Widdicombe & Eglinton Townhomes, Pony Farm Dr: Modern Towns at Kipling

Widdicombe & Eglinton is what I show buyers who are priced out of a detached house in central Etobicoke but refuse to go back to a tower. It is a street of crisp, three-storey modern townhomes from Fernbrook Homes and Cityzen, built on land that used to be a Shetland pony farm. There is no pool, no concierge and no party room, and for the right buyer that is exactly the point. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A street of townhomes on an old pony farm

Pony Farm Drive is not a marketing name. The Etobicoke Historical Society records that Cullens’ Pony Farm raised Shetland ponies on the north side of what was then Richview Side Road, now Eglinton Avenue West, just west of Kipling. Families pulled over on weekends to watch the ponies and pay for a ride.

The farm ran until 1966, when the land was rezoned for apartments. At the time, Richview Side Road was being planned as the route for Highway 403, which in the end went elsewhere, and the Widdicombe Hill apartment towers went up instead. When this site was finally redeveloped, the society suggested the street name and Community Council accepted it.

I mention this because it explains the setting. You are buying a newer low-rise enclave dropped into a 1960s and 1970s apartment district, with an old woodlot at the northwest corner of Kipling and Eglinton still standing nearby. It feels quieter and more residential than the Eglinton frontage suggests.

Modern design, and a real spread of sizes

Fernbrook Homes and Cityzen Group developed the project, with TACT Architecture as architect. UrbanToronto lists it as a completed three-storey townhouse project, and the design is deliberately modern: flat profiles, large windows and glass-and-stone facades rather than the brick-and-gable look of most Etobicoke towns.

The size range is the detail that matters most. Listing data runs from about 632 sq ft up to roughly 2,994 sq ft, which tells you this is not one product repeated 196 times. The smaller figures point to compact plans that compete with a one-bedroom condo, while the top of the range is family-house territory, likely counting lower levels and every finished floor.

That spread means you have to compare like with like. A small plan and a large three-level home on the same street are different purchases, and the right comparable for each is a similar-sized unit here, not the complex average. Ask exactly how a listing’s square footage was measured before you compare it with anything.

Tenure, fees and what the status certificate must answer

Here is where I slow buyers down. Listing data describes these as condo-style townhouses with a monthly fee covering common elements, building insurance and water. At least one online discussion thread, though, has described them as freehold townhouses. Those are different ownership structures, and the difference changes what you own and what you pay.

Building insurance in the fee usually signals a standard condominium, where the corporation insures the structures and the reserve fund pays for roofs, windows and shared systems over time. A freehold home on a common-element road works differently, with you insuring and maintaining your own house. I could not confirm a condominium corporation number, so treat the status certificate as the document that settles it.

Whatever the structure, heat and hydro are not on the listed inclusions, so budget for your own utilities. Parking arrangements, garages, visitor parking and snow clearing should all be confirmed in the declaration and on the listing, not assumed.

Daily life between Kipling and Martin Grove

This is a car-first pocket, and I won’t pretend otherwise. The appeal is quick access to Eglinton, the airport corridor and Highway 427, plus established parks and plazas around Widdicombe Hill and Kipling. Transit, school and walkability details are in the data panel on this page.

The bigger change is along Eglinton itself, the corridor the Crosstown LRT is being extended along toward the airport. Construction along this stretch means disruption now and better transit later, so check Metrolinx for current timing rather than relying on anyone’s promise, including mine.

One practical point about the format itself: three storeys means stairs every day. That suits most buyers moving out of a condo, but it can rule the larger plans out for downsizers who want single-floor living, and it affects how you furnish. Walk the full home, including every level and the route from the parking to the kitchen, before you decide it works for the way you live.

How I price a home here

There are no active resale listings in the complex as I write this, only a couple of leases, so I won’t quote an asking range or an average price per square foot. A thin listing count with a wide size range is exactly when a building average misleads you.

Instead, I price each home against recent sales of similar-sized units in the same complex, then against comparable stacked and freehold townhomes in Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview and nearby Eringate and Islington-City Centre West. Fee per square foot only makes sense once you know which structures the fee actually covers. If you want the recent numbers for Pony Farm Drive, request my building sold report.

One more pricing caution. With newer townhomes, buyers sometimes anchor on the original developer price lists or on rents. Neither tells you what a resale is worth today. Look at what similar plans in this complex actually sold for, adjust for condition, level count and parking, and check the fee and the reserve fund before you settle on a number.

Building specifications

Jatin’s honest take on Widdicombe & Eglinton Townhomes

Widdicombe & Eglinton 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.