The Southwood Condos, Kingston Rd: Two Mid-Rises, One Corporation

The Southwood is what I show buyers who want a newer building in the Upper Beach and find the big towers further west too impersonal. It is two six-storey brick buildings on opposite sides of Kingston Road, run as one corporation, with suites from studio-sized one-bedrooms to family-sized plans. It also sits near the top of the Kingston Road mid-rises on price per square foot, so the question is whether it earns that. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two buildings, one corporation, one intersection

This is not a single building. Streetcar built two six-storey mid-rises at Kingston Road and Southwood Drive: one on the south side, at the southeast corner of Southwood, and one on the north side a short distance west. During construction they were marketed as 663 and 646 Kingston Road. Condos.ca now lists them as 630 and 665-673 Kingston Road.

The two are registered together as TSCC-2635. That means one board, one budget and one reserve fund covering both structures. When you buy in one building, you are also paying your share of the other one’s roof, garage and mechanical systems, so read the reserve fund study for both.

The south-side building sits on the former site of the Dip ’n Sip coffee shop, a long-time local landmark. Longer-time Beach residents still mention it, and it is a useful reminder that this stretch was low-rise retail not long ago.

Brick, TACT Architecture and a nine-foot ceiling

TACT Architecture designed both buildings, with interiors by Seven Haus Design and landscaping by Corban and Goode. The north building uses charcoal brick on its Kingston Road face with a lighter material at the top floor. The south building is mostly light grey brick with dark bronze metal accents. They look related without looking identical.

At launch, Streetcar advertised nine-foot ceilings, gas stoves, quartz counters and a choice of engineered hardwood or laminate. Each suite was also marketed with its own heat recovery ventilator, which brings in fresh air while holding on to heat. That is a detail I like in a mid-rise, because it helps with stale corridors and window condensation.

Treat the launch spec as a starting point, not a guarantee. Owners renovate, and builders sometimes substitute finishes. Check the suite you are buying against the listing and the purchase agreement history where you can.

Suite mix and who lives here

Condos.ca lists suites from about 580 to 1,845 square feet. The launch range was one- to three-bedroom plans aimed at single professionals, active buyers and families, and the large end of the range is genuinely family-sized for a condo.

Sources do not agree on the count. Condos.ca shows 107 suites. UrbanToronto’s 2017 construction report counted 56 in the south building and 59 in the north, or 115 in total. Plans often change between launch and registration, so the declaration is the number to rely on.

Either way, at roughly 55 to 60 suites per building, each side feels small. You share an elevator with a few dozen households, and the corporation as a whole is large enough to spread costs without feeling like a tower.

I have not found a published source for how parking and lockers were allocated, and parking is not listed in the fee. Confirm on the status certificate whether the suite you want comes with a deeded or exclusive-use space.

Living at Kingston Road and Southwood Drive

Southwood Drive becomes Main Street north of Kingston Road, which is the direct route up toward the Danforth. South of Kingston, the streets drop toward Glen Stewart Park and its ravine, which runs down toward Queen Street East. That ravine is one of the best reasons to live in this pocket.

Kingston Road itself is busy, with buses, a streetcar line and through traffic. Suites facing the road get the noise; suites at the back of the north building face a tree-lined laneway. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and Walk Score.

This corner is part of a wider mid-rise shift along Kingston Road. Cafés and restaurants have been filling in, and more six-to-eight-storey projects keep coming, which means more construction and more resale competition in the years ahead.

The premium on Kingston Road

The building average sits around $937 per square foot. That is noticeably above older buildings nearby, such as 61 Main Street at about $682 and North Beach Lofts at 601 Kingston Road at about $838, and above Beech House further east at about $809.

Part of that premium is age and design, and part is suite mix. Smaller suites tend to trade higher per square foot, and this building has more of them than Beech House. Compare like with like before deciding the premium is too much.

There is only one active listing as I write this, so I will not quote an asking range. With roughly 107 suites, the TRREB panel on this page will show only a modest number of sales and leases in any year. Use those medians as a guide and look at sales of similar suites when you price a specific unit.

The fee includes common elements, heat, building insurance and water. Hydro is on you, and parking is not listed as included, so add both when you compare this with an older building that bundles more into its fee.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Southwood Condos

The amenity list is light: a guest suite, a party room, visitor parking and BBQs. There is no gym or concierge listed, which keeps the fee focused on the buildings themselves; the ravine and the Beach are the amenity.

Jatin’s honest take on The Southwood Condos

The Southwood 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.