildings around Ossington without imitating them.

On Ossington, the building is a quiet five storeys, with large windows on the lower floors that keep it connected to the sidewalk. The top two storeys are set back and hold two-storey penthouse lofts with outdoor space on both levels, including rooftop terraces. UrbanToronto praised the long, low plan for adding density without overwhelming its neighbours.

Reserve Properties was a little-known name in Toronto when Motif launched, but UrbanToronto reported that its principals had about 30 years of experience across some 75 projects and more than 7,500 homes, including work in Montreal and Vancouver. At the same time it was building Bellefair Residences across Queen Street from Kew Gardens in the Beach.

Inside, the lofts were finished with exposed industrial ceilings, wide-plank floors and Italian Scavolini kitchens, and the original marketing quoted ceilings of about 10 feet. The townhomes had more refined finishes. Confirm the details of any resale suite, because owners may have changed them.

Sizes from 563 to 3,039 square feet

Condos.ca records sizes from about 563 to 3,039 square feet, one of the widest ranges you will find in a building this small. At launch, the lofts were marketed from about 550 to 1,120 square feet and the townhomes from about 1,886 to 2,400, with the largest plans at the top end.

That range means the building’s averages tell you little about any one suite. A one-bedroom loft over Ossington and a multi-level townhome with a roof terrace on Rebecca are completely different purchases, with different buyers, prices and running costs. Compare each against its own type.

The ground-floor retail matters too. A shop or restaurant below brings life to the corner, but it also brings deliveries, venting and occasional noise, and in some buildings the retail owner shares certain costs with residents. Ask how the retail is owned and how shared costs are divided before you buy a loft directly above it.

The fee picture is unusual. Condos.ca lists only heat and water as included, with barbecues permitted as the only listed amenity. Ask for the actual fee breakdown, what insurance and common costs look like for townhomes versus lofts, and whether parking is part of the suite.

Ossington and Rebecca, day to day

Ossington between Queen and Dundas is one of Toronto’s best-known restaurant and bar streets, and that is the point of living here. When the building launched, its sales agent joked that the building had a party room: about fifteen of them up the street. That is still fair.

Trinity Bellwoods Park and Queen West are a short walk away, and Dundas West and Little Portugal are a few blocks north. Rebecca Street is a quieter residential side street, which makes the townhomes calmer than the lofts facing Ossington. When Motif was proposed, the site held a nondescript two-storey commercial building, and the strip has since filled in with restaurants, galleries and small shops, which is a large part of what you are paying for.

Ossington is lively late into the night, especially on weekends, so Ossington-facing lofts will hear it. The data panel on this page has the transit, school and walkability details.

What Motif costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,138 per square foot. That is the highest among the west-end boutique buildings I compare it with: Abacus Lofts on Dundas sits at about $937, Ideal Lofts on College at about $917 and One Six Nine on John Street at about $840.

The premium reflects the Ossington address, the newer construction, the design and the townhomes with rooftop terraces, which push the average up. It also reflects scarcity: with so few suites, listings are infrequent.

There were no active listings when I wrote this. Because lofts and towns trade so differently, ask for comparables of the same type. The automatic data panel shows recent aggregate results, and I can prepare a building sold report for the plan you are considering.

Building specifications

Amenities at Motif Lofts and Towns

Motif has no gym, party room or pool, and it was sold that way. The real amenities are private: terraces and rooftop decks on many suites, and Ossington at the door.

Jatin’s honest take on Motif Lofts and Towns

Motif Lofts and Towns — 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.