East Station Townhomes, 2789 Eglinton Ave E: Mattamy Stacked Towns

East Station is what I show buyers who want to stop renting in Scarborough without taking on a tower. It is a low-rise Mattamy Homes stacked townhouse community at Eglinton and Danforth Road, finished around 2020, with fees well below what most condo apartments in the city charge. The catch is the usual one with stacked towns: stairs, shared walls above or below you, and a fee that is low partly because there is very little to pay for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

From a bowling alley site to stacked towns

Before Mattamy, this corner held aging two-storey commercial buildings, including the Eglinton Inn and All-Star Bowling. UrbanToronto covered the original 2018 proposal, which needed a rezoning to turn the strip into housing.

What got built is smaller than what was first proposed. The 2018 plan called for 198 homes in six four-storey blocks. UrbanToronto’s project database now shows 182 units in five buildings with a maximum height of about 14.5 metres, and condos.ca lists three storeys and 182 units. That is a normal evolution through approvals, but it means early marketing material does not describe the finished project.

The design is by Kohn Partnership Architects and the grounds by NAK Design Strategies. The 2018 plan separated the blocks with walkways, lawns and trees rather than driveways, which is the layout that gives stacked towns a calmer, courtyard feel.

How the layouts work

Condos.ca puts suite sizes between about 512 and 1,201 square feet. The 2018 proposal mixed one-bedrooms, two-bedroom-plus-dens and a large share of three-bedroom and three-bedroom-plus-den plans, so this is a newer project with real family-sized options at a condo price, which is harder to find in Scarborough than one-bedroom towers.

In a stacked townhouse, the lower suite usually sits on one or two levels near grade and the upper suite is a two-level plan reached by stairs, often with a rooftop terrace. That means some buyers here are signing up for two or three flights of stairs every day with groceries. If you have mobility concerns, an older parent visiting or a stroller, look hard at the lower units.

Ask about the outdoor space in the specific suite you are viewing. Terraces and patios are the main lifestyle feature in this kind of building, and some are exclusive-use common elements rather than owned space, which affects what you can install or change.

Parking, storage and the garage

The 2018 proposal planned a single underground garage across the whole site with one resident space for every home, 36 visitor spaces and 135 long-term bicycle spaces. I could not confirm the final numbers after the redesign, so check whether the unit you want comes with a deeded or assigned spot rather than assuming it.

One underground garage serving several blocks of stacked towns is efficient, but it is also one of the larger long-term costs in this building type. The garage membrane, drainage and ventilation all age, and they are paid for by the corporation. That is the line I would read first in the reserve fund study.

Storage is the other question. Stacked towns rarely have the storage lockers that apartment buildings offer, so ask whether the suite has a locker, and look at how much closet space the plan really gives you.

Life at Eglinton and Danforth Road

This is a working part of Scarborough, not a polished one. Eglinton Avenue East is a wide, busy arterial, and Danforth Road runs off it at an angle. Living here means you are close to everyday shopping and bus routes but also to traffic, so a suite set back inside the site will be quieter than one on the Eglinton edge.

The appeal is the price point and the format. For a first-time buyer or a young family, it is a way to own a newer home with its own front door in the city at a cost that is hard to match in a tower further west. The data panel on this page shows transit, schools and nearby parks.

Before you commit, visit at the times you would actually be coming and going. Rush hour on Eglinton, a weekday evening and a Saturday will tell you more about noise, parking for visitors and how the courtyards are used than a mid-afternoon showing ever will.

I would also look at which way the suite faces. Units that open onto the interior walkways tend to feel more private, while those on the Eglinton or Danforth Road frontage trade some quiet for easier access and more light. Neither is wrong, but the difference shows up in both daily life and resale.

Low fees, entry-level asking prices

When I checked, there were four units listed for sale and six for lease. Active asking prices ranged from about $389,000 to about $595,000, which keeps East Station among the more accessible condo-title options in the city.

Fees across those active listings ranged from about $310 to $520 a month, and condos.ca works out the active average at about $0.55 per square foot. That is low, and it reflects the building type: no elevators, no concierge and no large amenity floor to run.

Low fees are only good news if the reserve fund is healthy. In a building finished around 2020, the early fee was set by the developer, and a few years in is when the first full reserve fund study update can show whether contributions need to rise. Compare the fee against the study, not against the tower down the street. My building sold report shows recorded sales here.

Building specifications

Amenities at East Station Townhomes

There is no amenity floor here, and that is the trade. You get landscaped paths between the blocks and, in many suites, private outdoor space, instead of a gym and party room you would be paying for in your fee.

Jatin’s honest take on East Station Townhomes

East Station Townhomes — frequently asked questions

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