East 3220 Condos, 3220 Sheppard Ave E: A 2022 Tower With Lots of Choice

East 3220 Condos is a building where you, the buyer, currently have the leverage. It is a 2022 Quadcam tower on Sheppard just east of Warden, mostly one-bedrooms, with fees per square foot below most new buildings nearby, and when I reviewed it there were 18 suites for sale. That much supply is an opportunity and a warning at the same time. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A long road to a finished building

The project began as a 2012 proposal on a large undeveloped site just east of Warden, and it was revised more than once before Quadcam resubmitted it for site plan approval in 2017. Along the way the City asked for a lower height along Sheppard, and the tower was reduced to the 18 storeys you see today, about 63 metres.

Burka Architects and KFA Architects and Planners designed the building, with Cosburn Nauboris as landscape architect. The revised design replaced red brick and green glass with a charcoal brick podium, off-white spandrel panels and clear glass in the suite windows, which gives it a cleaner, darker look than the earlier plan.

One detail from the planning file is reassuring. City staff had raised concerns about the below-grade structure, and the redesign confirmed a watertight underground garage. That does not replace an engineering review, but it shows the issue was looked at before construction.

Mostly one-bedrooms

The planned mix was about 60 percent one-bedrooms, 38 percent two-bedrooms and a handful of bachelors. Condos.ca records suites from about 456 to 1,063 square feet, so the range runs from compact studios up to larger two-bedroom plans.

That mix shapes who lives here: first-time buyers, singles, couples and investors. The current listings follow the same pattern, with studios, one-plus-dens and two-bedrooms all available, and the one-plus-dens most common.

The design pairs the tower with an elongated six-storey podium at the south end of the site. Ask which side a suite faces before you compare prices, because views and street noise differ a lot between the Sheppard frontage and the back of the site.

With this many compact plans, storage is the detail buyers underestimate. Check closet space in the floor plan and ask where the locker is, if there is one. In a 456 square foot studio, a good locker can be the difference between a suite that works and one that feels cramped.

Parking and no retail

The 2017 plan called for three underground parking levels with 261 spaces, 226 for residents and 35 for visitors. That is close to one resident space per suite, which is generous for a building of mostly one-bedrooms. Confirm whether a specific suite comes with a space and a locker.

Unlike Wish Condos at Sheppard and Pharmacy, East 3220 has no shops at grade. The planning report said retail was left out because this stretch of Sheppard sees relatively little foot traffic. In practice that means a quieter entrance and lobby, but you will drive or take the bus for groceries and errands. The data panel shows nearby stores, transit and Walk Score.

What 18 listings means

When I reviewed the building there were 18 suites for sale and only 5 for lease, in a building of 234 suites. That is a high share of the building on the market at once.

There are a few common reasons for this in a building this new: buyers who purchased before construction and are now selling, investors whose rent does not cover carrying costs, or owners who closed and now want something larger. None of them is a problem in the building itself, but more supply means more competition for sellers.

For a buyer, that is leverage. You can compare several similar suites, negotiate on price and closing date, and walk away from a layout you do not love. For an investor, it is a reminder to check what similar suites actually rent for before buying.

Sellers in a crowded building should think the other way around. If you own here and want to sell, pricing against the other listings matters more than the building average, and presentation does too. A clean, well-staged suite with parking will usually sell ahead of a similar one without.

Prices and fees

Condos.ca puts the building’s average at about $727 per square foot. The seven active listings I could see asked from $329,000 to $563,000, which reflects the wide range of suite sizes more than anything else.

Fees on those listings were mostly between $264 and $583 a month, and the average across active listings works out to about $0.69 per square foot. One listing showed a placeholder fee, so I left it out. That is one of the lower fee levels among the newer Scarborough buildings I have reviewed.

Condos.ca does not list what the fee includes. Before you compare East 3220’s lower fee with buildings that include heat, cooling or parking, ask the listing agent and read the status certificate. A low fee that covers less is not necessarily cheaper to live with.

A low fee in a young building can also mean the budget is lean. Look at the reserve fund study to see whether contributions are on track; it is better to know now than to face a sharp increase after a few years.

For a sense of the corridor, Wish Condos at Sheppard and Pharmacy averaged about $760 per square foot with fees around $0.86 per foot on its listings. East 3220 is cheaper on both measures, though Wish includes retail at its base and has more two-bedroom plans. Which matters more depends on whether you are buying a first home or something to grow into.

Building specifications

Amenities at East 3220 Condos

Condos.ca lists a gym, a party room and guest suites. It is a basic package, but a smaller amenity list usually helps keep fees down, which matters in a building of mostly one-bedrooms.

Jatin’s honest take on East 3220 Condos

East 3220 Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.