Emerald City I, 70 Forest Manor Rd: The First Tower at Don Mills Station

Emerald City I is the building that started a neighbourhood. When it opened in 2014, the corner of Don Mills and Sheppard was mostly ageing rental slabs and a mall parking lot; today it is the anchor of a multi-tower community with a subway station at the door. The question for a buyer now is not whether the location works, but how a ten-year-old first phase compares with the newer towers around it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The tower that started Emerald City

Emerald City is a planned community, not a single building. Elad Canada set out to replace part of the old Parkway Forest rental lands with a series of condo towers, and in 2013 UrbanToronto reported that the first tower, the one at 70 Forest Manor Road, was about to top off and would be the first to open. Emerald City II at 66 Forest Manor and Dream Tower at 62 Forest Manor followed close behind.

Those first three towers were planned together as roughly 1,200 suites, with WZMH Architects as architect and GNA Interior Design on the interiors. By 2014 UrbanToronto described all three as essentially complete and occupied, and Elad had already moved on to a second trio of towers to the south along Don Mills Road.

The developer name confuses people. Condos.ca lists Almadev, while every piece of launch coverage says Elad Canada. They are the same builder under a newer name, so expect to see either on documents for this building.

One door from Don Mills station

The location is the reason this community works. UrbanToronto’s 2013 coverage put Emerald City one door away from Don Mills station, the eastern end of Line 4 Sheppard, with Fairview Mall a short walk away and the Don Valley Parkway and Highway 401 next door. For a commuter who drives some days and takes the subway on others, few North York addresses are this flexible.

The site also sits high. UrbanToronto noted that it is one of the highest points in North York, which is why mid and upper floors here look west to the North York Centre towers and south toward downtown. If the view matters to you, ask which direction the suite faces and what has been approved on the neighbouring lots.

The trade-off is that Don Mills and Sheppard is a busy, car-shaped intersection. Errands mean Fairview Mall rather than a main street of small shops. The data panel beside this review shows the exact transit and walking details.

Parkway Forest around you

The redevelopment brought public pieces with it. In 2014 UrbanToronto reported that the new Parkway Forest Community Centre, about 50,000 square feet with a gym, a YMCA-run daycare, a rooftop garden and an outdoor pool, was about to open next to the towers. Douglas Coupland’s Four Seasons public art, a cluster of tall coloured cones, marks the community.

Living here means living in a neighbourhood that is still filling in. Emerald City added later phases to the south, and the remaining older rental buildings of Parkway Forest are part of the same story. Expect cranes on and off for years, and weigh that against the fact that the amenities around you keep improving.

Because the towers were planned together, some facilities, roads or garage ramps may be shared between corporations. Ask whether TSCC-2368 has a shared facilities agreement with its neighbours, and read it with the status certificate so you know which costs you carry.

Suites, and a data point to check

Condos.ca gives a suite range of about 539 to 1,005 square feet. That is mostly one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens and two-bedrooms, and almost every current listing is a one-plus-den, which tells you how the tower was sold: to first-time buyers, young couples and investors.

One caution. Condos.ca shows exactly the same storey count, suite count and size range for Emerald City I and Emerald City II, which looks like a duplicated record rather than two identical towers. Before you rely on any figure for a reserve fund comparison, confirm the suite count from the status certificate or the corporation’s budget.

In a one-plus-den, check whether the den has a door and a window or is simply an alcove off the living room. That single detail moves rent and resale more than the extra 50 square feet does.

What it costs to buy and hold here

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $736 per square foot. That sits close to Emerald City II and the Heron’s Hill towers across the 404, and below the newest towers in the community, which is about what you would expect for a ten-year-old first phase.

Seven suites were listed for sale when I checked, asking from $466,000 to $698,000. With that many similar one-plus-dens on the market at once, buyers have room to compare and negotiate, and sellers are competing with each other.

Fees on the current listings average about $0.94 per square foot, or roughly $515 to $863 a month. That looks high next to a brand-new tower, but the fee here covers heat, air conditioning, water and parking. Add a parking charge and your own heating and cooling bills back onto a cheaper-looking building before you compare.

The best comparables for a suite here are inside Emerald City itself. Emerald City II, Dream Tower and the later phases all share the subway, the mall and the community centre, so differences in price per square foot mostly come down to age, floor, view and fee. The sales data panel on this page shows what has actually traded.

Building specifications

Amenities at Emerald City I

An indoor pool and a gym in the building, with the Parkway Forest Community Centre next door, means most residents never need a separate gym membership. Ask whether the pool is shared with the neighbouring Emerald City towers and how busy it gets in the evening.

Jatin’s honest take on Emerald City I

Emerald City I — 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.