The Excellence, 89 Skymark Dr: The Newest of Skymark’s Big-Suite Towers

The Excellence at 89 Skymark Drive is the youngest of the large-suite towers on this street, and that is its whole argument. You get the house-sized floor plans the Skymark buildings are known for, in a tower about two decades newer than its neighbours. The catch is that its fee covers less, so compare carefully. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Newer than its neighbours, built to the same idea

Skymark Drive is lined with towers that were sold on space, and The Excellence follows that template. Listing data puts suites between about 1,227 and 3,625 square feet, and the top of that range is larger than many townhouses.

What sets it apart from The Elegance at 65 Skymark (1982) and Classic at 85 Skymark is age. A 1999 building has had less time to wear, and its original systems are newer. It is not new, though: at more than 25 years old, it is now entering the period when major components start coming due.

The Skymark name in this part of North York goes back to Tridel’s first Skymark tower at Finch and Don Mills, completed in 1977, according to the Canadian Condominium Institute. I could not confirm who developed The Excellence, so treat any developer named in a listing as something to verify.

Read the fee list carefully

The Excellence’s fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not on the list, which is a real difference from its two older neighbours, where heat, hydro and air conditioning are bundled in.

That changes how you compare. Current listings here show fees of about $1,100 to $1,400 a month, noticeably lower than at Classic next door. But on a 1,300 to 2,000 square foot suite, your own hydro and heating bill can close much of that gap, especially in a cold winter or a hot summer.

Ask the seller for 12 months of hydro bills before you firm up. It is the simplest way to see the real carrying cost, and it also tells you how efficient the suite’s heating and cooling equipment is.

Space, layouts and the suite you actually buy

With 195 suites on 30 storeys, The Excellence averages about six or seven units per floor. That keeps corridors short and gives many suites more than one exposure.

All four active listings when I checked were two-bedroom-plus-den plans, which tells you something about the building’s core product: large two-bedrooms with a flexible third room. That den is often big enough to work as an office or a guest room, which is exactly what downsizers and remote workers tend to want.

Condition varies widely in buildings of this age and size. Some owners have renovated kitchens and bathrooms, others have kept original finishes. Price the renovation you would want into your offer, not the one the seller has already done, and remember that big suites mean big renovation budgets.

The 25-year mark, and why it matters

Buildings tend to hit their first big round of capital work somewhere between 20 and 40 years. The CCI profile of the original Skymark tower nearby shows what that list can look like: elevator refurbishment, garage waterproofing, new in-suite fan coils, a replacement emergency generator and an exterior coating with new window caulking.

I am not suggesting The Excellence has any of those problems. I am saying a 1999 building is at the age where a good board starts planning them, and you want to see that planning in writing. A recent reserve fund study that names these items and funds them is a strong sign. One that is thin or out of date is a reason to slow down.

The useful thing about Skymark Drive is that you have comparables right next door. The Elegance and Classic are older and under the same management company, so asking how they handled their own major projects gives you a preview of what The Excellence may face.

The street and the daily routine

Skymark Drive is a calm, landscaped enclave of towers just east of Don Mills Road. It suits people who want quiet and greenery more than a busy retail strip outside the lobby.

Daily errands here mostly mean a short drive, and the 404 and 401 are close. Transit, schools and shopping are in the data panel on this page, so check them against your own routine.

The street has a settled, residential feel, with mature grounds and long-established neighbouring towers. If you want shops and cafes under your window, look elsewhere; if you want a quiet base with a lot of room, this pocket delivers that.

What it costs, and how to read the numbers

The building average sits at about $564 per square foot. That is higher than its two older neighbours on Skymark Drive, which is what you would expect for a newer building, and still well below what new North York towers ask per foot.

There were four active listings when I checked, asking between roughly $765,000 and $1,239,900, with fees of about $1,100 to $1,400 a month. That range is wide because the suites vary so much in size and condition.

When you compare The Excellence with Classic or The Elegance, line up total monthly cost, not just the fee: the fee, plus hydro and heat you pay yourself here, against an all-in fee there. For recent trades in aggregate, use the sold report on this page.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Excellence

An indoor and an outdoor pool give you swimming in every season, and a staffed concierge desk means parcels are handled and the door is watched. Pools are costly to run and rebuild, so look for them by name in the reserve fund study.

Jatin’s honest take on The Excellence

The Excellence — frequently asked questions

Looking at the Junction, Corso Italia, Hillcrest Village and west-central Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.