130 Clinton Street Townhouses: 30 Condo Towns from 1975 in Little Italy

130 Clinton is one of the quiet surprises of Little Italy: thirty condominium townhouses from 1975 on a residential street of Edwardian houses, a short walk from College Street. Units rarely come up, and when they do, the location sells them. The age of the complex is what you need to look at carefully. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1975 townhouse complex on an Edwardian street

Clinton Street, like most of the side streets around College, is lined with detached and semi-detached houses from the early 1900s, with front porches and narrow lots. A thirty-unit townhouse complex from the mid-1970s is the exception on a street like this, and it is part of what makes the address unusual.

The corporation number, YCC-231, places it among the early Toronto condominiums, registered in 1975 as a York Condominium Corporation, long before today’s TSCC numbering. That makes it one of the older condo corporations in this part of the west end.

Being older is not a problem on its own. What matters is how the corporation has managed fifty years of roofs, windows, masonry, paving and the garage. A well-run older complex can be a better buy than a newer one, and a poorly run one can be expensive. The documents will tell you which.

The neighbourhood itself has a long history behind it. By the 1920s the College and Clinton area had become the city’s main Little Italy, and the two- and three-storey commercial buildings on College still date mostly from the early 1900s. A 1970s complex here is a later layer on an old street.

Townhouse living with a garage

Condos.ca lists a parking garage for the complex, which is valuable in Little Italy, where street parking near College is tight. Find out whether the unit you are looking at has a space in it, whether that space is owned or exclusive-use, and how many cars each unit is allowed.

A garage in a fifty-year-old complex is also the most important thing to inspect. Underground and covered garages rely on waterproofing membranes, drainage and concrete that wear out over time. Ask when the garage was last repaired or rehabilitated, and what the reserve fund study says is coming next.

Condos.ca records the complex as one floor, which for a townhouse complex probably reflects how the data is entered rather than how the homes are laid out. I could not find published floor plans or suite sizes, so ask for the plan and the measured size of the specific unit.

Renovation history matters more here than in a newer building. After fifty years, most units will have had at least one kitchen or bathroom update, and some will have been taken back to the studs. Ask what was done, when, by whom and with which permits, and whether any of it touched common elements such as exterior walls, windows or the roof, which normally needs the corporation’s approval.

Barbecues are permitted, according to condos.ca. That is a small but real quality-of-life point; many condo buildings restrict them. Confirm where they are allowed and any rules in the declaration or bylaws.

Managed, not self-run

Condos.ca lists Glendale Properties Inc. as the property manager. For a corporation of thirty units, having a professional manager usually means better record keeping, regular reserve fund updates and someone accountable for contractors, which makes due diligence easier.

Even so, read the paperwork rather than assuming. Ask for the status certificate, the latest reserve fund study, the budget, the insurance certificate and recent board minutes. In particular, check how the reserve fund balance compares with the work the study says is due over the next ten years.

In a townhouse condominium, also confirm what you actually own. The declaration sets out whether roofs, windows, exterior doors, decks and any yard belong to the unit or to the common elements, and it decides who pays when they fail. Older declarations can surprise people.

Clinton Street and College, day to day

You are a short walk from the College Street strip, with its Italian restaurants, cafés and bars, and the Royal Cinema at College and Clinton, the repertory theatre that opened in 1939. Little Italy also has a strong Portuguese and Latin American presence, and the shops reflect it.

Because the complex is on a residential side street, it is calmer than living on College itself, though summer evenings on the strip are lively and some of that carries. Trinity Bellwoods Park is a walk south, past Dundas.

Transit, schools, Walk Score and nearby food and parks are in the data panel on this page.

Pricing with almost no listings

There were no active listings at 130 Clinton when I wrote this, and condos.ca does not publish a building average per square foot for the complex. In a thirty-unit townhouse corporation, a handful of sales a year is normal, and some years there are none.

That means the honest way to price a unit is against recent sales of condo townhouses and small freeholds in Little Italy and Palmerston, adjusted for size, condition, parking and the monthly fee. A renovated unit and an original one can be far apart in price even with identical floor plans.

Ask for the current monthly fee and exactly what it covers, since condos.ca does not record the inclusions. With a parking garage to maintain, expect the garage to be one of the larger lines in the budget. If you want comparable sales for this pocket, request them through the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 130 Clinton Street Townhouses

There is no amenity floor here; the shared features on record are the parking garage and permission to barbecue. For most owners that is the right trade: a lower-fuss complex, with College Street and the local parks doing the rest.

Jatin’s honest take on 130 Clinton Street Townhouses

130 Clinton Street Townhouses — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.