Crystal Blu, 21 Balmuto St: Slim Tower Off Yonge and Bloor, High Fees

Crystal Blu is a building people remember for its podium: blue glass crystals set into rough-cut openings in smooth stone on Balmuto Street. Behind that is a slim 2010 tower with only 139 suites over 35 storeys, an outdoor pool and suites that run from compact one-bedrooms to very large upper-floor homes. The fee per square foot is the number that needs the hardest look. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The crystals, and who designed them

The building takes its name from its most distinctive detail. UrbanToronto described blue glass crystals inset into roughly chiselled openings in the podium’s smooth stone cladding, and that is still what you notice from the sidewalk. Not everyone loved it at the time, but it gives a short side street a building with an identity.

Sources disagree on the architect. UrbanToronto’s 2010 coverage and a 2009 construction report both credit Roy Varacalli (R. Varacalli Architect Inc.), while the long-running UrbanToronto forum thread for the project lists Burka. I have not been able to settle it, so I show both; if it matters to you, the building’s registered documents will say who signed off.

Bazis acted as both owner and general contractor here, which is less common than a developer hiring an outside builder. As the company’s first Toronto project, Crystal Blu does not have a long local track record behind it, which is one more reason to lean on the building’s own documents rather than the developer’s reputation.

Few suites per floor, and some very large ones

With 139 suites over 35 storeys, Crystal Blu averages only about four suites a floor. That is a very different experience from a tower with ten or twelve suites per corridor: quieter hallways, fewer people at the elevator and more suites with corner exposures.

Condos.ca puts the suite range at about 453 to 3,906 sq ft. The lower floors carry compact one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, while the upper floors include some of the largest suites you will find in a building of this size near Yonge and Bloor.

The rear of the building is clad in a lighter precast, which is less striking than the stone and glass on Balmuto. It does not affect the suites, but it is worth seeing from all sides before you buy.

With so few suites per floor, exposure varies a lot from one plan to the next. Some suites look straight at a neighbouring tower across Balmuto, while corner and upper suites open up toward Yorkville or the downtown skyline. Ask for the floor plan with the compass direction marked.

The fee is the hard question

Condos.ca lists only heat and water as included in the fee. Among current listings, the fee works out to roughly $1.71 per square foot, which is high for a building where hydro, air conditioning and parking are not listed as inclusions.

There are reasons a slim tower with an outdoor pool costs more to run. Fixed costs such as concierge, elevators, insurance and pool maintenance are shared among only 139 suites, so each owner carries a larger share than in a 400-suite tower. That is the trade for quieter floors.

Before you buy, ask for the current budget, the reserve fund study and a few years of fee history. You want to know whether the fee has been steady, rising quickly, or carrying the cost of past repairs. If the fee has jumped recently, find out why before you firm up an offer.

Living a block off Yonge and Bloor

Balmuto is a short street a block west of Yonge, between Bloor and Charles. Yorkville’s shops and restaurants, the Bloor Street retail strip and the Yonge and Bloor interchange are all within a few minutes on foot. The street itself is quieter than Yonge, though it is busy with residents of the towers that line it.

The Uptown Residences at 35 Balmuto is the immediate neighbour, and the corner around it keeps growing taller. New towers continue to rise around Yonge and Bloor, which means more competition for tenants and resale buyers, and possibly changes to the views from lower floors.

Day to day, this is one of the easiest places in the city to live without a car. Groceries, gyms, cafés and the Yorkville restaurants are close, and the Bloor Street shops are a short walk north. Transit, schools and Walk Score details are in the data panel on this page.

What Crystal Blu costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $966 per square foot. That sits in the range you would expect for a 2010 building a block from Yonge and Bloor, and the very large upper-floor suites can pull the average around.

Two suites were for sale and none for lease when I checked, asking from about $469,000 to about $746,900. Fees on those listings ran from roughly $518 to $1,005 a month.

The total monthly cost is where Crystal Blu needs care. With hydro, cooling and parking not listed in the fee, add those on top of a fee that is already high per square foot. On a two-bedroom, that can make the carrying cost meaningfully higher than in a larger tower nearby, so run the full numbers before you fall for the floor plan. With only two suites on the market, there is not much to compare against inside the building. If you want comparables for a specific suite, I can pull them through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Crystal Blu

The amenity package is short but includes something rare for this corner: an outdoor pool on the amenity level, alongside a gym, party room and concierge. An outdoor pool is a summer feature in Toronto, so value it accordingly, and remember that every owner pays for it year-round.

Jatin’s honest take on Crystal Blu

Crystal Blu — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.