Danny Danforth, 2369 Danforth Ave: A New 10-Storey Mid-Rise in the East End

Danny Danforth is the newest thing on this stretch of the Danforth, and it is built for people who want a new suite on the subway line without paying downtown prices. It is a 10-storey, 140-suite mid-rise from 2023, the first Toronto condo by GALA Developments. The suites are mostly compact, so the decision comes down to layout and outdoor space. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A first condo from a family construction business

GALA Developments is the development arm of TGA Group, a family-owned construction and leasing company based in North York. GALA was set up to develop land that TGA had built up over the years, and Danny Danforth was its first Toronto condominium. TGA’s own construction team is part of the picture, with Corebuild Construction named as construction manager.

A first project cuts both ways. There is no long track record of finished GALA buildings to look at, but the builder also had every reason to get its debut right. Since the building is only a few years old, ask how the deficiency list and Tarion warranty claims were handled, and read the performance audit if the corporation has received one.

One detail is unusual. UrbanToronto reported that GALA kept 35 of the 140 suites as rentals, managed through TGA. That makes the developer a significant owner in the corporation, with votes and a share of the fees. It is not a problem in itself, but you should know who your largest co-owner is.

Compact suites, but most of them have outdoor space

Suites range from about 341 to 969 square feet. That covers studios, one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens and two-bedrooms, with the smaller sizes making up much of the building. At the bottom of the range, this is a pied-à-terre or a first home, not a place to raise a family.

The trade-off is outdoor space. Coverage before completion said nearly 90 per cent of suites have a balcony or terrace, and UrbanToronto describes large windows and generous terraces with city and lake views on the upper floors. Ground-floor suites have private patios. In a small suite, a usable terrace changes how big the home feels.

Onespace Unlimited handled both the architecture and the interiors, so the suites and common areas were designed by the same team. The exterior uses a mix of materials and colours to break up the mass, which suits a ten-storey building on a street of two- and three-storey shops.

The common areas aim higher than the suite sizes suggest. The lobby is double height and was designed to feel like a boutique hotel, with a painting of the Danforth skyline by Toronto artist Marco Sassone. The building also runs on the 1VALET smart building system which handles building access through residents’ phones; ask the manager how it works before you move in.

What the fee covers, and what it doesn’t

Each suite is billed separately for its energy use, according to UrbanToronto. That keeps the fee lower, but it means your hydro and heating or cooling costs are on you, so ask the seller for a year of utility bills before you compare buildings.

Internet is included for owners and tenants, which is a real saving in a building of small suites, many of them likely rented. Condos.ca does not publish the full list of fee inclusions, so confirm building insurance, water and parking in the status certificate.

The building has three levels of underground parking. Not every suite will have a space, especially the smaller ones, so check whether a space and a locker come with the suite you are considering. Secure bicycle parking is also provided.

This stretch of the Danforth

The building sits on Danforth Avenue East, roughly midway between Woodbine and Main Street stations on Line 2, with the Danforth GO station also in the area. Coverage gives the address as 2359 Danforth, while condos.ca uses 2369; they are the same building. The panel beside this review shows the transit times.

This part of the Danforth is quieter and more local than Greektown to the west. You get a Sobeys next door, independent shops and grocers along the same stretch, and the ground-floor retail in the building itself, where F45 has taken two of the four units. It is a practical, everyday street rather than a destination one.

The building itself is a sign of where this stretch is heading: a ten-storey mid-rise replacing low-rise frontage on the avenue. If more follow, that brings more shops and services, but also more construction and more competing resale stock, so factor that into how long you plan to hold.

Price per square foot and the small-suite question

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $855 per square foot. That is new-building pricing for the east end, below downtown towers and above older buildings nearby. In a building of compact suites, price per square foot runs higher on the smallest units, so compare like with like.

Rental activity is high relative to sales. In the data I reviewed there was one suite for sale and six for rent, which fits a building where the developer kept 35 rentals and many buyers were investors. For an owner-occupier, that means you will share the building with plenty of tenants; for an investor, it means competition for tenants.

Pre-construction buyers paid from the high $400,000s to just under $1 million when the building sold out, according to RENX. Resale buyers now compare against those original prices and against newer launches nearby. Use the panel’s sales figures for the current picture, and ask me for a building sold report before you make an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at Danny Danforth

For a 140-suite mid-rise, the amenity package is practical rather than showy: a gym, a party room that opens to a terrace, a work lounge and a pet wash. The co-working space and included internet matter most if you work from a small suite.

Jatin’s honest take on Danny Danforth

Danny Danforth — 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.