1 Thousand Bay, 1000 Bay St: Shifting Balconies Beside U of T

1 Thousand Bay is the building I show buyers who want to live between the university and Yorkville and care about having a real balcony. The architectsAlliance tower at Bay and St. Joseph stacks its balconies in a shifting pattern that gives many suites deeper outdoor space than the usual thin glass ledge. It is a solid, central building, and the details are what decide whether it is right for you. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two towers in one, and those balconies

Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance gave the building a split form, which blogTO described as a two-tower design, with a lower section whose roof becomes a large terrace. From Bay Street it reads as two linked glass volumes of different heights rather than one slab.

The defining feature is the balconies. UrbanToronto noted during construction that the north half has shifting balcony plates that jump in and out from floor to floor, while the south half is stacked in the conventional way. On the north side, that pattern gives some suites deeper and more usable outdoor space than you get in most towers of this era.

Ask which half of the building a suite is in. A north-side suite with a deep shifted balcony and a south-side suite with a standard one may be similar in size inside and quite different to live in.

Suites from studios to three bedrooms

Pre-construction marketing, as reported by blogTO, offered studios to three-bedroom plans of roughly 377 to 1,168 square feet. Finishes at launch included quartz counters and full-height bathtubs, which is standard for a 2016 downtown tower, not luxury.

Current listings show the middle of the building: one-bedrooms in the 500 to 599 square foot band and a pair of 800 to 899 square foot plans, one sold as a one-bedroom-plus-den and one as a two-plus-den. That tells you dens here can be generous, and that the line between a one-plus-den and a two-bedroom is worth checking on the floor plan.

The building backs onto St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto, and condos.ca notes views north over green space and west toward the campus and Queen’s Park. Suites on those sides will have a calmer outlook than the Bay Street face.

What the fee covers

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, water and building insurance as included. Hydro is on you, and parking is not listed, so confirm whether a suite comes with a space and a locker and what they cost if they are sold separately.

Fees on the current listings average about $0.85 per square foot. For a building with an outdoor pool, guest suites and a staffed concierge, and with heating and cooling included, that is in line with the Bay Street Corridor.

Condos.ca lists Legacy Property Management. Before you buy, read the status certificate and the most recent reserve fund study, and look at board minutes for how the corporation has handled the pool, the rooftop terrace and the elevators.

How a 458-suite building lives day to day

A building this size, with many studios and one-bedrooms, runs on its systems: the concierge desk, parcel handling, elevator bookings for moves and the amenity schedule. When those work, you barely notice them. When they do not, you notice every day.

Before you buy, walk through the lobby at a busy time, such as a weekday evening, and look at how parcels are stored and how the front desk copes. Ask the concierge how far ahead residents book the elevator for a move and how often the party room and guest suites are reserved.

The rooftop terrace over the lower section is one of the best shared spaces on this part of Bay, with barbecues and open views. Ask about its hours and booking rules, and whether the pool is staffed or swim-at-your-own-risk, since those details decide how much use you will really get from the amenities you are paying for.

Living at Bay and St. Joseph

The location is the strength. You are at the meeting point of the Bay-Cloverhill pocket and the university, with Yorkville and Bloor Street to the north, Queen’s Park to the west and the hospital district to the south. The panel beside this review covers transit, schools and food.

This stretch of Bay has filled in with towers over the past decade. The Britt sits a short walk south at Wellesley, and several newer projects line the street. Expect neighbouring construction, and expect competition from similar suites nearby whenever you lease or sell.

What 1 Thousand Bay costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,015 per square foot, which is at the high end for the Bay Street Corridor. Buyers pay for the U of T and Yorkville edge and for a building that is less than ten years old.

Across three current listings asking prices run from about $650,000 to about $899,000 for the larger 800 to 899 square foot plans. Six suites were listed for lease at the same time, which confirms how much of the building is rented.

Because the per-square-foot figure is already high, I look closely at the specific suite: balcony depth, exposure, whether it faces Bay or the college, and whether parking is included. Those factors can easily move value by tens of thousands of dollars. For a sale-by-sale check, use my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 1 Thousand Bay Condos

The package is broad for a 32-storey building: an outdoor pool, a gym and yoga studio, a screening room, games and billiards, a party room and a landscaped rooftop terrace with barbecues. Two guest suites are a real convenience in a building full of smaller suites. If you work from home, ask whether any amenity space can be booked as a quiet workspace.

Jatin’s honest take on 1 Thousand Bay Condos

1 Thousand Bay Condos — frequently asked questions

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