Bespoke Towns, 96-100 Coxwell Ave: 22 Rooftop-Terrace Towns off Queen East

Bespoke Towns is what I show buyers who want the space of a small house in the east end without the roof, the furnace and the snow shovel being entirely their problem. It is a 2020 complex of only 22 condominium townhomes on Coxwell Avenue, with private rooftop terraces and parking underground. Being this small is both its best feature and the thing you have to plan around. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Twenty-two townhomes, not a condo building

The first thing to understand is the format. Bespoke Towns is not a mid-rise with a lobby and an elevator. It is a row of 22 condominium townhomes, each with its own front door, sitting over a shared underground garage. You get the feel of a townhouse and the legal structure of a condo.

Condos.ca lists the complex as two floors, but that figure undersells how the homes actually live. Listing descriptions I reviewed describe multi-level suites with balconies on the lower levels and a private rooftop terrace on top, and the UrbanToronto project thread carries a four-storey label. Count the levels in person, because stairs are the trade-off for this kind of space.

Twenty-two suites is a very small corporation. Every owner’s share of a repair is larger than it would be in a 200-suite tower, and every owner’s vote counts for more. For some buyers that is exactly the appeal: you will know your neighbours, and the board is people you can actually talk to.

The rooftop terraces and the layouts

The private rooftop terrace is the feature that sells these homes. Listings have described terraces with skyline and lake views and a gas line for a barbecue. On Coxwell, where most housing is semis with small back yards, a private roof deck at this size is a real difference.

Suites run from about 1,131 to 1,593 square feet according to condos.ca. That is roughly the range of a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom with a den, spread over several floors. Expect open main floors with the kitchen as the centre, bedrooms on the upper levels, and more than one bathroom.

Because the suites are vertical, layouts vary more than the square footage suggests. Two homes with the same area can feel very different depending on where the stairs sit and how much of the space is on the main living level. Ask for the actual floor plan of the suite you are looking at, not the marketing plan.

Listings have also described engineered hardwood, quartz kitchen counters, a gas range and higher-than-standard ceilings on the main level. Finishes in a six-year-old complex will vary by how each owner has upgraded, so compare suites on layout and exposure first and on finishes second.

Parking, storage and the practical details

Parking is underground, which is the reason a complex this size can sit on a busy street without a row of driveways. Listing descriptions have mentioned a heated ramp down to the garage, which matters on a February morning. They have also mentioned lockers and a dog wash station.

None of that is guaranteed for every suite, so confirm it for yours. Ask whether the suite has its own parking space, whether that space is owned or assigned, and whether a locker comes with it. In a small corporation, those details should be on title or in the declaration, not in an informal arrangement.

Condos.ca does not list any shared amenities or fee inclusions for this complex. That is normal for condo towns, where the fee mainly covers the garage, the common grounds, building insurance and the reserve fund. Read the budget in the status certificate so you know exactly what you are paying for and which utilities are on your own meters.

Where it sits: the Coxwell seam

The complex sits on Coxwell Avenue north of Queen Street East, close to Dundas Street East, where Leslieville, the Upper Beaches and Greenwood-Coxwell meet. Condos.ca places it in Greenwood-Coxwell. That in-between position is the daily reality here: the Queen East shops and the History music hall are to the south, and the Line 2 corridor is to the north.

Coxwell is a busy north-south street with steady traffic. If you want a quiet side street, this is not it, so visit at rush hour before you decide. What you get in return is easy access south to the lake and the Beaches. The transit, walkability, school and park data beside this review covers the rest.

What Bespoke Towns costs, and why the data is thin

With only 22 suites, this complex trades rarely, and when it does there may be only one or two sales a year. Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for it, and there were no active listings in the data I reviewed. Any price you see quoted should be treated as a single data point, not a trend.

The better comparison is the east-end freehold market. A 1,100 to 1,600 square foot condo town here competes with semis and row houses on the nearby side streets, which have yards but usually no parking and no rooftop. Look at the panel’s sales data, then ask me for a building sold report that sets recent trades here against nearby freehold and townhouse sales.

On fees, ask for the corporation’s current budget and the per-suite fee before you compare anything. In a condo-town complex the fee is usually lower per square foot than in a tower with a concierge and a pool, but a small corporation has little room to absorb a surprise, so the reserve fund matters more than the monthly number.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bespoke Towns

There is no gym, party room or concierge here, and that is by design. The amenities are your own: a rooftop terrace, a parking space below grade and storage, which keeps the shared costs focused on the garage and the grounds.

Jatin’s honest take on Bespoke Towns

Bespoke Towns — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.