Bamburgh Plaza, 1881 McNicoll Ave: Big Gated Condo Townhomes in Milliken

Bamburgh Plaza is where I send families who need 1,200 square feet or more and cannot stretch to a freehold house in north Scarborough. It is a 1996 low-rise condominium of 192 large suites inside a gated complex at McNicoll and Kennedy, with an indoor pool and security staff. You trade the freedom of a house for a lower price and someone else shovelling the snow. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Not the shopping plaza: what Bamburgh Plaza actually is

The name trips people up. Bamburgh Plaza at 1881 McNicoll is a residential condominium, not the Bamburgh Gardens shopping plaza on Steeles at Warden that blogTO has written about. If you search the name, make sure you are looking at the right place.

Condos.ca records it as a two-floor low-rise of 192 suites, while at least one listing describes the suites as three-storey row or townhouse-style homes in a gated complex. Those two descriptions are not necessarily in conflict, since many stacked and row condo units span more than one level, but confirm the layout of the specific suite you are looking at.

Its neighbour at 1883 McNicoll, Bamburgh Gate Manor North, is a 16-storey tower registered in 1999 under a separate corporation. Listings describe the complex as Tridel-built and both corporations are managed by Del Property Management, Tridel’s management arm, but condos.ca does not list a developer for either, so I would treat the Tridel attribution as likely rather than confirmed.

The size is the point

Suites here run from about 1,152 to 1,872 sq ft. That is house-sized for a condominium, and almost nothing built in Scarborough in the last decade offers suites this large at this price. For a family with two or three children, or a multi-generational household, that space is the reason to look.

The trade-off is that a 1996 suite of this size can carry a lot of dated finishes: kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and stairs if the suite is on more than one level. Walk through with a contractor’s eye and budget the update before you compare the price with a smaller renovated suite elsewhere.

If the suite is multi-level, think honestly about stairs. A layout that suits a young family may not suit a buyer planning to age in place, and that also affects who you can resell to later.

Large suites also change the resale picture. Your buyer pool is families moving up from a smaller condo or down from a house, not investors chasing rent per square foot. That pool is steadier in a slow market, but it is smaller, so expect a resale to take longer than a one-bedroom tower suite would.

Gated, with a pool, and the shared-facility question

Condos.ca lists an indoor pool, a sauna, a security guard and a security system, and listings describe a gated complex with an exercise room and a recreation centre. For a low-rise building, that is an unusually full package.

What I could not confirm is whether those facilities belong to this corporation alone or are shared with the tower next door. In many complexes like this, two corporations split the cost of a recreation centre and gatehouse under a shared facilities agreement. Ask for that agreement with the status certificate, because it decides how much of your fee goes to amenities and who controls the decisions.

Living at McNicoll and Kennedy

This is a quiet, established corner of north Scarborough, close to the Markham border. Shopping, restaurants and places of worship serving a large Chinese-Canadian community are all close by, and listings note a bus route south to Finch Station. The panel on this page shows transit and walking details.

The bigger nearby change is on the GO network. Metrolinx finished major upgrades at Milliken GO in 2023, including a new rail-over-road crossing at Steeles between Kennedy and Midland and a widening of Steeles to six lanes. The Stouffville Line is being upgraded toward two-way, all-day service, which would make this area much easier to commute from without a car.

Pacific Mall and the shopping along Steeles sit just to the north, and Highways 401 and 404 are within a reasonable drive, which listings for the complex point out. For a family that drives, this is a practical base: big suites, a gate, a pool, and errands that are short trips rather than expeditions.

What Bamburgh Plaza costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $380 per square foot. That is the lowest figure of any building I have reviewed in this part of Scarborough, and it is mostly a size effect: very large suites always sell for less per square foot. On a total-price basis, these suites compete with older freehold townhouses rather than with one-bedroom condos.

When I checked, one suite was listed for sale and none for lease. I do not quote a single listing, so use the sold data in the panel on this page, or ask me for a building sold report covering recent trades here.

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water in the fee. Heat and hydro are not on that list, so on a suite this large your own utility bills will be a meaningful monthly cost. Ask the seller for a year of bills before you judge the fee.

Compare total monthly cost, not just price. A large suite here with your own hydro and heating can still cost less each month than a smaller freehold townhouse with a mortgage, property tax, insurance and its own repairs. Run both numbers side by side before you decide.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bamburgh Plaza

A pool, sauna and gym behind a security gate gives a family the feel of a private community without the upkeep of a house. Find out who owns and pays for those facilities before you buy, because a shared recreation centre can drive future fee increases.

Jatin’s honest take on Bamburgh Plaza

Bamburgh Plaza — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.