1990s Humber Bay Condos vs the New Towers: An Honest Comparison

By Jatin Dua · Updated August 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The two generations, in four buildings

Humber Bay Shores’ towers span almost five decades, but the sharpest contrast is between the founding early-1990s communities and the towers finished since the late 2010s. The record on the four examples, per the sources listed at the end of this page:

Where the record is inconsistent, I have said so rather than picked a number. That is not pedantry: in a multi-corporation community like Grand Harbour, knowing exactly which corporation you are buying into — and what its own records say — matters more than any database figure.

Suite sizes: the era shows in the floor plans

Palace Place’s suites run from roughly 833 to about 2,894 square feet on the record — generous one-bedrooms up to sub-penthouses the size of bungalows, with a cruciform floor plate that gives most suites light from more than one direction. That building is my standing answer to anyone who says condos are all shoeboxes now.

In my experience showing both generations, the older communities were built in an era of full-sized suites, and buyers who prioritise floor area over finishes tend to gravitate to them — that is a professional observation from walking these buildings, not a statistic. The newer towers span a wide mix of their own, and some new plans are excellent. So do not buy the generalisation; compare the actual floor plans of the specific suites on your shortlist, and walk them. Room dimensions, storage and layout efficiency vary line by line in every era.

Fees: all-inclusive versus à la carte

This is where comparing the two generations goes wrong most often. Condos.ca notes Grand Harbour’s maintenance fees as all-inclusive — covering hydro, cable and internet — and lists Palace Place’s monthly fees as including cable TV, air conditioning, heat, hydro, water, building insurance and parking. That is about as all-inclusive as Toronto condo fees get, and it makes monthly budgeting one number instead of five — particularly attractive to downsizers arranging a fixed-income life.

The corollary: headline fees at buildings like these look higher than at buildings that bill utilities separately, an arrangement I see more often in the newer towers. Buyers who compare maintenance fees across buildings without adjusting for what is included will misread the older communities badly — and that misreading is exactly why an early-1990s building can be the value play on a shortlist of newer towers. I quote no dollar figures in a blog post; pull the current fee, and the list of what it actually buys, from the status certificate of each building you compare, and check how any inclusions have trended or are slated to change.

Amenities: generosity then, spectacle now

Grand Harbour’s amenity list runs deep for its era: a pool, gym, concierge, party room, squash court, guest suites, hot tub, sauna and a car wash — amenity space sized in a period when developers were generous with it, plus a townhome row that offers something almost nothing else in Humber Bay Shores does: ground-oriented, multi-level living at a waterfront address. Palace Place adds the thing no current project can replicate — estate-style landscaped grounds shared with Palace Pier at the mouth of the Humber, where you exit the lobby into gardens, not onto a podium.

The new generation answers with scale and polish. Eau Du Soleil’s package — concierge, gym, indoor pool, party room among the facilities — is what you expect from a flagship whose Sky Tower was reported at its topping-off as the tallest development in Etobicoke. Vita’s roster is one of the more complete in the neighbourhood: 24-hour concierge, indoor pool, fitness room, party room, sauna, guest suites and a barbecue area, in common areas that still read as new rather than refreshed. The arithmetic of tall buildings applies, though: elevators, amenity bookings and the garage all serve a large population, and patience at peak times is part of the deal — it is also what funds a package most mid-rises cannot match.

Operating history versus new systems

Here is the trade I ask every client to weigh honestly. A 1990s community offers decades of operating history you can actually read: budgets, reserve-fund studies, how the building has been kept. It will also, typically, be somewhere in its cycle of major renewals — windows, elevators, mechanicals, garage membranes. That is diligence guidance about buildings of this age generally, not a comment on any corporation specifically; a well-funded reserve handles renewal cycles, and the status certificate tells you whether the one you are considering is well funded. Suites will range from lovingly updated to fully original, and renovation state drives value.

A 2019 or 2022 building offers current construction and systems — but a shorter reserve-fund history, boards and budgets still finding their shape, and possibly outstanding builder-warranty items in the common elements, which is normal territory for buildings of that vintage and worth having in writing. None of that is a red flag either way; they are different points in a building’s life cycle, and they change what your lawyer should focus on in the paperwork.

Who should lean toward the 1990s communities

Downsizers who want house-scale rooms and one predictable monthly number; space-first buyers drawn to early-90s proportions over new-build efficiency; buyers who want a townhome by the lake — Grand Harbour’s 2289 row is one of the few ways to get it; and anyone who values an established, owner-heavy, settled community with a track record to read. The typical split I see between the two Palace towers makes the wider point: provenance and the largest plans in the older building, younger systems in the newer one.

Who should lean toward the new towers

View-driven buyers — Eau Du Soleil’s 66 storeys and Vita’s 53 carry some of the best water and skyline sightlines in the neighbourhood; anyone who wants new-building systems, a 24-hour concierge and a full, current amenity floor; and people whose picture of condo living is the postcard version of Humber Bay Shores: height, hotel-style amenities and a five-minute walk to the water. Vita Two’s 16-storey, 169-unit scale is the interesting middle answer — new construction at boutique scale.

Renting: the rent-control line splits the eras

For tenants and landlords, the generations sit on opposite sides of one bright line. Units first occupied before November 15, 2018 are generally covered by Ontario’s annual rent increase guideline — which comfortably captures 1991-era communities like Grand Harbour and Palace Place. Units whose first residential occupancy came after that date are generally exempt, and most units in 2019–2022 buildings like Eau Du Soleil and Vita will fall on that side. It turns on the specific unit’s first occupancy, not the building’s marketing dates, so verify before you sign or budget for renewals. My guide to whether an Etobicoke rental is rent-controlled walks through the check step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Condos.ca — Grand Harbour, 2285 Lake Shore Blvd W. 1991 build by Rylar Developments, 27 storeys, amenities and the all-inclusive fee inclusions; unit-count figures on the site conflict (276 vs 408). Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Condos.ca — Grand Harbour Townhomes, 2289 Lake Shore Blvd W. The townhome component of the community at 2289. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Wikipedia — The Palace Pier. Identifies Palace Place at 1 Palace Pier Court as the south tower, completed 1991, on shared grounds with Palace Pier. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Condos.ca — Palace Place, 1 Palace Pier Crt. Build year (1993), 44 floors, 504 units, Bramalea Limited, suite size range, amenities and fee inclusions. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Condos.ca — Eau Du Soleil, 30 Shore Breeze Drive / 2183 Lake Shore Blvd W. Building record: addresses, developer, completion year, storeys and amenities. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Building.ca — Eau Du Soleil topping-off (Empire Communities). Industry coverage reporting the project as Etobicoke’s tallest development at topping-off. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Condos.ca — Vita on the Lake, 70 Annie Craig Dr. Building record: developer, completion year, 53 storeys, 489 units and amenities. Accessed 10 August 2026.
• Humber Bay Living — Vita Two on the Lake, 65 Annie Craig Dr. Building record: 16 storeys, 169 units, developer and amenities. Accessed 10 August 2026.

Related reading

• Living in Grand Harbour — towers and townhomes from 1991
• Living in Palace Place — the early-1990s tower at 1 Palace Pier Crt
• Living in Eau Du Soleil — Humber Bay’s twin towers
• Living in Vita on the Lake & Vita Two
• The Humber Bay Shores condo buildings guide
• Etobicoke communities overview