1666 Queen East Townhouses: A 1977 Condo Townhouse Complex at Kingston Rd

1666 Queen East is where I point buyers who want a real townhouse layout in the east end, with stairs, a front door and a patio, at a price that sits below most freehold houses nearby. It is a 34-home complex from 1977 near the fork of Queen and Kingston Road, and it is old enough that the corporation’s finances matter as much as the home you walk through. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1970s townhouse condo, not a condo building

The first thing to understand is the format. This is a condominium townhouse complex: individual multi-level homes, each with its own front door, sharing land, a parking garage and a set of common elements. Condos.ca records it as a single storey, which reflects how the database counts low-rise projects rather than how the homes are built. A recent listing described a multi-level home with bedrooms upstairs and a finished lower level.

Registered in September 1977, YCC-355 is one of the early generation of Toronto condo corporations. Townhouse condominiums from that era were often the first form of ownership housing aimed at families who could not stretch to a house, and many of them still serve that purpose.

I could not find a developer or architect on the public record. Condos.ca leaves the developer blank, and no UrbanToronto entry or news story covers the original build. That is normal for a complex of this age and size, and the declaration your lawyer reviews will name the original declarant.

How the homes are laid out

A recent listing described a renovated three-bedroom home over several levels, with a private entrance, a large patio at the door, central air, a finished basement and a loft-style bonus space above one bedroom. Treat that as an example, not a standard: after almost 50 years, owners have renovated in very different ways.

The same listing recorded an exterior of brick and aluminum siding, which is typical of the period. Who looks after windows, doors, roofs and siding is set by the declaration, and in townhouse condos the split between the corporation and the owner varies a lot. Ask before you assume the corporation will replace your windows.

Measure the rooms against your furniture. Older townhouse plans tend to have compact bedrooms, narrow stairs and a single main bathroom, so check the bathroom count on any listing carefully if you need more than one.

Parking, the garage and what the fee is paying for

Condos.ca lists a parking garage and visitor parking, and a recent listing recorded underground parking with one space and an owned locker. In a 1977 complex, an underground garage is one of the most expensive pieces of shared infrastructure. Membrane, drainage and concrete repairs to a garage are the kind of project that shapes the reserve fund for years.

Condos.ca does not publish a fee inclusion list for this corporation. In many townhouse complexes of this age, each home has its own furnace and hydro meter and the fee covers the common elements, building insurance and parking, but do not assume that here. Ask the seller for the status certificate and a year of utility bills so you can compare total monthly costs fairly.

Because condos.ca records barbecues as permitted, private patios are usable for summer cooking, which is not a given in a condo. Read the rules for any limits on fuel type or location.

Living at Queen and Kingston Road

The complex sits on Queen Street East near the point where Kingston Road splits off to the northeast. This is the western edge of the Beaches and the eastern end of Leslieville’s shopping strip, with Queen’s shops, cafes and pubs within walking distance and the lake a short trip south. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools, parks and food with distances.

The intersection is changing. In 2019, the Sud Group filed a proposal for a six-storey building of about 110 condominium suites, with retail at grade, at the northwest corner of Queen Street East and Kingston Road. It would partly keep the 1913 bank building on the corner. I could not confirm its current status, so check with the City before you buy if construction nearby would bother you.

Midrise infill like that is the likely pattern along this stretch of Queen over the next decade. For an owner here, it means more neighbours and more shops, and some construction noise along the way.

Pricing a townhouse condo against a semi

Condos.ca does not publish suite sizes or a building average price per square foot for this complex, and with 34 homes, sales are infrequent. One home was listed for sale at the time of writing, which is not enough to describe a price range. Use the 12-month sold figures in the data panel above rather than a single asking price.

The way I price homes here is against two benchmarks: other condo townhouses in Leslieville and the Beaches, and the freehold semis and row houses on nearby side streets. A condo townhouse should come in clearly below a freehold home of similar size, because you pay a monthly fee and share decisions about the roof over your head. In return, someone else handles snow, landscaping and, depending on the declaration, much of the exterior.

When you compare monthly costs, add your own heat and hydro to the fee if they are not included, and factor in property tax. For recent trades in this complex and nearby, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 1666 Queen East Townhouses

There is no gym, pool or concierge here, and that is the point. The shared costs go to the garage, the grounds and the homes themselves, and your private patio does the job an amenity floor would do in a tower.

Jatin’s honest take on 1666 Queen East Townhouses

1666 Queen East Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.