Leaside Park, 11 Thorncliffe Park Dr: A Rare Condo in a Rental Enclave

Leaside Park is one of the lowest-cost ways to own a full-sized suite this close to Leaside, and the reason is simple: it is in Thorncliffe Park, not Leaside, and it is 35 years old. For the right buyer that is a fair trade, especially with an Ontario Line station being built nearby. You just need to go in knowing exactly what the fee is paying for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An owned building in a neighbourhood of rentals

Thorncliffe Park was a racetrack until the early 1950s. After the last harness race in 1953, the land was annexed to the Town of Leaside and planned from 1954 as a self-contained community, with Overlea Boulevard as the commercial spine, industry to the north and housing to the south.

The housing that went up in the 1960s and early 1970s was almost entirely rental: about 30 mid- and high-rise apartment buildings, including the Leaside Towers. That history is why a 1991 condominium like this one stands out. It arrived a generation later, and it is one of the few buildings in the neighbourhood where you can buy rather than rent.

For an owner, that cuts both ways. You are in a building where most of your neighbours have a stake in the reserve fund and the rules, which tends to show in how common areas are kept. But comparable sales nearby are thin, so pricing a suite here takes more care than in a strip of similar condos.

The name, and the building it is often confused with

Despite the name, this is not in Leaside proper. Leaside sits on the other side of the Leaside Bridge, and Thorncliffe Park took the Leaside name only through its 1950s annexation. Many local streets still honour Leaside officials, and Leaside Park Drive itself was named in 1966.

There is also a separate building at 1 Leaside Park Drive, Leaside Park Terrace, which turns up in the same searches. It is a different corporation with different rules and finances. When you look at past sales or read a status certificate, make sure it is MTCC-956 at 11 Thorncliffe Park Drive.

None of this is a reason to avoid the building. It is a reason to compare it with Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park values, not with Bayview Avenue values, so your expectations and your offer are grounded.

Layouts and the all-inclusive fee

Condos.ca lists suites from about 601 to 1,269 square feet across 158 units, so the building leans toward real one- and two-bedroom plans rather than micro-units. A suite at the upper end of that range is the size of a small house on one floor.

The fee includes heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking, as well as common elements. That is about as complete as Toronto condo fees get, and it is why the monthly figure looks high next to a newer building. When I compare it fairly, I add an electricity bill, heating, cooling and a parking charge to the newer building before deciding which one is cheaper to live in.

The trade-off is that bundled hydro is usually billed on a shared meter. Owners who use little electricity subsidise those who use a lot, and older corporations sometimes decide to install suite meters. Ask whether the board has looked at that.

The Ontario Line, and the construction before it

The biggest change in the neighbourhood is the Ontario Line. Metrolinx is building an elevated Thorncliffe Park station at Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea Boulevard, with the line’s operations, maintenance and storage facility beside it. Utility relocation started in summer 2025, site clearing followed, and piling was underway at last report.

Metrolinx does not give an opening date on its station page, and the most recent public estimate I found is 2030. Until then, expect trucks, piling noise and road changes around the station site. Once it opens, the line will run to Line 5 Eglinton at Don Mills and south through downtown to Exhibition Place, which would change how this building connects to the rest of the city.

Day to day, East York Town Centre on Overlea covers groceries and errands, and the Don Valley trails are close. The data panel on this page shows the transit, schools and parks in detail.

The lowest price per square foot in the area, explained

Condos.ca shows an average of about $506 per square foot here, among the lowest figures for a condominium anywhere in the Leaside and East York area. Three things drive that: the 1991 age of the building, the Thorncliffe Park address, and the size of the suites, since larger suites almost always trade lower per square foot.

There was one active listing when I checked, which is not enough to quote a range. With 158 suites, a handful of listings a year is normal. My building sold report shows what has actually traded.

Remember that the fee covers almost every utility. When you set your budget, look at the fee plus property tax as your total monthly carrying cost, and compare that number, not the fee alone, against other buildings.

The other half of the pricing question is the future. Buyers here are partly paying for what the Ontario Line could do to Thorncliffe Park values once trains are running. I would not overpay today on that promise alone, but a well-kept suite bought at a fair price gives you that upside without depending on it.

Building specifications

Amenities at Leaside Park

The package is practical rather than flashy: a security guard, a sauna, a party room and a meeting room. For most owners here the guard and the visitor parking matter more than a fitness centre, and fewer amenities means less to maintain from the reserve fund.

Jatin’s honest take on Leaside Park

Leaside Park — 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.