One Park Lane, 280 Simcoe St: Big Suites and a Fee That Covers It All

One Park Lane is a 1980s complex that still beats most new towers on two things: suite size and what the fee covers. Every suite at 280 Simcoe is over 1,000 sq ft, and the fee pays heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, cable and parking. You are buying an older building near the hospitals and the AGO at a price per foot new towers cannot touch. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Three towers and a glass lobby

One Park Lane was built as three towers joined by a glass-enclosed lobby. According to Dash Property Management, the east tower is 280 Simcoe Street, the west tower is 195 St Patrick Street and the north tower is 211 St Patrick Street. The lobby has a concierge desk, seating areas, plants and an indoor fish pond, and it is the building’s calling card. Because it ties the three towers together, residents share one front desk and one set of amenities, which helps explain how a complex of this size supports a pool and squash courts.

The Architectural Conservancy Ontario records the architect as Thomas P. Kalman, the developer as Camrost and the landscape architect as Starr and Shipman Group. A 1980 Toronto Star note it cites says the first two buildings were due the following spring and the third in fall 1981.

Sources do not agree on the numbers. Condos.ca lists 16 floors and 130 suites for 280 Simcoe and corporation MTCC-559, while Dash describes three 14-storey towers with 350 suites in total and lists MTCC 569. Some of that is simply one tower versus the whole complex. Confirm the corporation number and storey count for the suite you are buying in the status certificate.

Suites sized like houses

Every suite in this phase is large: about 1,033 to 1,519 sq ft, mostly two-bedrooms. One local agent’s building page notes full eat-in kitchens and plenty of storage, which is exactly what new towers cut first. Large suites also compete in a smaller field at resale, since newer towers nearby build few suites this size.

If you are downsizing from a house and want to keep a dining table, guest room and real storage, few buildings downtown give you this much space for the money. The trade-off is 1980s construction: older windows, finishes that depend on what each owner has done, and building systems that are now more than 40 years old.

Walk the suite with care. Look at the windows, the heating and cooling equipment, the electrical panel and the plumbing, and ask what has been renovated and when.

Pool, squash and a rooftop solarium

The amenity package is generous for its age. Dash lists a swimming pool, squash courts, a billiards and games room, an exercise room, separate change rooms with steam rooms and saunas, a rooftop terrace with a furnished solarium and a party room. Another source mentions guest suites and visitor parking. The rooftop solarium is a nice touch in a city with long winters: a bright shared room you can actually use in January.

Dash describes the amenities as newly renovated. Ask what was done, what it cost and how it was paid for, from the reserve fund, a special assessment or both. A recent renovation is good news, as long as it did not drain the reserve.

Condos.ca flags a pet restriction. I could not find the details, so read the declaration and rules in the status certificate if you have a pet.

Between the hospitals, the AGO and Chinatown

The location is the other big draw. You are a short walk from the hospitals on University Avenue, the Art Gallery of Ontario, OCAD University, Chinatown and Queen West, and within reach of the University of Toronto and the Eaton Centre. For transit times, schools and Walk Score, see the data panel on this page.

This is a dense, busy part of downtown, and new towers keep going up around it. Ask which way a suite faces and what is proposed nearby, especially if the view is part of the price. Simcoe and St Patrick are side streets, so the block is calmer than University or Dundas, though the traffic on both is never far away.

A low price per foot, and a fee that replaces your utility bills

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $587 per square foot, which is very low for this location. The two current listings ask roughly $878,000 to $1.35 million, which shows how much condition and size can move the price here.

Fees on current listings are about $1,180 a month. That can look high, but the fee covers heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, cable TV, building insurance and parking. On a 1,200 sq ft suite, that is roughly $1.00 per square foot, and most of your monthly bills are already in it. Compare that with a new two-bedroom nearby, where you would typically get a smaller suite and then pay hydro, internet and often parking on top.

The flip side is that an all-in fee rises with energy and service costs. Ask how the fee has changed in recent years, and whether any increases are budgeted. My building sold report covers recent sales here.

Building specifications

Amenities at One Park Lane

A pool, squash courts and a rooftop solarium are more than most new towers offer, and the glass lobby with its fish pond gives the complex a calm front door. Ask what the recent amenity renovation cost. If you would use the pool and squash courts, they replace a club membership. Guest suites are a real plus for visiting family.

Jatin’s honest take on One Park Lane

One Park Lane — 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.