Willow Park at Bayview, 17 Ruddington Dr: A 75-Suite Downsizer Building

Willow Park at Bayview is the kind of building people move to when they sell the house down the street. It has 75 suites over nine storeys, plans that run past 1,500 square feet, and a quiet side-street address just off Bayview north of Finch. The fees are high per square foot and parking is not in them, so this is a building you buy for the space and the setting, not the carrying cost. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A boutique building in a neighbourhood of houses

Bayview Woods-Steeles is mostly detached houses, ravines and low-rise streets between Finch and Steeles. Willow Park is one of the few condominiums on this stretch of Bayview, and at nine storeys and 75 suites it is built at a scale that fits the street rather than towering over it.

Seventy-five suites over nine floors works out to roughly eight suites a floor. That means short hallways, a lobby where the concierge knows owners, and an annual meeting small enough that you will recognise most of the people in the room. For many downsizers, that sense of a small community is the main reason to buy here.

Condos.ca lists The Brown Group as the developer. I could not find a reliable published source naming the architect, so I am leaving that out rather than guessing.

Suites sized for people leaving a house

Condos.ca lists suites from about 642 to 1,508 square feet. There is very little here under 650 square feet, and the upper end is the size of a small bungalow’s main floor. Every suite currently for sale is a two-bedroom or a two-plus-den, which confirms who the building was designed for: downsizers and couples who need a guest room or a real office.

With larger suites, the layout matters more than the number. Check whether the bedrooms are split on opposite sides of the living area, how much of the space is hallway, how many full bathrooms you get, and how much kitchen storage there is compared with your current home. Two 1,000-square-foot plans can live very differently.

Large suites in a small building also mean a smaller resale pool. When you sell, you are waiting for the right downsizer rather than any first-time buyer, so plan for a longer selling window than a one-bedroom in a tower would need.

Parking is not in the fee

This is the detail that trips up comparisons. At most of the buildings I cover in North York, condos.ca lists parking as included in the maintenance fee. At Willow Park it is not on the list: the fee covers air conditioning, common elements, heat, building insurance and water.

That does not necessarily mean you pay extra each month. Parking may be owned as a separate unit with its own small fee and tax, or it may be handled differently. Ask how parking and any locker are held, whether they are deeded to the suite, and what each costs per month, before you compare this building’s fee with a neighbour’s.

Condos.ca also flags a pet restriction. I could not find the specific rule, so do not assume either way. If you have a dog or cat, read the declaration and rules in the status certificate before you make an offer firm.

What is changing on Bayview

This stretch of Bayview is starting to see new proposals. Across Ruddington Drive, at the northeast corner of Bayview and Ruddington, Novi Properties has proposed a 14-storey apartment building of about 220 units with three blocks of four-storey townhouses, according to UrbanToronto’s project database. It is listed as pre-construction.

If that project proceeds, expect a construction period across the street and a taller neighbour, which could affect east-facing views. Over time it would also bring more people and possibly more retail to a corner that is quiet today. Ask the manager whether the board has commented on the proposal, and check which way the suite you are considering faces.

Day to day, this is a car-friendly address with Bayview Avenue at the door. The data panel beside this review lists transit, walking and nearby shops and parks.

Prices and fees

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $672 per square foot. That is lower than the newer towers around Yonge and Sheppard, which is typical for a mid-rise with larger suites: bigger suites almost always sell for less per square foot than small ones.

Three suites were for sale when I checked, asking from $639,000 to $688,800. For a large suite in a boutique building on Bayview, that is a modest entry point compared with buying a house in the same neighbourhood, and it is the comparison most buyers here are actually making.

Fees on current listings average about $1.05 per square foot, roughly $900 to $1,050 a month. That is high, and it is driven by the cost of running a concierge and common areas across only 75 owners. Remember that parking is not listed in the fee, so add any parking and locker costs before comparing it with a tower where they are included.

Property tax is the other side of that comparison. A condo of this size usually carries a smaller tax bill than a detached house nearby, and there is no roof, driveway or snow to manage yourself. Get the current tax figure for the specific suite and add it to the fee and parking before you decide.

Building specifications

Amenities at Willow Park at Bayview

This is a lean package: a concierge, a party room, a meeting room and guest suites, with no pool or large gym listed. For downsizers that is often the right trade, because fewer amenities mean less equipment to maintain and replace over the life of a small building.

Jatin’s honest take on Willow Park at Bayview

Willow Park at Bayview — 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.