1329 Steeles Townhouses, Torresdale Ave: A 1978 Complex at the City’s Edge

1329 Steeles Townhouses sits right at the top of the city: 68 condominium townhouses from 1978 where Torresdale Avenue meets Steeles Avenue West, with Vaughan across the road. It is an older, modest complex, and the most important decision you will make here is which side of it you buy on. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two frontages, two different homes

The complex carries addresses on two streets: Torresdale Avenue and Steeles Avenue West. That split is the single biggest factor in how a suite here lives.

Steeles is a major arterial road and the boundary between Toronto and Vaughan. A home facing it will hear traffic and see more of it. Torresdale is a smaller residential street. Two suites with identical floor plans can feel very different depending on which way they face and how far they sit from the main road.

Visit at rush hour and again in the evening before you choose. Stand in the backyard or on the patio, not just the front step, and ask the seller which windows they keep closed in summer. It tells you more than the listing will.

Westminster-Branson, on the Toronto side of Steeles

The name and the labels can confuse buyers. The complex is called 1329 Steeles, but its addresses run from 1301 to 1327 Steeles Avenue West and 296 to 322 Torresdale Avenue. Search by the real street addresses, not the name, when you look for listings or past sales.

Condos.ca also describes the pocket with the name Lakeview Estates, which is commonly used for the Vaughan neighbourhood north of Steeles. This complex is in the City of Toronto, in the former City of North York, and its corporation is a York Condominium Corporation, YCC-440. That matters for property tax, municipal services and how the home is listed, so confirm it on the tax bill and the status certificate.

Westminster-Branson is the northernmost part of North York, running north from Finch Avenue to Steeles around Bathurst Street. Bathurst, Finch and Steeles are its main roads, and the TTC runs local and express bus service through the area.

The green space is the strongest feature. G. Ross Lord Park and the West Don Parklands are part of Toronto’s ravine system and give the neighbourhood long stretches of trail and open land. The parks panel beside this review shows what is closest to this address.

Other local fixtures include the Centennial branch of the Toronto Public Library, Esther Shiner Stadium behind Northview Heights Secondary School, and North York General Hospital’s ambulatory care centre. Across Steeles, Vaughan’s plazas extend the shopping options, though crossing a road this wide is a consideration on foot.

A 1978 corporation of 68 homes

At about 47 years old, this complex is likely into its second round of major exterior replacements. Roofs, windows, doors, fences and paving are the usual large items in a townhouse corporation, and with 68 suites the cost is shared, but not widely.

Ask what has been replaced since 1978 and when. Read the reserve fund study for big items scheduled in the next five years, and check whether the corporation has had to raise money from owners outside the regular fee. All of this is in the status certificate.

Kung Property Management is listed as the manager. Ask how long they have managed the complex, how often the board meets, and whether the annual meetings reach quorum.

I could not find public records of suite sizes, layouts, parking arrangements or fee inclusions for this complex, and I will not guess at them. Get floor plans and the registered square footage from the listing, and confirm which parking belongs to the suite and what is exclusive-use common element, such as a yard or driveway.

Remember too that a townhouse corporation usually splits responsibilities differently from an apartment building. The corporation typically handles the exterior and the grounds, while owners often look after the systems inside their own home, such as the furnace and water heater. The declaration sets out exactly where that line falls here.

Townhouse or tower on Torresdale?

Torresdale Avenue is better known for its apartment condominiums than its townhouses. Further south on the street, towers such as The Hemisphere at 133 Torresdale Avenue offer elevators, one-level living and shared amenities.

This complex is the other choice on the same street. You give up the elevator and the amenity floor, and gain your own front door, ground-level outdoor space and no shared corridors. For a family with young children or a dog, that trade often wins. For someone who wants to avoid stairs, the tower usually does.

Compare the two on total monthly cost, not just the fee. A townhouse owner who pays their own heat and hydro can end up in a different place from a tower owner whose fee covers more, even when the headline fees look similar.

How to read prices here

Nothing was listed for sale or for lease when I checked, so I cannot give a current asking range. The sales panel beside this review shows what has traded on the MLS over the past year.

Condos.ca lists no fee inclusions. Get the current fee and what it covers in writing. If each home has its own furnace and meters, add heat and hydro back before you compare this fee with an apartment building where utilities are included.

Within the complex, I would expect suites facing Torresdale to be priced differently from those facing Steeles, and condition to matter more than anything else after nearly five decades. When I value a suite here, I adjust for both. To compare a specific suite, book a call and I will pull the comparables.

Building specifications

Amenities at 1329 Steeles Townhouses

There is no gym, pool or party room on record, only visitor parking and permission for barbecues. For daily life, the real amenity is G. Ross Lord Park and the West Don ravine trails nearby.

Jatin’s honest take on 1329 Steeles Townhouses

1329 Steeles Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.