Hillside Ravines, 38 William Carson Cres: All-Inclusive Low-Rise by a Ravine

Hillside Ravines is the building I think of when a buyer says they want a condo that feels like it is not in the city. It is eight storeys tall, sits on a private crescent with a ravine behind it, and its fee covers almost every bill you would otherwise pay. You give up a busy street address and gain quiet. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Part of a three-building community

William Carson Crescent is a small private enclave between York Mills Road and Highway 401, just east of Yonge. It holds several condominium buildings marketed under the Hillside name: Hillside at York Mills at 18 William Carson, Hillside at York Mills II at 28, and Hillside Ravines at 38.

Each is its own corporation. Hillside Ravines is TSCC-1758, registered on 5 April 2006, with 162 suites over eight storeys. Condos.ca lists Crossbridge Condominium Services as the manager. Listing descriptions I reviewed describe the community as gated, which is rare for a North York condo and part of why it feels so quiet.

Because the buildings share a crescent and look alike, check which address a listing is in. The fees, rules and reserve funds belong to each building separately.

Low-rise, with the ravine as the view

Eight storeys is a different experience from a tower. Elevator waits are short, you get to know your neighbours, and the building sits closer to the tree line than the towers around Yonge. As the name suggests, there is ravine land beside the building, and listing descriptions for east-facing suites talk about looking over trees rather than other buildings.

The trade-off is that a low-rise has no skyline views and fewer suites to share the costs. With 162 suites, every major repair is shared among fewer owners than in a 300-suite tower, so the reserve fund matters even more.

Suites for downsizers

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at about 707 to 1,911 square feet. There are no small studios here, and the top end is a full two-bedroom-plus-den. Listing descriptions mention suites with two parking spaces, which is uncommon and worth asking about.

This is the kind of suite mix that appeals to owners selling houses in York Mills, Hoggs Hollow and Bayview, who want to stay in the area without stairs or a garden. I could not find the developer, architect or ceiling heights in any source I checked, so ask for the floor plan and for the declarant’s name on the status certificate.

What an all-inclusive fee means here

Condos.ca lists heat, hydro, air conditioning and water in the fee, along with parking and building insurance. For an owner, that means one monthly payment for almost everything except property tax, phone and internet, and contents insurance for the suite.

That simplicity suits the buyers this building attracts. Downsizers on a fixed income can budget with confidence, and owners who travel for part of the year do not have to manage utility accounts from abroad.

The cost side is that every owner shares the building’s energy bill, so rising utility rates show up in the fee for everyone. Ask how much of the annual budget goes to utilities, how that line has changed over the last few years, and whether the board has looked at ways to reduce it.

Near Yonge and York Mills, but not on it

The crescent is just east of Yonge, close to York Mills Road and Highway 401. That gives you quick access to the highway and to the shops and services along Yonge, but from a street with very little through traffic.

Highway 401 is close, and some suites will hear it more than others. Visit at rush hour and listen with the balcony door open. The data panel on this page shows the walk to York Mills station, the parks and the restaurants nearby.

Price per square foot, and an all-inclusive fee

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $762 per square foot. That is a premium over older North York buildings and reflects the setting, the low-rise format and the larger suites.

The fee is one of the most complete you will find. Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water, so you have almost no separate utility bills. When you compare it with a building that only covers common elements, add realistic hydro and heating costs to the other building’s fee first.

Only one suite was listed for sale when I checked, so there is no asking range to quote. Suites here do not come up often, and the sales history in the data panel is the best guide to value.

For context, condos.ca puts St. Gabriel Village near Bayview and Sheppard at about $805 per square foot and Claridges on Rean Drive at about $636. Hillside Ravines sits between them, which seems right for a 2006 low-rise with larger suites, a ravine setting and nearly every utility in the fee.

Building specifications

Amenities at Hillside Ravines

Condos.ca lists a concierge, party room, meeting room, guest suites and visitor parking, and listing descriptions mention a gym and an indoor pool. Confirm which facilities are in this building and which, if any, are shared with the other Hillside buildings on the crescent.

Jatin’s honest take on Hillside Ravines

Hillside Ravines — 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.