Glen Elm, 30 Glen Elm Ave: A Quiet 40-Suite Low-Rise in Moore Park

Glen Elm is the building I point to when someone wants Yonge and St. Clair without a tower. It is a 1980 brick low-rise of just 40 suites on a quiet Moore Park street, with a live-in superintendent and green space behind it. Before you buy, understand the heating, because it is the one thing that will surprise you on the bills. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A brick low-rise on a residential street

Glen Elm is a small brick apartment-style condominium of 40 suites, set on a quiet side street of houses rather than on Yonge itself. The condos.ca profile records three floors, while suite numbering and listing descriptions point to a low-rise of about that height, served by two elevators.

Listing descriptions mention a secure entrance, a lobby with high ceilings, landscaped grounds and a live-in superintendent. In a building of this size, a resident superintendent makes a real difference: small problems get fixed quickly, and someone knows the building inside out.

Listings also describe the property as backing onto the Mount Pleasant park system. Green space behind a building is the kind of thing that does not show on a floor plan but matters every day, especially for the suites that face it.

Suite sizes for downsizers

Recorded suites run from about 812 to 2,356 square feet, which is a wide range for 40 units. The smaller suites suit a single buyer or a couple who want a quiet midtown base; the largest are full-sized homes for people leaving a house nearby.

This is a 1980 building, and suites of that era tend to have more defined rooms than today’s open plans, with more wall space for furniture. Interiors vary from original to fully renovated, and that, more than size, is what separates one suite from the next.

If you plan to renovate, ask the property manager for the building’s renovation and flooring rules early. Many older low-rises require approved underlay for hard flooring to control noise between floors, and some restrict when and how work can be done. Knowing that before you buy avoids an awkward first conversation with the board.

Lockable storage is part of the package according to listings, and the condos.ca profile adds bike storage. For downsizers moving out of a house, storage is often the deciding factor, so confirm exactly what comes with the suite.

Electric heat, and what the fee really covers

Listing descriptions note central air conditioning and electric baseboard heating. That matters, because heat is not in the fee. The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking, water and cable TV, but your hydro bill carries the cost of heating the suite through the winter.

For a larger suite, electric heating can be a meaningful monthly expense. Ask the seller for a full year of hydro bills, not just a summer month, and build that into your comparison with buildings whose fees include heat.

The upside is control. You set your own temperature, and the building is not carrying the cost of an old central boiler on everyone’s behalf. But anyone comparing fees alone will underestimate what this building costs to live in.

Cable TV in the fee is a small bonus, but most owners now pay separately for internet, so ask which providers serve the building before you assume you can keep your current plan.

Moore Park near Yonge and St. Clair

Glen Elm Avenue sits in the pocket between Yonge Street and the ravines and parks to the east. You are a short walk from the shops, restaurants and services around Yonge and St. Clair, but the street itself is residential and calm.

That contrast is the point of this building. The towers bring more people, restaurants and services to the intersection, which you benefit from, while Glen Elm keeps the scale of a residential street. If daily life for you means walking to transit, groceries and a coffee, and then coming home to quiet, this location delivers both.

The Yonge and St. Clair area has seen a wave of new towers in recent years. Living in a low-rise on a side street gives you access to all of that without living in it. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools, Walk Score and nearby parks.

Pricing: midtown address, older-building price

The condos.ca building average is about $816 per square foot. That is well below the newer towers at Yonge and St. Clair, which typically trade at a significant premium for new finishes and amenities. Here you are buying space, quiet and a well-kept older building rather than a new one.

There were no suites listed for sale or lease at the time of writing. In a 40-suite building, listings are sporadic, and the building average can move noticeably with a single sale. I compare it with other older low-rise condominiums in Moore Park, Deer Park and Summerhill when I price a suite here.

One practical tip for buyers searching online: some listings for this building appear to have been entered under a shortened street name, 30 Elm Avenue, while still showing the Moore Park location. If you are setting up alerts, search for both, or you may miss a suite when it comes up.

Building specifications

Amenities at Glen Elm

The amenities are modest but practical: a gym, sauna and party room, a car wash bay, bike storage and lockers. The live-in superintendent is the feature residents of small buildings tend to value most. There is no pool or concierge desk, which helps keep shared costs focused on the building itself.

Jatin’s honest take on Glen Elm

Glen Elm — frequently asked questions

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