Bridletowne I, 3151 Bridletowne Cir: Big 1977 Suites, All-In Fee

Bridletowne I at 3151 Bridletowne Circle is one of the cheapest ways I know to buy real square footage in Toronto. The suites here run around 1,400 to 1,500 square feet, the fee covers almost every utility, and the price per square foot is a fraction of what new Scarborough towers ask. The trade-off is a 1977 building and a monthly fee that looks large on paper, and you need to understand both before you fall for the floor plan. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1970s tower built for families, not investors

The first thing you notice in the numbers is suite size. Condos.ca records a range of roughly 1,394 to 1,489 square feet across this building’s suites, which is house-sized by today’s standards. A new one-bedroom in Scarborough is often under 600 square feet; here, even a smaller plan gives you room for a proper dining table and separate bedrooms down a hallway.

That size is a product of when the building went up. In the 1970s, suburban towers like this were marketed to households moving out of houses or starting families, not to investors renting to students. The result is fewer, larger suites: 179 of them over 23 storeys.

The same thinking shows up in the amenity list. Condos.ca records an indoor pool, sauna, gym, meeting room and a tennis court, plus a parking garage and security system. That is a full recreation package for a building of this size, and it was standard for the era.

Bridletowne II, the near-twin tower at 3131 Bridletowne Circle, went up a year later as a separate corporation, YCC-400. The two are often listed together, but they are governed by different boards and have different finances, so compare them as two buildings.

Why the fee looks high and often isn’t

Current listings here all show a monthly fee of about $1,500. On a 1,400-square-foot suite, that works out to roughly $1.00 to $1.07 per square foot, which looks expensive next to a new building at $0.65.

The comparison needs adjusting. The fee at Bridletowne I covers hydro, heat, air conditioning, water, parking, building insurance and cable, according to condos.ca. In most newer buildings, hydro, cooling and often heat are on your own meter, parking is extra, and internet and TV are your own bill. Add those back to the cheaper building and the gap narrows.

The flip side is exposure. When the corporation pays for electricity and gas for 179 large suites, energy price increases flow straight into the budget, and owners who use little power subsidise those who use a lot. Ask the manager how utility costs have moved over the past few years and whether the board has looked at sub-metering.

Before you budget, also confirm what the cable inclusion actually covers today. Bulk TV contracts from older agreements do not always include internet.

Bridletowne Circle and the Finch-Warden crossroads

Bridletowne Circle is a ring road that loops around the Finch and Warden intersection, lined with apartment and condominium towers and townhouse complexes. At its centre is Bridlewood Mall, which opened in 1975 and was rebuilt in 1998 and 1999. Its grocery anchors today are Metro and Yours Food Mart, and the Toronto Public Library branch moved into a larger space in the mall in 2024.

For a resident, that means groceries, a pharmacy and a library inside an enclosed mall you can reach without crossing a major road at a highway pace. In January, that matters more than a Walk Score.

The City’s Finch Warden Revitalization Study, completed in 2010, treats Bridletowne Circle as a key pedestrian route and recommends more street trees along it. It also sets out a long-term vision for mixed-use buildings on Finch and Warden, with taller buildings at key sites and lower forms next to existing homes.

Transit and school details are in the data panel on this page. In practice, most residents here drive or use the Finch and Warden bus routes, and Highway 404 and the 401 are a short drive away.

What could change around you

Bridlewood Mall has been the subject of redevelopment plans for years. A 2008 rezoning application proposed condominiums on the north and south sides of the mall, and the City approved a redevelopment in 2010, but construction never started. In 2016, a separate 12-storey, 242-unit residential proposal was filed for a strip plaza at the southwest corner of the mall property, at 3268 Finch Avenue East.

None of that is under construction as far as I can find, so treat it as possibility rather than plan. If it does move ahead, expect construction disruption for some years, followed by more retail and more neighbours. For an owner in a 23-storey tower, the bigger question is views, so ask which way the suite you are looking at faces.

Pricing: square footage at a discount

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $303 per square foot. That is among the lowest figures I see for a Toronto high-rise, and well below what newer towers in Scarborough ask. On a per-square-foot basis, you are paying for the building’s age and its fee, not for a lack of space.

Current asking prices across four active listings run from about $349,800 to $549,999. That spread is wide for a building where suite sizes are so similar, which tells me condition and renovation are doing most of the pricing work. An original suite and a fully renovated one can be priced very differently on the same floor plan.

Run the monthly numbers together. A lower purchase price plus a fee of about $1,500 that covers hydro and cable can cost less each month than a smaller new suite with a lower fee and separate utility bills. Get a quote for your mortgage and compare the all-in figure, not the fee alone. For a building-level sold report, request one here.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bridletowne I

An indoor pool, sauna and tennis court give you a year-round recreation routine without a club membership, which is rare in new buildings at this price. The cost is upkeep: pools and courts in a building of this age need regular capital spending, so check how the reserve fund study treats them.

Jatin’s honest take on Bridletowne I

Bridletowne I — 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.