Stonedale Placeway Townhomes: 1986 Family Towns Near York Mills and Leslie

Stonedale Placeway is the kind of complex buyers drive past without knowing it is there: a 1986 condo townhouse enclave set back from York Mills Road near Leslie, with homes in the 1,800 to 2,000 sq ft range, built-in garages and finished basements. For families who want a house-sized plan in Banbury-Don Mills without a freehold price, it deserves a look. At forty years old, though, the corporation’s finances matter as much as the house. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A townhouse enclave set back from the arterials

The defining feature of Stonedale Placeway is where it sits. The homes are on a private lane rather than fronting York Mills Road or Leslie Street, and a recent listing made a point of the end-of-complex setting with no street or bus noise. In a part of North York shaped by wide, fast arterials, that matters more than it sounds.

This is a condominium, not a co-op or social housing complex: homes trade on the open market through MLS as condo townhouses, each with its own monthly maintenance fee, and the complex is managed by Maple Ridge Community Management. That distinction matters in this part of the city, where several townhouse complexes with similar-looking addresses are rental or co-operative housing.

You get the feel of a small street of row houses with shared ownership of the grounds. The corporation handles the common areas, and you get your own front door and garage. Because the homes face inward onto the lane, children can play outside with far less traffic than on the surrounding roads, which is one reason families tend to stay in complexes like this for a long time.

Layouts: multi-level homes with a garage and a basement

The current listing describes a multi-level home of roughly 1,800 to 1,999 sq ft with a built-in garage and a finished basement that the seller suggests as a home office. That is family-house space, and it is well above what most new North York townhouses offer at the entry level of this price band.

Homes from this era typically have the kitchen and living areas on the main level, bedrooms upstairs and a lower level that varies a great deal depending on how each owner has finished it. Do not assume two homes on the lane have the same plan or the same quality of basement work; walk each one on its own terms.

Heating in the listed home is gas forced air with central air conditioning, which suggests each home runs its own furnace and air conditioner. If so, those are yours to maintain and replace, so ask for their ages along with the water heater and whether it is owned or rented.

What a 1986 condo townhouse corporation is responsible for

At forty years old, Stonedale Placeway is past the point where original components start coming due. In a townhouse corporation, the big shared items are typically roofs, windows and doors, the private lane and its paving, exterior brick and siding, fencing, and landscaping. Which of those the corporation pays for, and which fall to you as an owner, is set out in the declaration, not by custom.

Condos.ca does not list what the monthly fee includes here, and I will not guess. Ask for the status certificate and read the fee inclusions, the most recent reserve fund study and at least a year of board minutes. You want to see that roof and window replacement cycles are planned and funded, and that there is no recent or proposed special assessment you would inherit.

A well-run older townhouse corporation can be a very good place to own. The ones that run into trouble are usually the ones that kept fees low for years and deferred exterior work. The reserve fund study will tell you which kind this is.

The location, day to day

You are near York Mills Road and Leslie Street, on the northern edge of Banbury-Don Mills. The listing highlights quick access to Highways 401 and 404 and TTC buses, along with shopping, restaurants and parks within walking distance. For commuters who drive, being this close to both highways is a genuine advantage.

The area is dominated by detached houses on large lots, so a condo townhouse here is one of the more affordable ways into the neighbourhood. Transit routes, walkability and schools are shown in the automatic data panel on this page, and I would rely on that rather than on any listing’s description.

How to think about price at Stonedale Placeway

At the time of writing there is one home for sale and none for lease. With a single active listing there is no honest range to quote, and I do not publish individual listing prices or fees on these pages. The sale and lease aggregates in the data panel are the better reference.

The right comparison is not a high-rise condo. It is freehold semis and detached homes in Banbury-Don Mills, which cost considerably more, and other older condo townhouse complexes nearby, such as the ones on Farmstead Road. Against freeholds, you give up land and control of the exterior; against other complexes, the deciding factors are the reserve fund, the fee per square foot and the condition of each home.

Fees in a townhouse corporation tend to be lower per square foot than in a high-rise because there is no elevator, lobby or pool to run, but the exterior is still a large, ageing asset. If you want aggregates across comparable complexes, my building sold report is the place to start.

Building specifications

Amenities at Stonedale Placeway Townhomes

There are no listed shared amenities such as a pool or clubhouse. What you are buying is the home itself, its garage and basement, and a quiet lane, with the corporation looking after the shared grounds.

Jatin’s honest take on Stonedale Placeway Townhomes

Stonedale Placeway Townhomes — frequently asked questions

Looking at Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.