Ellipse West Tower, 36 Lee Centre Dr: Pool, Sauna and Utilities In

Ellipse West Tower is the building I suggest to buyers who want a pool and a concierge in Scarborough without paying new-tower prices. It is a 34-storey, 387-suite tower from 2004 on Lee Centre Drive near Scarborough Town Centre, one of a matched pair with Ellipse East next door. The subway extension coming to this part of Scarborough is the long-term story. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of two Ellipse towers

Lee Development Group built Ellipse as a two-tower project on Lee Centre Drive, with the West Tower at 36 and the East Tower at 38. They share a name, a builder and a site, but check whether they share a corporation and amenities before you assume anything, because that affects fees, rules and who you are paying to maintain the pool.

At 34 storeys, the West Tower rises well above the low-rise neighbourhoods to the north and east, so upper floors can have long open views. Which direction a suite faces matters a great deal here, both for the view and for noise from Highway 401 and the surrounding roads.

The building is about 22 years old. That puts it into the stage where elevators, windows, the garage, the pool equipment and the heating and cooling plant need major spending, so the reserve fund study is the most important document you will read.

Suites from compact to family size

Suites run from about 478 square feet to about 1,116 square feet. That covers compact one-bedrooms for first-time buyers and investors, through to two-bedroom plans large enough for a small family.

Plans from the early 2000s generally have more conventional layouts than today’s compact suites, with a defined entry and a kitchen that is more than a single wall.

If you are buying to rent, the smaller suites are the easiest to lease near a major employment and shopping centre. If you are buying to live, the larger plans give you more room for the money than most newer compact suites.

In a 387-suite tower, elevator capacity and the move-in process matter day to day. Ask management how many elevators serve the building, how moves are booked and whether any elevator modernization is planned in the reserve fund study.

Heat and cooling in the fee, parking separate

The fee covers common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance and water. Your suite’s hydro is on you. Parking is not on the inclusion list, so confirm whether a space comes with the suite and whether it has its own monthly charge.

Across the two current listings, fees ran from about $460 to $568 a month. Condos.ca’s per-foot figure from those listings came out at about $1.36, which looks high to me against the suite sizes; working from the size bands, I would expect something closer to a dollar a foot. Ask for the corporation’s fee schedule and budget before you rely on either number.

Heating, cooling, a pool and a sauna are all expensive to run in a 34-storey building, and every owner pays for them through the fee. Look at the fee history over the last five years to see whether increases have been steady or sudden. Steady, modest increases usually mean a board that plans ahead; a flat fee followed by a big jump often means catching up.

Living near Scarborough Town Centre

Lee Centre Drive sits in the commercial and residential cluster around Scarborough Town Centre, near Corporate Drive and McCowan Road. The mall, offices and surrounding retail make this one of the more convenient places in Scarborough for daily errands, and Highway 401 is close for drivers.

Transit is in transition. Line 3, the old Scarborough RT, closed in 2023, and a dedicated busway on its route was set to open on 30 September 2026, linking Kennedy Station with Scarborough Town Centre in about 15 minutes. That busway runs until the Line 2 subway extension opens, expected around 2030, with stations at Scarborough Centre and at Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road.

For an owner planning to hold for five years or more, the subway arriving in this part of Scarborough is the most important long-term factor for value. The panel on this page shows the routes and stops available today.

What suites ask, and the value case

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $621 per square foot. Two suites were for sale when I checked, asking from $350,000 to $399,000.

That is reasonable for a tower with an indoor pool, sauna and concierge, close to a major shopping centre and a future subway station. When you compare it with newer towers around the Town Centre, check whether their fees include heat and cooling; if they don’t, add those bills back before you decide which is cheaper.

Two listings is a thin sample in a 387-suite building, so don’t read too much into the current asking range. Sold data over the past year is a far better guide to where a fair price sits, and it will show whether suites here are selling quickly or sitting.

Compare this building with Ellipse East and with other Town Centre towers of the same era, then adjust for fees, parking and the reserve fund. My building sold report shows what has actually traded here.

Building specifications

Amenities at Ellipse West Tower

An indoor pool and sauna make this a year-round amenity package, with a gym, concierge and security guard rounding it out. For anyone who would otherwise pay for a gym or swim membership, that offsets part of the fee. A pool is also one of the costliest amenities to keep running, so ask when the pool and its equipment were last refurbished and what the reserve fund sets aside for them.

Jatin’s honest take on Ellipse West Tower

Ellipse West Tower — frequently asked questions

Looking at Scarborough Bluffs, West Hill, Guildwood, Woburn, Malvern and Rouge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.