The Essence, 25 Earlington Ave: Big-Suite Kingsway Mid-Rise, Fees Inclusive

The Essence is the kind of building people in the Kingsway move into when they sell the house but do not want to leave the neighbourhood. It is a six-storey, 129-suite mid-rise from 2007 on a side street off Dundas, with concierge, a rooftop deck and suites up to about 2,000 sq ft. The street around it is changing fast, and that is the first thing I would talk through with you. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A boutique mid-rise on a side street

The Essence sits on Earlington Avenue rather than on Dundas itself, which gives it a quieter front door than most buildings at this intersection. At six storeys and 129 suites, it is big enough to carry a concierge and a full fee package, and small enough that it still feels like a boutique building.

Listings describe it as concrete construction, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows in some suites. Those are suite-level descriptions, so confirm the ceiling height and window wall for the specific unit you are looking at; in a 2007 mid-rise, upper floors and penthouses often differ from the floors below.

Condos.ca does not name a developer, and I could not verify one from other sources. If the builder matters to you, ask for the disclosure documents or check the declaration, which will name the declarant.

Suites sized for downsizers

The range here runs from about 594 sq ft to about 2,009 sq ft. That top end is unusual for a mid-rise of this age, and the largest suites are the reason many Kingsway house owners look here. A 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft suite can hold the dining table and the furniture you are not ready to give up.

The smaller one-bedrooms suit first-time buyers and singles who want the neighbourhood without the house price. In the middle, two-bedroom and two-plus-den suites are the most traded, and they are the easiest to compare.

Listings mention underground parking and lockers. Parking is included in the fee, but confirm that the suite you want has a parking unit and a locker, and whether they are owned or exclusive-use.

If you are coming from a house, measure before you fall in love. Ask for the floor plan with room dimensions, check where the windows are on each wall, and see whether the suite has a proper laundry room and storage closet. In a 2,000 sq ft suite, it is the layout, not the square footage, that decides whether your furniture works.

Dundas and Prince Edward is filling in

When The Essence was built, this stretch of Dundas was mostly low-rise. That has changed. Dunpar Homes’ Kingsway Village Square, at 26 Earlington Avenue on the southwest corner of Earlington and Dundas, is planned as a 10-storey condominium of 141 suites plus a three-storey block of 10 townhouses, designed by Turner Fleischer. UrbanToronto lists it as under construction; check its current status.

On the southeast corner of Dundas and Prince Edward Drive, Dunpar also took over a long-stalled condo site and turned it into an eight-storey rental building of 115 suites, which was well under construction by mid-2018. That site went through several owners and names before Dunpar started construction in 2017.

For an owner here, more density means more shops and services within walking distance over time, and more construction and traffic in the short term. If you are looking at a suite facing Earlington or Dundas, ask what the new buildings will do to your light and outlook.

Living in Kingsway South

The appeal of this address is the neighbourhood. You are a short walk from the Humber River valley and its trails, close to the shops on Dundas and the Kingsway, and a short drive from both downtown and the airport.

Day to day, that means you can walk to coffee, groceries and a few restaurants along Dundas, and be on the river trail in a few minutes. It is a quieter setting than the towers of Humber Bay Shores, which suits buyers who want a residential street and a small lobby where staff know their name, rather than a busy tower.

A short walk away is The Prince Edward at 4196 Dundas Street West, a smaller 2007 building of 74 suites with a similar fee structure and the same manager listed on Condos.ca. If you like this corner, look at both; The Essence has the larger suites and the rooftop deck. The data panel covers transit, schools and walkability.

Price per square foot and what the fee covers

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $725 per square foot. That is a premium over The Prince Edward nearby, at about $685, which fits with The Essence’s larger suites, concierge and rooftop deck. The big suites usually trade at a lower per-square-foot figure than the small ones, so compare by size.

The fee includes heat, air conditioning, parking and water as well as common elements and insurance. On a 2,000 sq ft suite, that inclusive fee will be a large monthly number, but it replaces the heating, cooling and water bills you paid in a house. Compare the total, not the fee alone.

There is only one suite for sale and one for lease right now, so I will not quote their prices. My building sold report will show you what has actually closed here over the last year.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Essence

The amenities are modest but practical: a staffed lobby, a gym, a rooftop deck for summer evenings and a car wash bay in the garage. For downsizers, the concierge and the rooftop matter more than a pool, and they keep the fee from climbing the way it does in resort-style towers.

Jatin’s honest take on The Essence

The Essence — frequently asked questions

Looking at Humber Bay Shores, Mimico, the Queensway and central Etobicoke more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.