Discovery 2 at Concord Park Place, 15-33 Singer Crt: First-Phase Value

Discovery 2 is where a lot of first-time buyers end up when they want a newer tower on the Sheppard subway line without paying Yonge and Sheppard prices. It was part of the first finished phase of Concord Park Place, the large Concord Adex community at Sheppard and Leslie, and it has had more than a decade to show how it holds up. The suites are compact, the fee is sensible and the supply is deep, which is both its strength and its weakness. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The first phase of a master-planned community

Concord Park Place is Concord Adex’s multi-phase community on the former industrial lands near Sheppard and Leslie, just north of the 401. The Discovery buildings were the first phase to finish. UrbanToronto’s 2012 coverage describes towers between 12 and 28 storeys around the corner of Provost Drive and Esther Shiner Boulevard, with townhomes fronting Singer Court, a courtyard and a piazza with planned retail.

The naming is confusing, so be precise when you look at listings. Condos.ca records this corporation, TSCC-2231, as 28 storeys and 600 suites, with listings at 15, 29 and 33 Singer Court. The project description on the same site gives 1,131 suites for the Discovery development as a whole. If you are comparing two suites, check which corporation each one belongs to, because fees, rules and reserve funds are set separately.

Being first in a master-planned community has a particular history. Early owners lived beside construction for years as later phases went up around them, and that is largely behind this building now. What remains is the benefit: a mature tower with a decade of records, surrounded by newer phases that have filled in the streets around it. Ask in the status certificate whether this corporation shares any facilities or costs with neighbouring Concord corporations, because shared agreements are common in phased communities.

Dark glass and coloured podiums

Discovery stands out from most North York towers of its generation for its glass. UrbanToronto noted in 2010 that the towers used dark glass, which was unusual in the area, while the amenity base, including the swimming pool, was clad in multiple colours. The courtyard was also designed around a public art installation called “Summer Clouds”, and another piece runs along the white concrete walls of the base.

Sources differ on the architect. UrbanToronto’s 2012 article credits Roland Rom Colthoff, while its 2010 article and project listing credit Quadrangle Architects, now BDP Quadrangle, with Cecconi Simone on interiors. Both firms worked on Concord’s communities, so it is possible both were involved at different stages. I would not lean on either name in a buying decision.

Interiors were done in Concord’s typical style for 2012: open-plan kitchens, floor-to-ceiling glass and compact footprints. I could not confirm ceiling heights for this phase, so check them on the floor plan of the suite you are looking at.

Compact suites built for the first purchase

The Discovery development was marketed with suites from about 445 to 1,721 square feet, but most of what trades here is small. Nearly all of the suites for sale when I checked were one-bedrooms and one-bedroom-plus-dens between 500 and 800 square feet, with a couple of two-bedroom-plus-dens around 900 square feet.

That mix makes Discovery 2 a first-purchase and investor building. Tenants like it for the same reasons owners do: a newer tower, a pool and gym, and the subway nearby. With 13 suites for sale and eight for lease when I checked, you have real choice and real competition. Buyers can negotiate. Sellers need to present well and price carefully, because there is always a similar suite a few floors away.

Sheppard and Leslie, a decade on

When Discovery was finished, UrbanToronto pointed to the Canadian Tire on Sheppard and the original IKEA nearby as the main shopping, and that big-box character still defines a lot of daily errands here.

What has changed is the community around it. Later Concord Park Place phases have filled in the land around Discovery, and the area now feels like a neighbourhood rather than a construction site. The trade-off is the 401: towers this close to the highway hear it, so check the exposure of any suite you are considering. The data panel on this page shows the subway stations, schools, parks and food nearby.

Price per square foot and what the fee covers

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $687 per square foot. That is below the Yonge and Sheppard core, where newer towers such as Hullmark Centre and Minto 88 average in the high $700s to high $800s, and roughly in line with Tango 2 elsewhere in the Concord Park Place area at about $728. You are paying less for being further from Yonge, and for small suites in a building with a lot of supply.

Fees on active listings averaged about $0.90 per square foot, with monthly fees across the eight sale listings I checked ranging from about $459 to $928. Condos.ca lists air conditioning, common elements, building insurance, water and heat as included. Parking is not on that list, so ask whether a space comes with the suite and how it is billed. Hydro is on you, and on a small suite that is a modest monthly bill, but include it when you compare carrying costs with an older all-inclusive building.

Asking prices across those eight active listings ran from about $389,000 to $585,000. The data panel on this page shows recent sales and leases for the building.

Building specifications

Amenities at Discovery 2 at Concord Park Place

The pool sits in the colourful amenity podium, and with a gym, concierge and guest suites it covers what a first-time buyer or tenant actually uses. With this many suites sharing the facilities, the per-suite cost of running a pool stays manageable.

Jatin’s honest take on Discovery 2 at Concord Park Place

Discovery 2 at Concord Park Place — 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.