The Ambassadors III, 350 Alton Towers Cir: Big Suites Under $400/sq ft

The Ambassadors III is for the buyer who needs room and does not want to pay new-build prices for it. Every suite in this 1990 tower on Alton Towers Circle is roughly 990 square feet or larger, and condos.ca puts the building average under $400 a square foot. The trade is age, and a fee that carries a lot of building. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The last of three Ambassadors towers

350 Alton Towers Circle is the third of three Ambassadors buildings on the same street. The Ambassadors I at number 300 and The Ambassadors II at number 330 are also 20 storeys with 252 suites each, and all three were completed in 1989 and 1990, according to condos.ca.

They are separate condominium corporations, not one complex. The Ambassadors I is MTCC-829, II is MTCC-886 and this building is MTCC-904. Management is not uniform either: condos.ca lists Duka for I and III and FirstService Residential for II. That means three boards, three reserve funds and three sets of decisions, even though the towers look like siblings.

I could not confirm the original developer from public sources, and condos.ca leaves the field blank. If the builder matters to you, the declaration in the status certificate names the original declarant.

The practical upside of three near-identical towers is comparables. When you are judging whether a suite here is priced fairly, recent trades at 300 and 330 are close to a like-for-like check, which is more than most older buildings can offer.

No small suites, by design

The size range is what sets this building apart. Condos.ca lists suites from about 990 to 1,402 square feet, so there is nothing like the 500-square-foot one-bedroom that dominates newer towers. The smallest plan here is larger than many new two-bedroom suites.

That changes who buys. Families with children, parents living with adult kids and downsizers coming out of a house are the natural market, while investors chasing the cheapest entry point mostly look elsewhere. Buildings full of big, owner-occupied suites tend to be quieter and slower to turn over.

Large suites also explain the low price per square foot. That figure almost always falls as suites get bigger, so a $399 average here is not directly comparable with a building full of small one-bedrooms. Compare the total price and monthly cost for the size you actually need.

Expect layouts from 1990: enclosed kitchens, separate dining areas and more hallway than a modern open plan. Many buyers in buildings this age budget for a kitchen and flooring renovation, and that should be in your offer math from the start.

What the fee carries, and what it does not

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, water, parking, cable TV and building insurance in the fee. Hydro is not on the list, so plan for a separate electricity bill and ask the manager how suites are metered.

Heat and cooling in the fee are worth a lot in a suite of 1,000 square feet or more, and included parking removes a charge many newer buildings bill separately. The cost of that convenience is a fee that looks high per square foot next to a newer tower that meters everything, so compare total monthly cost, not the fee line alone.

Cable TV in the fee is a feature of buildings this age. Ask whether the bulk contract is still in place, what it costs the corporation and when it renews, because these contracts are sometimes renegotiated or dropped, and that changes the budget.

Alton Towers Circle in daily life

Alton Towers Circle is a loop street lined with condo towers from the same era: the three Ambassadors buildings, Optima on the Park I and II at 150 and 160, The Gatsby at 88 and Platinum East at 80, all completed between 1989 and 1991. It is one of the denser condo pockets in north Scarborough, and it feels like a residential enclave rather than a main street.

That means a quiet street, but most errands begin with a drive or a bus ride. The data panel on this page shows transit, shops, parks and schools nearby. Read it alongside a weekday visit at the time you would actually commute, because getting to work is the question that decides whether this location suits you.

The amenity package is suburban in the old sense. Condos.ca lists an outdoor pool, a sauna, a gym, a games room, a security guard and a parking garage. An outdoor pool is a summer-only amenity, but for families with children it is a real draw.

What The Ambassadors III costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $399 per square foot. On the same street it lists The Ambassadors I at about $421, The Ambassadors II at about $374, Platinum East at about $453, Optima on the Park II at about $454 and The Gatsby at about $535. This building sits in the lower half of the circle.

There were no suites listed for sale or for lease when I checked, so I cannot give you a current asking range. The data panel on this page shows aggregate sales and rents over the last twelve months; use those, along with recent trades at 300 and 330, as your guide.

When you compare, do it on carrying cost. Add the fee, property tax and a realistic hydro bill here, then set that against a newer building’s fee, parking charge, hydro and gas. With heat and parking included, older large-suite buildings often look much better on that test than on a fee-per-square-foot chart.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Ambassadors III

This is a family-scale package: an outdoor pool for summer, a sauna and gym for the rest of the year, and a games room. It is enough that you may not need a separate gym membership, but it is also more to maintain in a building of this age.

Jatin’s honest take on The Ambassadors III

The Ambassadors III — 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.