C Condos, 503 Beecroft Rd: Empire’s 2008 Tower with Hydro in the Fee

C Condos at 503 Beecroft Road is the building I point to when a buyer tells me fees in North York are too high. On paper, the fee here looks expensive. Then you notice it includes hydro, heat, air conditioning and parking, and the maths changes. It is a 2008 Empire tower one block off Yonge, and I will show you how to judge it properly. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The fee that includes almost everything

This is what sets C Condos apart. Condos.ca lists the fee as covering common elements, heat, air conditioning, hydro, building insurance, parking and water. Hydro is the important one. Most buildings of this era and almost every new tower put electricity on your own meter, so in those buildings you pay the fee and then a separate monthly hydro bill on top.

When I checked, active listings showed fees around $1.21 per square foot. Against a newer Yonge Street tower at, say, $0.70 to $0.80 with hydro and parking extra, that looks steep. Add back a typical hydro bill, plus a parking charge if the other building has one, and the gap shrinks a great deal.

Here is the way I run it for clients. Take the fee on the suite you like, then take the fee on a comparable suite in a newer tower and add that building’s parking charge, a year of hydro divided by twelve, and a summer of air conditioning. Only then compare. Done that way, C Condos often comes out close to level, and sometimes ahead.

The catch with bulk hydro is that every owner shares the building’s electricity bill, so heavy users are subsidised by light ones, and a jump in utility rates shows up in the fee. Ask the manager whether the board has looked at sub-metering, because that conversation changes future fees.

An Empire tower one block off Yonge

C Condos was built by Empire Communities, which has since grown into one of the larger builders in the GTA. It is one of several towers that went up along Beecroft Road in the 2000s, as North York Centre filled in on both sides of Yonge.

Beecroft is the quieter road behind Yonge. You are one block from the shops, restaurants and offices on Yonge, but the building’s front door faces a local road rather than six lanes of traffic. The Continental, at 509 Beecroft, is the immediate neighbour, and the strip has several other towers of the same era.

I could not confirm the architect from a reliable source. If design pedigree matters to you, ask the property manager or check the original marketing material.

Layouts and who they suit

Suites run from about 538 sq ft to about 1,192 sq ft. That covers compact one-bedrooms, a good number of two-bedrooms in the 700 to 900 sq ft range, two-bedroom-plus-den plans, and some three-bedroom suites at the top of the range. For North York Centre, that is a family-friendly mix.

In a 21-storey building, height matters for value. Higher floors facing east over Yonge or south toward the North York Centre skyline usually command a premium, while lower suites facing the neighbouring towers can feel boxed in. Compare views as carefully as square footage.

Listings commonly include parking with the suite, and parking is in the fee. Confirm on the status certificate whether the parking space and any locker are owned and transfer with the unit.

Guest suites are a small amenity that matters more than people expect in a building like this. If your family visits from out of town, a bookable guest suite means a two-bedroom can do the job of a three-bedroom. Ask how far ahead residents book them and what the nightly charge is.

Living on Beecroft

Daily life here revolves around Yonge Street. Groceries, Korean and Persian restaurants, banks and services are all a short walk east, and the North York Centre civic district with Mel Lastman Square and the library is to the south. The panel beside this review shows the nearest subway station and the walk.

North York Centre keeps adding towers, and the blocks around Beecroft and Yonge continue to see new applications. If you are paying for a view, check the City of Toronto development applications map first, because the next tower on the strip can take it away.

What C Condos costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $706 per square foot. That sits below the newer towers on Yonge, which is what I would expect for a 2008 building with original-era finishes in many suites. Once you factor in the all-inclusive fee, the monthly cost of ownership is closer to those newer towers than the per-square-foot price suggests.

When I checked, seven suites were for sale and one for lease. Asking prices ranged from $448,000 to $748,000, depending on size, floor and condition. Monthly fees on those listings ran from about $710 to about $1,455.

One thing I watch in buildings of this age is the renovation premium. A suite with updated flooring, kitchen and bathrooms can ask well above an original-condition suite of the same size on the same floor, so judge each listing on what it would cost you to bring it up to the standard you want.

That is a wide spread for similar two-bedrooms, and it tells me condition and view drive price here. For what has actually sold, see my building sold report rather than relying on asking prices.

Building specifications

Amenities at C Condos

Condos.ca lists a concierge, guest suites, a media room, a party room and a meeting room, and REW adds a gym, pool and sauna. Confirm the pool is open and in good repair when you tour, because pools are costly for a 242-suite building to run and replace.

Jatin’s honest take on C Condos

C Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.