Avani at Metrogate, 255 Village Green Sq: Tridel Tower on the Park

Avani at Metrogate is the building I suggest to first-time buyers who want a Tridel tower without downtown prices. It is a 2017 high-rise of 363 suites in Tridel’s Metrogate community near Kennedy and the 401, with a full amenity floor and the community’s central park at its base. The suites are compact, and that is the main thing to understand before you buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The fifth tower in a planned community

Avani was the fifth high-rise at Metrogate, Tridel’s master-planned community on what the developer describes as 17 acres of former asphalt near Kennedy Road and Highway 401. Tridel says the finished community has seven towers, more than 70 townhomes and over 2,600 homes around a 1.7-acre central park, and that it earned LEED Neighbourhood Development Silver certification at Stage 2.

Graziani + Corazza Architects designed the Metrogate towers, including this one, and UrbanToronto lists GCB interior architecture as interior designer for the Avani phases and Terraplan and Studio TLA for landscape. The sister tower, Avani 2 at 275 Village Green Square, mirrors this building turned 90 degrees, and the two were planned around a shared podium with amenity space.

One discrepancy to note: condos.ca records 36 floors here, while UrbanToronto lists both Avani towers at 35 storeys and about 105 metres. The difference is likely in how floors are counted, but if a high floor or a view is part of what you are paying for, confirm the suite’s actual level.

Compact suites, so check the plan carefully

Condos.ca records suites from about 480 to 802 square feet. UrbanToronto describes the mix as one- and two-bedroom suites, many with den options. That is a typical mid-2010s investor-era range: efficient, well-finished and small.

At the low end, a 480-square-foot suite is a one-bedroom for one person. At the top, around 800 square feet, you are into a usable two-bedroom-plus-den. In between, the den is the swing space, and its size and shape vary a great deal from plan to plan, so look at whether it is a real room or an alcove.

I could not find a published ceiling height for Avani. Measure it during a showing, along with the bedroom widths and the balcony depth, because in compact suites those few dimensions decide how a layout actually lives.

Exposure matters here too. Avani faces Metrogate Park on one side and the surrounding towers and roads on others, so two suites with the same floor plan can feel very different depending on the view and the light. See the suite at the time of day you would actually be home.

What the fee covers, and what it does not

The fee includes common elements, building insurance, air conditioning and water. Heat and hydro are not on condos.ca’s inclusion list, so expect to pay your own energy costs, as in most towers of this generation. Ask the seller for a year of bills and, if the suite is sub-metered, the name of the metering company and its charges.

Parking is not listed in the fee either. If the suite comes with a space or a locker, confirm on the status certificate whether it is owned or exclusive-use, and whether any separate monthly charge applies.

This is a nine-year-old building, which means it is past the builder warranty period but still well short of the age when the most expensive systems come due. That is often a good time to buy: early defects should have surfaced and been dealt with. Read the reserve fund study and ask how the shared podium amenities with Avani 2 are funded and maintained between the two corporations.

Living at Metrogate day to day

The best feature of this location is the park. Avani overlooks Metrogate Park, and the community includes on-site daycare, which Tridel says was expanded to a second facility with Avani 2. For a young couple planning a family, those details matter more than an extra amenity room.

Highway 401 is right there, which makes Metrogate practical for anyone who drives to work across the GTA. Kennedy Commons and Scarborough Town Centre are both nearby for shopping. The trade-off is density: thousands of homes share the same streets, visitor parking and elevators, so expect a busy building at peak hours.

The data panel on this page shows the actual transit stops, schools and parks closest to this address.

Pricing: about $704 a square foot

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $704 per square foot. That is well above the 1990s towers further south in Scarborough, which sit closer to $500, and it reflects the newer construction, the Tridel name and the Metrogate setting.

There is one suite for sale here right now, with two more for rent. A single listing is not a market, so I would not draw conclusions from it. With 363 suites, though, this building trades often enough that the sold data is meaningful.

For an investor, the compact sizes cut both ways. Smaller suites mean a lower purchase price and a wide pool of potential tenants, but they also mean a narrower pool of owner-occupier buyers when you sell. For an owner-occupier, the question is simply whether the plan fits your life for the next five years.

Use the 12-month data panel above for what has actually sold and leased, and my building sold report for comparables on a specific suite, including those in Avani 2 next door.

Building specifications

Amenities at Avani at Metrogate

Condos.ca records a concierge, gym, party room and visitor parking, and marketing material for Club Avani adds a yoga studio, a screening room and outdoor lounge space. In compact suites, a good amenity floor is effectively extra living space, so it is worth touring.

Jatin’s honest take on Avani at Metrogate

Avani at Metrogate — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.