The Townhomes at Mystic Pointe, 180-220 Manitoba St: 32 Condo Towns

The Townhomes at Mystic Pointe are what I show families who want a house-sized home near the lake but cannot stretch to a detached house in south Etobicoke. There are only 32 of them, they rarely come up, and the fee is low for the space. They are also nearly 30 years old, which is what you need to price in. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The low-rise corner of a high-rise neighbourhood

Mystic Pointe is a planned community on Manitoba Street and the streets around it, just south of The Queensway. Most of it is mid-rise and high-rise: the Legend at Mystic Pointe at 190 Manitoba, Mystic Pointe Skylofts II at 200 Manitoba and the Warehouse Lofts at 250 and 300 Manitoba. UrbanToronto described later phases as part of Camrost-Felcorp’s multi-phase project here, including the iLoft and California towers built by the Atkins Group.

The townhomes are the oldest and the lowest part of the community. They were registered at the end of 1997, years before most of the towers, and they give you something none of the towers can: your own front door, several floors of living space and no shared elevator.

Thirty-two homes is a small corporation. That cuts both ways. Owners tend to know each other and decisions are made by a handful of neighbours, but every major repair is shared among fewer people. I come back to that below.

House-sized space, condo-style ownership

Condos.ca records the homes at about 1,665 square feet. That is the size of many semi-detached houses, and current listings describe three-bedroom-plus-den and four-bedroom layouts. If you are coming from a two-bedroom condo, this is the step up that usually means a detached house.

Because it is a condominium, the corporation handles the common elements and insures the buildings, while you look after the interior. Read the declaration carefully: in townhouse corporations the line between what the corporation maintains and what the owner maintains, such as roofs, windows, doors and decks, varies a lot, and it affects both your costs and the fee.

Parking is in a garage and is included in the fee, and there is visitor parking. I could not confirm the floor plans, the number of storeys in each home or the ceiling heights from a reliable source, so ask for the floor plan and walk the stairs before you buy. Multi-level townhouses do not suit everyone.

Compare that with the alternatives nearby. Few suites in the nearby towers reach 1,665 square feet, and the ones that do are usually priced well above these homes per square foot. A freehold house in south Etobicoke means taking on the land, the roof and every repair yourself. A condo townhouse sits between the two: more space than most tower suites, and less upkeep than a house.

A low fee for the space

Across the two homes currently listed, the fee is roughly $755 to $800 a month. On about 1,665 square feet, that is under $0.50 per square foot, which is far below the towers around it. The fee covers parking, water, building insurance and common elements. You pay your own heat and hydro.

A low fee is only good news if the reserve fund is healthy. The complex is nearly 30 years old, and townhouse corporations often face big shared costs at this age: roofs, windows, the underground garage membrane, paving and exterior work. With 32 owners, each share is larger than it would be in a 300-suite tower.

Before you buy, read the reserve fund study, the last few budgets and the board minutes. Ask what has already been replaced, what is scheduled, and whether a fee increase or special assessment has been discussed.

Mimico, near the lake and close to change

Manitoba Street is a short walk south of The Queensway and a short distance from the Humber Bay Shores waterfront, with its parks and the Waterfront Trail. You get a quieter street than Lake Shore and still reach the lake on foot.

The area around Park Lawn Road is about to change a lot. The City’s Park Lawn Lake Shore Transportation Master Plan covers the area between The Queensway, the lake, Legion Road and Ellis Avenue, which includes Manitoba Street. Endorsed in 2022, it supports the redevelopment of the former Christie cookie site as a mixed-use district with a new Park Lawn GO station, along with new street connections across the Gardiner and the rail corridor and an extension of Legion Road, which is now in detailed design.

For owners here, that means construction nearby for several years, followed by better transit and more shops within walking distance. Ask the board whether any of the planned road work touches the complex. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and nearby food in more detail.

What these townhomes cost

There are two homes for sale right now, asking roughly $910,000 to $930,000. If both are the 1,665-square-foot plan, that is about $545 to $560 per square foot, well below the averages of roughly $760 to $860 per square foot at Humber Bay Shores towers such as Palace Place and Explorer at Waterview and well below a freehold house in south Etobicoke.

That discount reflects age, a smaller corporation and the stairs. It also reflects that you are buying a condominium, not land. For a family, though, the price per bedroom is hard to match anywhere near the lake.

With only 32 homes in the complex, it is normal to see just one or two listed at a time, and some months none at all. If you want one, set up a search alert and be ready to move when a home in good condition is listed.

With only 32 homes, sales are rare and comparables are thin. For recent sold prices, see the data panel or ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Townhomes at Mystic Pointe

There is no gym or party room; you are buying a home rather than an amenity package. What you do get is a garage, visitor parking for guests, security and the right to barbecue, which matters more to a family than a lobby.

Jatin’s honest take on The Townhomes at Mystic Pointe

The Townhomes at Mystic Pointe — 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.