Forest Vista, 61 Town Centre Court: Tridel Pool Tower at Scarborough Centre

Forest Vista is the Scarborough Town Centre building I show buyers who want a pool and an all-inclusive fee more than they want a new lobby. It is a 2002 Tridel tower with 316 suites, an indoor pool, saunas, a theatre and a billiard room, and almost every utility is folded into the fee. That makes the fee look high, so this review explains what you are actually paying for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Tridel tower with a full early-2000s amenity floor

Forest Vista was built by Tridel and designed by Burka Varacalli Architects. Condos.ca and Condo Investments list it at 25 storeys and about 81 metres. DelSuites, which is part of the Tridel group and runs furnished rentals in the building, describes it as a 21-storey tower. I cannot settle the difference from published sources, so count the floors on the elevator panel when you visit.

The amenities are the draw. There is an indoor pool and whirlpool, a fitness centre with an aerobics room, change rooms with saunas, a games room with ping pong, a billiard room and a theatre room, plus 24-hour security and a concierge. Newer towers around the Town Centre often have a gym and a party room and stop there.

That package costs money to run and eventually to replace. Pools in particular are expensive, and that is part of what the fee and reserve fund are carrying.

The widest suite range in the area

Suites run from about 529 sq ft to about 2,139 sq ft. That top end is unusual. A 2,000 sq ft condo near Scarborough Town Centre is effectively a house on one floor, and buyers downsizing from a detached home have few alternatives at that size anywhere nearby.

Most of the stock sits in the one- and two-bedroom range, and recent listings cluster in the 700 to 900 sq ft bands. Suites come with in-suite laundry, and some have balconies. Ceiling heights and exact plan names are not well published, so ask for the floor plan of the suite you are considering.

The large suites deserve a closer look than they usually get. A 1,500 to 2,100 sq ft suite in a building with a pool, concierge and all utilities in the fee is a real alternative to a bungalow for someone who wants to stop shovelling snow but keep their furniture. These suites come up rarely, so if that is your plan, tell me early and I will watch for them.

At the smaller end, the 529 sq ft suites are the building’s entry point and the ones most likely to be rented. They carry a fee per square foot similar to the rest of the building, which makes them less attractive to investors than you might expect.

Furnished rentals in the building

DelSuites offers furnished one- and two-bedroom suites at Forest Vista, aimed at corporate and short-term stays. That means some suites are operated as furnished rentals, and you will see people coming and going with luggage more than in a purely owner-occupied building.

For an owner-occupier, that is worth knowing rather than worrying about. It does suggest steady rental demand near the Town Centre. If the mix of owners and tenants matters to you, check the panel on this page and ask about the rental rules on the status certificate.

Living at Scarborough Town Centre while the subway is built

The building is steps from Scarborough Town Centre, with the Cineplex, the civic centre district and the mall’s shops and grocery options at the door. Highway 401 is a short drive. This is the most urban location in Scarborough.

Transit is in transition. Line 3 Scarborough RT, which served the Town Centre, has been decommissioned, and buses carry riders to Kennedy Station for now. The Line 2 extension will include a Scarborough Centre station, with opening expected around 2029 to 2030. Expect construction disruption until then, and a meaningful upgrade after. The panel shows today’s transit options.

The other change is the Town Centre itself. The district around the mall has been filling in with new towers for years, and the subway station will speed that up. For an older building like Forest Vista, that means more competition from new suites, but also a stronger, busier neighbourhood around it once the station is open.

Price per square foot, and the real cost of that fee

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $517 per square foot. At the time I checked, three suites were listed for sale, asking from $399,900 to $485,000, with fees on those listings from about $881 to $1,064 a month.

That works out to about $1.23 per square foot in fees, which is high on paper. But the fee here covers heat, hydro, air conditioning, water and parking, all of which you would pay separately in most newer buildings. Subtract a realistic monthly hydro and heating bill and a parking charge from that fee before you compare it with a tower at $0.65 a square foot.

Even after that adjustment, Forest Vista is not a low-fee building. The pool and amenity floor are part of the cost. Buyers who will use them get value; buyers who will not should look at a simpler building nearby. My building sold report shows what has actually traded here.

Building specifications

Amenities at Forest Vista

This is a building where you can swim, use a sauna, work out and watch a film without leaving home, which is rare near Scarborough Town Centre. The catch is that every one of those rooms is on the reserve fund’s long-term list. For a buyer who already pays for a gym membership and swims elsewhere, folding both into the fee can offset a good part of the difference against a cheaper building.

Jatin’s honest take on Forest Vista

Forest Vista — 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.