Broadway II Residences, 155 Beecroft Rd: Menkes One-Beds Behind Yonge

Broadway II is the North York Centre building I suggest to buyers who want Yonge Street convenience at a one-bedroom budget. It is a 2004 Menkes tower on Beecroft Road, a short block west of Yonge, with an indoor pool and suites that top out around 1,100 square feet. It is not a family building, and it does not pretend to be. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second Broadway tower, one block off Yonge

Menkes built Broadway as a two-building complex, Broadway I and Broadway II, on Beecroft Road just west of Yonge Street. Its later Ultima at Broadway towers went up on Yonge itself, at 4968 and 4978. Broadway II at 155 Beecroft has its own corporation, TSCC-1603.

Beecroft is the quieter side of North York Centre. You are a block from Yonge, so the noise and bustle drop off, but the library, Mel Lastman Square and the shops are still a short walk. The leasing manager Dash Property Management describes the setting as a secluded street in the middle of North York’s downtown, and that is fair.

Being one of two towers matters for how the building runs. Broadway I and Broadway II were planned together, and paired buildings often share facilities such as a garage, a recreation area or mechanical plant under a shared facilities agreement. Ask the manager whether that applies here, how the shared costs are split, and how the two boards make joint decisions.

There is one conflict to flag. Condos.ca gives Broadway II as 28 storeys, while Dash’s description of the complex refers to 36 storeys and a 2003 completion. I have used condos.ca’s 28 storeys and 2004 registration here; check the status certificate if the exact height matters to you.

Compact suites, built for one or two people

Condos.ca puts suites at roughly 490 to 1,087 square feet. That is a small-suite building. There are no large family plans here, and the current listings are all one-bedrooms, two of them under 500 square feet.

Dash describes open-concept suites with a balcony or terrace, many overlooking mature trees. That outlook is not guaranteed for every suite, and North York Centre keeps adding towers, so check the specific view in daylight and look up any development applications on the nearby lots before you pay for it.

I could not confirm the architect, ceiling heights or original finish package. For a 20-year-old building, assume the kitchen and floors in any unrenovated suite will need updating, and price that into your offer.

Underground to the subway, if it is still open

The feature Menkes sold the complex on was the underground route. Dash describes the Broadway buildings as connected by a below-grade path to the subway, the cinemas, a Loblaws and North York Central Library, so you can do errands and get to the train without going outside in winter.

That kind of connection is worth a lot on a January morning, but it depends on how the route is maintained and on the hours of the buildings it passes through. Walk it yourself from the lobby before you count on it, and ask the manager whether any part of it closes at night.

The panel on this page shows the nearest stations, schools, parks and restaurants. Pair it with a walk on a weekday evening to see how Beecroft handles traffic.

What the fee covers, and what it does not

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as included. Dash notes that hydro and gas are extra, so heat and electricity are on you. That makes the fee look lower than an all-inclusive building’s, but your true monthly cost is higher than the fee alone.

On the three current listings, fees run from about $465 to $540 a month. Condos.ca’s per-square-foot figure for those listings looks high because two are in the under-500 square foot band; for small suites, the fee in dollars is the more useful number.

Parking is listed as included in the fee, but small suites do not always come with a space. Confirm in the status certificate whether the suite you are buying has parking and a locker, and condos.ca also flags a pet restriction here, so read the rules before you bring an animal.

Pricing: a one-bedroom entry point in North York Centre

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $736 per square foot, the same figure it shows for the newer, taller Ultima North on Yonge. For a 2004 tower, that tells you the location, the pool and the underground link are doing much of the work.

The three active listings are all one-bedrooms, asking from about $415,000 to $460,000. That is a tight band, which is useful: the differences between them come down to floor, exposure, condition and whether parking is included, so compare those directly.

Small suites in a building like this are priced as much by investors as by owner-occupiers, so rental demand near the subway tends to support values. The flip side is that a tight band of similar one-bedrooms gives you little room to stand out when you sell, which is another reason to buy the best version of the suite rather than the cheapest.

For a small suite, the best comparison is total monthly cost. Add the fee, hydro, gas and property tax, and compare that with rent for a similar suite nearby. For recent sold prices and rents, see the automatic panel on this page.

Building specifications

Amenities at Broadway II Residences

Dash lists a 24-hour concierge, indoor pool, sauna, exercise room, guest suite, party room and billiards, along with ample visitor parking. For a one-bedroom owner, the pool and sauna are the features that stand out, since a pool is expensive to run and not every building in the area has one.

Jatin’s honest take on Broadway II Residences

Broadway II Residences — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.