Bayview Walk, 1818 Bayview Ave: 56 Large Suites Near Eglinton

Bayview Walk is the kind of building people move into from a house and then stay in for twenty years. It has 56 suites over seven floors, almost all of them larger than a typical new two-bedroom, and it sits on Bayview just north of Eglinton. The price per square foot is low for midtown; the fees are why. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A boutique building for people leaving a house

Bayview Walk is a brick mid-rise of the kind built for downsizers in the early 1990s. Fifty-six suites over seven floors means about eight suites a floor, and the smallest suites start around 850 sq ft. There is no studio or small one-bedroom stock here at all.

That shapes who lives here. When the Globe and Mail covered a sale in the building in 2014, the listing agent described it as a landmark low-rise that rarely has suites available and noted that it tends to attract an older buyer. A listing I read this year described it as well managed and carefully maintained, with an on-site superintendent.

The appeal for a downsizer is simple: no stairs to climb, no snow to shovel and no lawn, but rooms that will still take the furniture from a house. The garden terrace with shared barbecues gives you a bit of outdoor space without a garden to look after.

Layouts: two bedrooms, two ensuites, a fireplace

The typical suite here is a two-bedroom of around 1,300 sq ft. Listings in the building describe a separate foyer, living and dining rooms, an eat-in kitchen, a laundry room of its own and two bedrooms that each have an ensuite bathroom. Several suites have a gas fireplace and crown mouldings, and many have been updated with hardwood and stone counters over the years.

That is a split-bedroom style of plan, with the bedrooms apart from each other, which suits couples who want their own space or a visiting adult child. It is a very different product from a new two-bedroom of 700 sq ft.

The largest suites, up to about 2,392 sq ft, are on a different scale altogether, closer to a bungalow in size. Because the building is from 1992, condition varies widely from suite to suite. One that has been redone will feel current; one with the original kitchen and bathrooms will need a budget. Price the renovation into your offer, and ask the corporation about its rules for renovation work and noise.

Parking is in the fee, and the fee is high

The fee includes common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed, so budget separately for them. Underground parking and lockers are part of the building, and some listings mention premium parking and locker spots, so confirm exactly which spot and locker come with the suite.

Fees on the three suites listed when I checked ran from about $1,180 to $2,760 a month. A 56-suite building has few owners to share the cost of a superintendent, a concierge, a garage and an aging brick envelope, so fees here will always look high next to a 300-suite tower.

In a building of this age, the reserve fund matters more than the fee. Ask for the reserve fund study and look at when the garage, roof, windows and mechanical systems were last done, or when they are due.

Bayview just north of Eglinton

This stretch of Bayview is a mix of shops, low-rise apartments and houses, with Leaside to the east and the residential streets of Mount Pleasant East to the west. Listings in the building point to the shops and restaurants along Bayview, groceries within walking distance, and Sunnybrook Hospital to the north.

Eglinton Avenue has been reshaped by the Crosstown line, and new building activity along Eglinton and Bayview has followed. The data panel on this page has the transit, schools and nearby parks; my point is that the area around this building is more active than it was when most owners bought.

The change is coming close. In 2023, Gairloch Developments and Harlo Capital applied to rezone the car wash site at 1802 Bayview, at Roehampton Avenue just to the south, for a 46-storey tower of 419 suites. Proposals like this often change in height and design before approval, so check the City of Toronto development applications file for its current status, and think about what a tower there would mean for a south-facing suite and for construction traffic over the next few years.

Pricing: about $632 a square foot

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $632 per square foot. That is low for midtown; newer towers near Yonge and Eglinton average roughly $875 to $925. Part of the difference is age, and part is that the large suites and high fees push the price per foot down.

There were three suites for sale when I checked and none for rent. Two-bedroom suites were asking between about $767,000 and $788,000 The largest suites sit in a very different price bracket and are best compared with houses nearby.

For a downsizer, the useful comparison is not other condos but a house. You are buying around 1,300 sq ft of living space, a parking spot and no exterior maintenance for roughly the price of a small new two-bedroom tower suite. For a clearer sense of recent trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bayview Walk

The amenities are modest and practical: a gym, a sauna, a party room and a landscaped terrace with barbecues. The car wash and visitor parking are the details owners in this building value, because most of them still drive.

Jatin’s honest take on Bayview Walk

Bayview Walk — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.