68 Black Hawkway Townhouses: 1977 Split-Level Homes Near G. Ross Lord Park

68 Black Hawkway Townhouses is one of several condominium townhouse communities on the cluster of Hawk Way streets in northern North York, and the first job for any buyer is making sure which one they are looking at. This one is 54 homes from 1977 under YCC-311, with the split-level layouts and backyards that make older townhouses here feel more like small houses than condos. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Several corporations, one set of streets

Black Hawk Way and its side streets are home to more than one condominium corporation. Condos.ca lists this complex at 63 to 81 Black Hawk Way plus parts of Sea Hawk Way, Dove Hawk Way and Kite Hawk Way. It separately lists a 25 Black Hawkway Townhouses complex at 1 to 49 Black Hawk Way, and a 145 Black Hawk Way complex that includes 87 to 145 Black Hawk Way, Duck Hawk Way and other numbers on Dove Hawk Way.

That means two homes a few doors apart can belong to different corporations, with different fees, different reserve funds and different rules. Dove Hawk Way is a good example: some of its numbers are in this complex and others are in another.

Before you use any sale as a comparable, or fall for a listing, confirm it is in YCC-311. The status certificate and the legal description on the listing should both name that corporation.

The street names add one more wrinkle. Condos.ca writes them both as single words, such as Black Hawkway and Sea Hawkway, and as two words, such as Black Hawk Way and Sea Hawk Way, and listings use either. Search every spelling when you set up an alert or look for past sales, or you will miss part of the inventory.

Split levels, cathedral ceilings and yards

A recent listing on Black Hawk Way, within this complex’s address range, gives a sense of the housing. It described a corner townhouse of two and a half storeys with a split main level, a living room with a cathedral ceiling, a wood-burning fireplace, and large windows on three sides.

The same listing described a dining room overlooking the living room, a winding staircase, hardwood and tile floors, gas forced-air heating and central air. That split-level, open-to-above design is typical of townhouses from the late 1970s, and it gives these homes more volume than their footprint suggests.

It also described a garage plus a surface parking space, and planted front and back yards. Private yards of your own are one of the main reasons buyers choose a complex like this over an apartment building.

Corner and end units get more light and windows than interior units, so do not assume every suite matches. After nearly 50 years, condition also varies widely. Get the floor plan and registered square footage for the specific suite.

Where it is, and where it is not

The condos.ca overview text describes this complex as being in Vaughan, near Finch. Its own record places it in Westminster-Branson in North York, in the City of Toronto, close to Steeles Avenue West. Confirm the municipality on the tax bill, because it affects property tax and services.

Westminster-Branson is the northernmost part of North York, running up to Steeles around Bathurst Street. G. Ross Lord Park and the West Don Parklands, both part of Toronto’s ravine system, are the neighbourhood’s green core, and a recent listing in the complex described the park as a short walk away. The parks and transit panels beside this review give the details for this address.

The neighbourhood also has the Centennial branch of the Toronto Public Library and Esther Shiner Stadium. Steeles Avenue is a busy arterial road, so suites closest to it will hear more traffic than those tucked deeper into the Hawk streets.

A 1977 corporation: what to check

At close to 50 years old, this complex is likely into its second cycle of major exterior work. Roofs, windows, doors, garage doors, fences and paving are the usual big items, and with 54 suites each owner carries a real share of the bill.

Read the reserve fund study for what has been replaced and what is coming due in the next five years. Percel Property Management is listed as the manager; ask how long they have run the complex, how often the board meets, and whether recent annual meetings reached quorum.

A wood-burning fireplace is a lovely feature, but it is also an inspection and insurance question. Ask when the chimney was last inspected and whether the corporation or the owner is responsible for it under the declaration. The same goes for the furnace, water heater and air conditioner: in many townhouse corporations those belong to the owner, so ask their age before you firm up an offer.

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 in this corporation.

Be careful with averages for the Hawk streets as a whole. Because several corporations share these streets, a sale next door may not be in YCC-311 and may carry a very different fee. Use sales within this corporation first, then adjust with nearby complexes of similar age.

Condos.ca lists no fee inclusions. Get the current fee and its inclusions in writing, and add your own heat and hydro if, as the recent listing suggests, each home has its own furnace. To compare a specific suite, book a call and I will pull the comparables.

Building specifications

Amenities at 68 Black Hawkway Townhouses

There is no gym, pool or party room on record, only visitor parking and permission for barbecues. Here, your own yard, garage and the ravine trails of G. Ross Lord Park do the work an amenity floor does in a tower.

Jatin’s honest take on 68 Black Hawkway Townhouses

68 Black Hawkway 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.