Rivertowne, Frances Loring Ln: Riverside Townhomes From Don Mount Court

Rivertowne is the answer I give when someone wants a townhouse feel in Riverside but has a condo budget. It is 187 red-brick condominium townhomes on what used to be Don Mount Court, and it was designed so that you cannot tell the market homes from the rent-geared-to-income homes next door. That history is the most important thing to understand before you buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built on Don Mount Court, and designed to blend in

Don Mount Court was a public housing project from around 1968. Like many projects of that era, it turned its back on the street: mid-rise blocks on a self-contained site, with the ground given over to parking and leftover open space. The redevelopment replaced it with a traditional Toronto pattern of streets, squares and laneways.

The numbers matter. All 232 rent-geared-to-income homes were rebuilt on the 7.7-acre site, as stacked townhouses and a fully accessible four-storey apartment building, and 187 market condominium townhouses were added. That market half is Rivertowne. Former dead ends were planned to become through streets connecting to Dundas and Queen, and a new park was planned in a later phase.

The design intent was that the subsidized and market homes look the same. Kearns Mancini Architects, working in joint venture with Montgomery Sisam Architects, designed the community, and it won a Toronto Home Builder award for best low-rise project in 2007. Construction started in October 2004, and coverage at the time reported that all but one of the condo units had sold before the 2010 move-in.

The street names are a nice detail. Frances Loring and Florence Wyle were the Toronto sculptors who lived and worked together for decades, and the lanes here carry their names.

What you actually get: small townhomes on lanes

Condos.ca puts the suite range at about 648 to 1,239 square feet. That is modest for a townhouse, and many of the homes here are stacked, so you may have someone above or below you rather than owning a full slice from basement to roof. Check which format a specific suite is before you compare it with a freehold.

The published descriptions do not agree on the height. Condos.ca lists the complex as two floors in its building data, while its own overview describes three-storey townhomes. With stacked plans, both can be true depending on where you stand. Look at the floor plan and the stairs, especially if you are buying with a young child or planning to stay into retirement.

The construction is low-rise and brick-faced, with private terraces and small garden paths breaking up the blocks. Low-rise construction like this behaves differently from a concrete tower, so ask about sound between suites and how the roofs and terraces are maintained, since those are common-element costs here.

A mixed-income community, by design

Buyers ask me about this directly, so I will answer directly. Rivertowne sits beside Toronto Community Housing homes on the same streets, because that was the whole point of the project. If that matters to you, walk the streets at different times of day and decide for yourself; I would rather you know now than after closing.

What I can tell you is that the layout works in the condo’s favour. Homes face public streets and lanes rather than an inward courtyard, which is how most of the older housing in Riverdale and Leslieville was built. It reads as a neighbourhood rather than a project,, and it sits just east of the Don River.

This is also an area in the middle of change. The east side of the Don, from Queen up to Dundas, has seen steady new construction over the last decade, and more is coming. Treat the surrounding blocks as a work in progress rather than a finished picture.

Rivertowne against the alternatives nearby

Most of what you can buy within a few blocks falls into one of two groups: converted lofts and newer mid-rise condos along Queen and Dundas, or freehold row houses and semis on the side streets. Rivertowne sits in the gap between them, and that is its niche.

Against a loft or a mid-rise suite, you get a front door on a street or lane, a terrace instead of a balcony in many plans, and no elevator wait. You give up a concierge, a gym and the bundled heat that some towers include in the fee.

Against a freehold, you give up control. The corporation decides on exterior work, the garage and the common landscaping, and you pay your share whether or not you agree with the timing. In return you get a lower entry price and someone else organizing the roof replacement. For a lot of first-time buyers, that is a fair trade.

Pricing, fees and what is not included

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for Rivertowne, and there were no units for sale when I checked, with one unit offered for lease. The data panel on this page shows the recorded sales and leases, so use it rather than any single number I could quote.

What I can describe is the fee structure. Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as included. Heat is not on that list, and neither is hydro, which is normal for townhouse-format suites with their own systems. Budget for both separately when you compare Rivertowne with a high-rise where heat is bundled in.

The trade-off is the low-rise format. You avoid the cost of running concierge, elevators and a pool, which helps keep the fee down, but you still share the cost of roofs, brick, terraces and the underground garage among 187 owners. A smaller suite count than a tower means each big repair is split fewer ways.

Building specifications

Amenities at Rivertowne

There is no gym, pool or concierge here, and that is the point: the fee pays for the buildings and the garage, not a lobby. Barbecues are permitted, which matters with private terraces, and Beanfield Fibre is available if you work from home.

Jatin’s honest take on Rivertowne

Rivertowne — 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.