70 Old Sheppard Ave: A 49-Suite 1992 Low-Rise With Hydro in the Fee

70 Old Sheppard Avenue is the opposite of the towers around it: three storeys, 49 suites, and no lobby crowds or elevator waits. It came along in 1992, a generation after its neighbours, and it still includes hydro in the fee. Very few suites come up for sale, so when one does you need to know what you are looking at. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A small building in a street of towers, in quiet Pleasant View

Old Sheppard Avenue is lined with 1970s high-rises, including the 22-storey tower at 5 Old Sheppard Avenue. 70 Old Sheppard is a different product. Condos.ca records three storeys and 49 suites, built and registered in 1992 by Tascona Brenner Associates.

A building this small changes how it feels to live there. You will meet most of your neighbours within a year, you are rarely more than a flight of stairs from the front door, and the board is made up of people you will see in the hallway. That is a real plus if you want a quiet, settled building.

It also changes the economics. With only 49 suites sharing the cost of a roof, the windows, the corridors and the garage or parking area, every major repair weighs more heavily on each owner than it would in a 200-suite tower. A healthy reserve fund matters even more here than in a big building.

Pleasant View runs from Highway 404 east to Victoria Park, north of Sheppard. It is mostly houses, with a cluster of towers near Sheppard, and it has its own community centre, library branch and local parks, including Old Sheppard Park.

Fairview Mall and Don Mills station, the eastern end of Line 4 Sheppard, sit on the other side of Highway 404 to the west. Drivers have the 404 and 401 close by. The panel on this page shows the walking times and transit options from the front door. For many buyers, that mix of a quiet street and big-box shopping across the highway is exactly the appeal.

Suite sizes and what the records say

Condos.ca records suites from about 644 to 860 square feet, which points to one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts. A current listing, however, is marketed in the 900 to 999 square foot band. The two sources do not match, so ask for a floor plan or measure the suite you are considering rather than relying on either figure.

Either way, these are practical sizes for a single person, a couple or a small family. A 1992 building usually has more modern layouts than the 1970s towers nearby, with smaller rooms but more efficient kitchens and bathrooms. Expect condition to vary by suite, as some will have original finishes from the early 1990s.

A three-storey building may not have an elevator. Condos.ca does not list one, and I could not confirm it either way. If stairs are a concern for you or a family member, check this first, as it decides whether the building works for you at all.

Hydro, heat and cable in the fee, and parking to confirm

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, water, cable TV and building insurance as included. Hydro in the fee is unusual for a building from the 1990s, and it makes monthly costs easy to budget.

Parking is not on that list. That could mean parking is separately owned or charged, or simply that the record is incomplete. Ask the listing agent and check the status certificate for whether your suite comes with a space, whether it is owned or exclusive-use, and what it costs.

Amenities are limited to visitor parking, a security system and an enter-phone, according to Condos.ca. There is no gym, pool or party room listed, which is part of why the fee structure can stay simple.

What owning in a 49-suite corporation is like

In a small corporation, governance is personal. Five or so owners on the board make decisions that affect everyone, and a single owner who stops paying fees or a single insurance claim shows up in the budget quickly. That is not a reason to avoid the building. It is a reason to read the documents more closely than you would in a large tower.

Ask how the corporation handles its insurance deductible, how often the reserve fund study has been updated, and whether any large projects are planned. A 1992 building is now past 30 years old, which is when original roofs, windows and mechanical equipment typically come due. The reserve fund study will show which items have already been done and which are still ahead.

Small buildings also tend to have low turnover. Owners stay for years, which usually means a stable, well-kept building, but it also means fewer comparables when you buy and when you sell.

Pricing in a building that rarely trades

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $516 per square foot. That is above the nearby 1970s towers, such as 5 Old Sheppard Avenue at about $454 and Crossroads at 10 Muirhead Road at about $429, which makes sense for a newer, smaller building with hydro included.

Only one suite was for sale and one for rent when I checked, so there is no meaningful range of asking prices to quote, and I will not publish a single listing’s price or fee. With so few sales, every comparable matters. Use the panel’s sold figures as a starting point, then look at sales in similar low-rise buildings nearby.

If you want help pricing a suite here, I can pull the full sales history and compare it with nearby low-rise options. Book a call with me.

Building specifications

Amenities at 70 Old Sheppard Condos

There is very little to the amenity list, and that is the point: you are not paying to run a pool or a gym you may never use. Condos.ca also flags a pet restriction, so read the rules before you commit if you have an animal.

Jatin’s honest take on 70 Old Sheppard Condos

70 Old Sheppard Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.