The Glen Condos, 580 Kingston Rd: A 42-Suite Boutique on the Ravine

The Glen Condos is the building on this stretch of Kingston Road that backs onto green space instead of a laneway. It is small, about ten years old, and offers more amenities than you would expect from 42 suites. The price per square foot is the highest of its immediate neighbours, and the ravine is most of the reason. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The ravine is the reason this building exists

580 Kingston Road sits on the north side of the road, and the back of the building looks over the ravine. Published coverage of a suite here describes the building as backing onto the Glen Davis Ravine, while other listing descriptions point to Glen Stewart Ravine and an off-leash dog park close by. The two ravines are generally described as one green corridor on either side of Kingston Road, and the building’s name is a fair clue to what it is selling.

That orientation is the single biggest factor in what any suite here is worth. A suite facing the ravine gets trees, quiet and morning or evening light, depending on the side. A suite facing Kingston Road gets traffic, buses and a view of the buildings opposite. Two suites of the same size can feel like different buildings.

Ask for the exact exposure of any suite before you book a showing, and if you can, visit both sides of the building. In a six-storey building, floor height matters less than which way you face.

Ravine-facing suites have their own small trade-offs. Trees mean less direct sun on lower floors in summer, more leaves on balconies in the fall and the occasional raccoon. None of that is a reason to walk away, but it is worth seeing the suite in the season you care most about.

Boutique scale with a full amenity package

Forty-two suites over six storeys is boutique by any measure. What is unusual is the amenity list: concierge, gym, guest suites, a party room, a meeting room and a business centre. Most buildings this size in the east end offer a party room and a garage and stop there.

The upside is a building that feels staffed and looked after. The downside is that the cost of a concierge and amenity spaces is shared among only 42 owners, which pushes fees up. That is the trade you are making here, and it is worth deciding up front whether you will use what you are paying for.

The building mixes townhouse-style suites with standard condominium units, according to published coverage of the building, and suites range from about 530 to 1,511 square feet. Some ground-level suites can be reached without an elevator, which appeals to buyers coming from a house or living with a dog.

Upper Beaches, and a corridor that is changing

Kingston Road is the southern boundary of what has been marketed since the early 2000s as the Upper Beaches; the city’s official name for the area is East End-Danforth. Being on the north side puts you uphill from the Beach, with the ravine trail as your walking route down toward Queen Street East and the lake.

Kingston Road itself is in transition. CBC has reported thousands of condo units proposed along the corridor, from the Beach east through Birch Cliff, and residents have pushed back on the height and density of some projects. More mid-rise buildings near here are likely over the next decade.

For an owner here, that cuts both ways. New buildings bring more shops and services to the street, and they also bring construction and more competing resale supply. A ravine-backed site is the one thing new buildings on the south side of the road cannot copy.

Ravine land in Toronto is also protected. The City regulates development and tree removal in ravine areas, so the green outlook behind this building is about as secure as a view gets in this city. That is a better long-term bet than a view across a parking lot that someone may one day build on.

Price per square foot, and what the fee buys

The building average sits around $913 per square foot. That is noticeably above North Beach Lofts across the street, at about $838, and the gap is roughly what I would expect for a building ten years newer with a concierge, a gym and a ravine behind it.

There is only one active listing as I write this, a two-bedroom in the 900 to 999 square foot band. Because it is a single listing, I am not quoting its asking price or fee here; with so few suites for sale, the TRREB data panel on this page is the better guide to what suites have actually traded for.

The fee includes common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance, water and parking. Hydro, cable and internet are on you. When you compare fees with a newer Kingston Road building that looks cheaper, add parking and heating and cooling back in before you decide which costs more.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Glen Condos

A concierge, gym and guest suites in a 42-suite building is a lot of service for very few owners. If you will use them, they replace a gym membership and make packages and visitors easy; if you will not, you are still paying for them every month.

Jatin’s honest take on The Glen Condos

The Glen Condos — 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.