Emerald Park Condos, 9 & 11 Bogert Ave: Towers on the Subway

Emerald Park is the building I name first when a buyer tells me they never want to walk outside to reach the subway. Its two towers sit on a retail podium at Yonge and Sheppard that was built with direct access to Sheppard-Yonge station, where Line 1 meets Line 4. It is big, busy and convenient, and the fee is better than its size suggests. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two towers, one podium, and the subway underneath

Emerald Park is two towers joined by a three-storey mixed-use podium on the southwest side of Yonge and Sheppard. UrbanToronto’s 2011 groundbreaking report said the podium was designed with direct access to the subway, and its 2015 completion report described direct access to Sheppard-Yonge station on Lines 1 and 4.

That connection is what you are paying for. Very few towers in North York let you go from your elevator to the platform without crossing a street, and it is the feature that keeps this building at the top of commuters’ lists.

Architect Rosario (Roy) Varacalli designed the towers and told UrbanToronto that the design drew on blades of grass. The name and the design idea go together, and the towers read as a matched pair from Yonge Street. TMG Builders was named as the builder at the groundbreaking.

Who built it, and why the numbers differ

Condos.ca lists Plaza as the developer. UrbanToronto’s coverage names a partnership of Bazis International, Metropia and Plaza, with Baker Real Estate handling sales. All three firms were involved; Plaza is simply the name condos.ca shows.

The size figures also differ by source. Condos.ca gives 40 storeys and 573 suites. UrbanToronto reported 42 and 32 storeys at groundbreaking, 42 and 33 storeys at completion, and 564 residential units. I would treat the taller tower as roughly 40-plus storeys and the suite count as between 564 and 573, and check the declaration if the exact number matters to you.

Condos.ca did not publish a suite size range for the building. Most of the suites listed when I checked were two-bedroom-plus-den plans between 800 and 999 square feet, with a few one-bedrooms between 500 and 699 square feet. Ask for the floor plan, and check whether the den is an enclosed room or an open nook, because that changes who the suite works for.

The two towers carry separate street addresses, 9 and 11 Bogert, but condos.ca lists one corporation, TSCC-2501. One corporation means one budget, one reserve fund and one board for both towers, which is simpler than the shared-facilities arrangements at many multi-tower sites.

Amenities on the fourth floor

The amenity floor sits on the fourth level of the podium. UrbanToronto’s 2015 report listed an exercise facility, social lounges, steam rooms and change rooms, an indoor pool and whirlpool, two games rooms with bars, two party rooms, an outdoor terrace, and a rooftop garden and lounge.

Condos.ca’s current list is shorter: concierge, gym, indoor pool and party room. The difference is likely just how much each source records, but walk the floor and confirm what is open.

With two party rooms and two games rooms, bookings are less of a fight than in buildings that have one room for several hundred suites. That matters more here than usual, because a building of this size has a lot of residents competing for the same spaces.

Living above a retail podium

The podium was designed for retail facing Yonge Street and Beecroft Road. UrbanToronto reported in 2015 that the tenants were to include an Adonis grocery store and an LCBO, along with smaller shops. Tenants change, so check what is open today, but having groceries in the base of your building is a real daily convenience.

The trade-off is activity. You are at one of North York’s busiest intersections, with buses, deliveries and foot traffic around the base. Suites higher up and on the quieter sides tend to suit people who are sensitive to noise; try the suite at rush hour before you buy.

The data panel on this page lists the transit, schools, parks and food around the building. North York Centre, with Mel Lastman Square and the civic buildings, is further north up Yonge, and the whole corridor between the two has kept adding towers.

What it costs, and what the fee buys

Condos.ca did not publish a building average price per square foot when I checked, so use the sold data panel on this page as your main guide to value.

There were eight suites for sale when I checked, asking between $470,000 and $720,000. That is a healthy number of listings, which gives you real choice and real comparables, and it is typical of a building with more than 560 suites.

Those listings work out to about $0.91 per square foot in maintenance fees, and the fee includes air conditioning, heat, building insurance, parking and water. For a building with a pool, steam rooms, a subway connection and concierge, that is a reasonable fee in this neighbourhood.

One thing I would model: subway-connected buildings usually command a premium over towers a few blocks away. Make sure the premium you are paying here is one you will use every day. If you drive to work, a tower without the connection may give you more space for the money.

Also look at the spread of fees across suite sizes. In the current listings, the fee per square foot was fairly even from the smaller suites to the larger ones, which suggests a straightforward allocation. Confirm your suite’s share of the common expenses in the status certificate.

Building specifications

Amenities at Emerald Park Condos

The pool, whirlpool and steam rooms make this a full-service building, and having two of each party and games room helps in a community this size. The amenity that changes daily life, though, is the connection to Sheppard-Yonge station through the podium.

Jatin’s honest take on Emerald Park Condos

Emerald Park Condos — 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.