Volta Lofts, 588 Annette St: 19 Big Suites on a Former TTC Substation Site

Volta Lofts is for buyers who have outgrown a one-bedroom but are not ready for a house. It is a 19-suite, five-storey building on Annette Street, built in 2014 on the site of an old TTC substation, where even the smallest suite is over 1,000 square feet and many come with big terraces. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Named for a battery, built on a substation

The name is a nod to Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery, because the building sits on the former site of the TTC’s Beresford Substation. The developer planned to display artifacts from the substation in the lobby, a small detail that gives the building a sense of place most new low-rises lack.

The design reads as two buildings in one. The ground floor, with space for two shops, was finished in materials that fit Annette Street’s red-brick character, while the residential floors above take a cleaner, Bauhaus-influenced approach with limestone, heritage brick and tall glass along the terraces.

One building, one elevator and 19 owners. That scale is the point, and it is also the main thing to understand before you buy. Small corporations share every repair among very few people, so the reserve fund study and the board minutes carry more weight here than in a large tower.

Big suites, terraces and the second bedroom question

Suite sizes run from roughly 1,007 to 1,612 square feet in the current records. Launch marketing in 2011 to 2013 quoted a smaller range, about 812 to 1,313 square feet, so the finished sizes appear to differ from the original plans or include combined suites. Rely on the floor plan for the specific suite, not the brochure.

Plans at launch were one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom-plus-den layouts with nine-foot ceilings, walk-in closets, kitchen islands and generous terraces, some with a private terrace off the primary bedroom. Those terraces are the feature I see buyers pay for.

The weakness, noted in early reviews of the floor plans, is light in the secondary rooms. In several two-bedroom plans only the primary bedroom had a window, and the second bedroom or den sat in an interior corner behind a sliding door. Check this suite by suite. A windowless room sold as a den is not the same as a bedroom, for daily life or for resale.

Finishes were marketed as customisable, with kitchen packages buyers could adjust, so do not assume two suites of the same plan look alike inside. Early reviews also thought the kitchens looked small for the price point, which is worth judging in person against how you actually cook.

Solar on the roof, and a fee without amenities

Volta was marketed with a rooftop solar panel system and home automation features, which were forward-looking for a small 2014 building. Ask the corporation what the solar system produces today, who maintains it and how it is reflected in the reserve fund, because an aging system is an asset only if someone is budgeting for it.

There are no shared amenities: no gym, party room or concierge. The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water, which keeps it focused on the building rather than on rooms you might never use. Heat and hydro are not on the included list.

Annette Street’s small-town feel

Annette Street between the Junction and Bloor West Village has a quieter, neighbourly character that I think is underrated. It has independent food shops, cafés and everyday services within a few blocks, without the weekend crowds of Bloor West or the bar scene of Dundas West.

From here, High Park, Bloor West Village and the Junction are all within reach, and the surrounding streets are mostly detached and semi-detached homes. That is part of the appeal and part of the price comparison, since some buyers looking at Volta are also looking at houses a few blocks north. Transit and school details are in the data panel.

The two retail units at grade are part of the building’s contribution to the street. Ask what businesses occupy them now and whether the declaration limits what kind of tenant can operate there, since noise, smells and hours of a ground-floor business affect the suites above.

What Volta Lofts costs

Volta has averaged about $868 per square foot recently. For a 2014 boutique building with suites over 1,000 square feet and large terraces, that is a fair number, and it sits below many of the hard lofts and newer mid-rises in the Junction and Bloor West Village.

Large suites mean large total prices, which narrows the buyer pool. That is why some suites take longer to sell than a typical one-bedroom, and it is also why a buyer with patience can sometimes negotiate.

The useful comparison is not other condos but houses on the nearby side streets. Early coverage of the launch made exactly that point: at Volta’s price you could look at a house a few blocks north. The answer comes down to whether you want a yard and a roof to maintain, or a terrace and a fee.

There were no active listings at my last check, which is normal for a 19-suite building. For an aggregate view of what has traded, see the data panel or my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Volta Lofts

Volta has no shared amenity rooms, so the fee goes to the building itself. Your amenities are private: a large suite, often a terrace, parking in the garage and the shops of Annette Street outside the front door.

Jatin’s honest take on Volta Lofts

Volta Lofts — 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.