Minto 88 Condos, 88 Sheppard Ave E: Water Garden Tower at Yonge

Minto 88 is the tower I suggest to buyers who want to be at Yonge and Sheppard but would rather not live on Yonge itself. It sits a short way east on Sheppard, was finished by Minto in 2015, and was designed around a private outdoor water garden rather than a busy podium. Most of what trades here is compact, so it is a first-purchase and investor building as much as a home. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built around a water garden

Minto marketed this tower as Ei8hty8 and pitched it as a quiet retreat a few steps from one of North York’s busiest intersections. The signature piece is an outdoor water garden with landscaped seating, planting and wood and stone platforms, as UrbanToronto described it when construction started. UrbanToronto’s project database lists o2 Planning and Design as landscape architect.

Rafael + Bigauskas Architects designed the 35-storey tower, and ESQAPE Design handled the interiors. Rafael + Bigauskas is a familiar name in North York; the firm also designed Menkes’ Gibson Square towers further up Yonge, and the tower sits comfortably among its neighbours rather than standing apart.

The practical effect of the water garden is that the ground plane feels calmer than many towers at this intersection. It is not a large park, but it gives residents somewhere outdoors to sit that is not a sidewalk on Sheppard.

Compact suites, and a suite count that differs by source

UrbanToronto reported suites from 595 to 968 sq ft at launch, while condos.ca now shows a range of roughly 375 to 1,485 sq ft. The difference likely reflects plans that were added, combined or recorded differently after launch, but I could not confirm the final mix. Sources also differ on the suite count: 355 at launch on UrbanToronto against 371 on condos.ca.

What is clear is that the building is weighted toward smaller suites. The current listings are studios and one-bedroom-plus-dens under 700 sq ft, which is typical for a 2015 tower this close to the subway interchange. If you need a real two-bedroom, expect to wait for one or look at older, larger-suite buildings nearby.

In a compact plan, the details decide whether the suite works: whether the den has a door and a window, whether the bedroom fits a queen bed with room to walk around it, and how much closet space there is. Ask for the floor plan before you book the showing.

Smaller suites also resell to a different buyer. The studio and one-bedroom market here is driven by first-time buyers and investors, so resale depends on interest rates and rents more than it does for a family-sized suite. Buy with a five-year view if you can.

The fee and what it leaves out

When I checked, active listings showed fees around $0.88 per square foot. The fee covers common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance and parking. Water is not on the condos.ca inclusion list, which is unusual for a building of this age, so ask whether water is sub-metered to each suite and what that typically costs.

Parking is shown as included, but not every compact suite in a tower like this comes with a space. Confirm whether the suite you are looking at has parking and a locker, because a studio without parking is a different investment from one with it.

Compare that with the newest towers around the interchange, where heating and cooling often run on a suite meter and parking is a separate monthly charge. Once you add those back, a fee near $0.88 that already includes heat, cooling and parking is more competitive than it first looks, even with water billed separately.

Hydro for your own suite is also not included. Beanfield Fibre is available in the building, which is useful if you work from home.

Living just east of Yonge

Being on Sheppard rather than Yonge is the point. You are a short walk from the Yonge and Sheppard interchange, the shops and restaurants along Yonge, and the office towers at the corner, but the building’s front door is on a less frantic street. The panel beside this review shows the nearest station and the walking time.

Day to day, that means groceries, banks, restaurants and the Yonge and Sheppard office and retail cluster are within walking distance, and the 401 is a short drive south and west for anyone who commutes by car. For a single professional or a couple without children, this is about as convenient as North York gets.

The flip side is that Sheppard East is still changing. More towers have gone up along this stretch since 2015 and new applications keep coming, so check the City of Toronto’s development applications map before buying a suite whose view depends on a low-rise neighbour staying put.

What Minto 88 Condos cost

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $893 per square foot. That is in line with other towers of this age around Yonge and Sheppard, and the compact suite mix pushes the per-square-foot number up, because smaller suites almost always carry a higher price per square foot than larger ones.

When I checked, three suites were for sale and four for lease. Asking prices ranged from about $427,000 to $529,000, and monthly fees on those listings ran from about $308 to $572. That is an accessible entry point for a 2015 tower at this intersection.

The for-lease count tells you investors are active here, which supports rental demand but also means you compete with investors when you buy. For what has actually closed, see my building sold report, and compare per square foot only between suites of similar size.

Building specifications

Amenities at Minto 88 Condos

The package covers what a compact-suite tower needs: a concierge, a gym and yoga studio, a wi-fi lounge, a party room, a guest suite and the water garden outside. There is no pool listed, so swimmers should look elsewhere.

Jatin’s honest take on Minto 88 Condos

Minto 88 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.