Upper Beach Townes, 2320 Gerrard St E: 32 Infill Townhomes Near Main St

Upper Beach Townes is what I show buyers who want the space of a small house in the Upper Beach without taking on a 100-year-old semi. It is a 2014 infill development of 32 townhome-style suites on Gerrard Street East, with suites of roughly 877 to 1,189 square feet and parking included in the fee. It is small, unflashy and practical, and that is the point. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Solotex infill project, not a tower

This is a townhome development on a Gerrard Street East lot, east of Main Street, rather than a conventional condo building. Condos.ca lists it as a low-rise condominium with 32 suites and credits the build to Solotex. There is no lobby, no elevator bank and no long hallways, which is exactly what draws people who are moving out of a downtown tower.

Solotex Group describes itself as an infill builder that buys and rezones land in established Toronto neighbourhoods, with an office on Bathurst Street in North York. Its own builder profile names Upper Beach Townes and a sister project, Upper Beach Manors, as past developments, and The Vic Towns as a current one. That is a small-developer track record, so I would not expect a national builder’s warranty department behind it. I would expect the condominium documents to matter more.

The name and the low-rise listing point to a townhouse format, but whether suites are row townhomes or stacked townhomes is not something condos.ca makes clear. I could not find published floor plans or a confirmed storey count, so ask for the plan of the exact suite and walk every level before you assume how it lives.

Suites sized for families, not investors

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at about 877 to 1,189 square feet. That is a tight range, which tells me the development is built around a few repeated two- and three-bedroom style plans rather than a long list of studios and one-bedrooms. The current listing at the time of writing is a two-bedroom in the 800 to 899 square foot band.

For a family coming from a one-bedroom condo, that size band is a real step up. For a downsizer coming from a house, it is a manageable footprint with the same street-level feel. What you give up compared with a semi is a private backyard of any size and a basement you can finish, so check exactly what outdoor space the suite has and whether it is owned, exclusive-use or common.

With townhome formats, stairs are the daily reality. Count them. If you are planning to stay into later life, or you have a stroller and groceries every day, a plan with the main living level close to grade makes a bigger difference than any finish.

Parking in the fee, and a short list of amenities

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance and parking as included in the fee. On Gerrard Street East, where street parking is limited and many older houses have only a laneway pad or nothing, having a space bundled into the fee is worth real money. Confirm which space belongs to the suite and whether it is owned or exclusive-use.

Heat, hydro and water are not listed as included, so in a townhome format you should expect to pay your own utilities. Ask the seller for twelve months of actual bills. In a two-level suite, heating and cooling costs are the number that varies most from one unit to the next.

The amenity list is short: visitor parking, bike storage and permission to barbecue. There is no gym, pool or concierge to pay for, which is part of why townhome condominiums like this can carry modest fees. If you want a party room and a gym downstairs, this is the wrong product.

Gerrard East and the Main Street plan

The development sits on Gerrard Street East between Main Street and Victoria Park, in the Upper Beach. The blocks around it are mostly older houses, low-rise infill and small apartment buildings. Upper Beaches Residences, a four-storey 2010 development at 2234 to 2260 Gerrard Street East, is the nearest similar condominium to the west.

North-west of here, the City’s Main Street Planning Study covers the area bounded by Main Street, Danforth Avenue, Dawes Road and Gerrard Street East. Beach Metro Community News reported that Council approved the study in early 2020, keeping the Main and Gerrard end to low-rise and mid-rise buildings while allowing slender towers further north near Dawes Road, with proposals there running into the 20s, 30s and 40s in storeys.

For an owner here, that is a mixed picture. More residents and new retail near the Main Street transit hub should improve services over time, and the policy keeps the blocks nearest Gerrard low. It also means years of construction activity to the north, and new family-sized condo supply: Beach Metro reported a requirement for at least 25 per cent two-bedroom and 10 per cent three-bedroom units in new projects there. Transit, schools and parks are covered in the panel on this page.

Townhome space at a condo price per square foot

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $738 per square foot. That is below what most newer east-end condo apartments trade at, and well below a renovated Upper Beach house on a per-square-foot basis. The discount reflects the format, the absence of amenities and the location on Gerrard rather than south of Queen.

There was one active listing when I prepared this page, so I am not quoting an asking price; a single listing is not a market. With 32 suites and a narrow range of plans, resales here are infrequent and fairly comparable to each other, which helps. The data panel on this page shows the twelve-month sold and leased medians.

When you compare monthly costs, add your own utilities back in. Parking and insurance are covered, but heat, hydro and water are not listed. For recent trades in the building, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Upper Beach Townes

This is a townhome development, so the amenity package is deliberately minimal: somewhere for guests to park, somewhere to lock a bike and permission to barbecue. You are paying for space and parking, not for shared facilities.

Jatin’s honest take on Upper Beach Townes

Upper Beach Townes — 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.