Grandview at Northtown, 88 Grandview Way: Gated, Tridel-Built, Big Suites

Grandview at Northtown is one of the oldest buildings in the Northtown enclave east of Yonge and south of Finch, and that age is exactly why I point certain buyers to it. You get a Tridel-built mid-rise inside a gated, landscaped community, suites that start above 700 square feet, and prices per foot below most of the taller towers around it. You also get a 30-year-old building, so the homework matters. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An early building in a gated enclave

Northtown is a cluster of condominiums built from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s on the streets east of Yonge between Sheppard and Finch: Grandview Way, Northtown Way, Sommerset Way and McKee Avenue. Grandview, registered in 1996, is one of the first. The buildings that came after, such as Sommerset at Northtown, Triomphe and Grande Triomphe, are all taller, from 16 to 31 storeys.

A recent listing describes the property as a Tridel building within a gated community with 24-hour security and landscaped grounds. Gated condos are uncommon in the city, and in daily life it means fewer people cutting through, a calmer front entrance and more green space around the building than you would get on Yonge itself.

At 12 storeys, Grandview is also a mid-rise by Northtown standards. With 156 suites, that is about 13 suites a floor. You give up the long views of the 30-storey towers nearby, but you get shorter elevator waits and a building that feels less like a hotel.

Bigger suites, and those solarium dens

Suites start at about 702 square feet and run up to about 1,696, so there are no studios and few small one-bedrooms. Many of the suites that come up are one-bedroom-plus-dens and two-bedrooms, with some large two-bedroom-plus-dens and three-bedrooms at the top of the range.

One recent listing was a high-floor corner suite with three bedrooms plus a solarium den behind French doors, a fireplace and ceramic floors throughout. Solarium dens are common in North York condos of this era. They make a good office or nursery because of the light, but they are often colder in winter and warmer in summer than the rest of the suite, so stand in one before you decide how you would use it.

Suites have forced-air gas heating and central air, according to listings. That usually means a furnace or fan coil inside the suite, so ask how old yours is, when it was last serviced and whether the corporation or the owner is responsible for it.

Parking in the fee, utilities not

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed, which fits with suites heated by their own forced-air systems. Budget for your own utilities on top of the fee, and ask a seller for a year of bills, since large corner suites with solariums cost more to heat and cool.

The three suites listed when I checked averaged about $1.01 per square foot in fees. For a 30-year-old building with a gated site, a security guard and a car wash bay, that is not unusual, but it is not cheap either once you add utilities.

Parking is underground, with visitor parking both at surface and below grade. One listing came with two parking spaces near the elevator, which is the kind of detail that makes a real difference with groceries or a stroller. Lockers are listed among the amenities, but confirm whether the suite you are buying actually has one.

Daily life east of Yonge and Finch

Grandview Way sits one block east of Yonge, south of Finch. Listings point to a Metro and a Loblaws, parks, banks, restaurants, a library and a community centre within walking distance, and to the subway along Yonge. The data panel on this page has the transit, school and walkability detail.

This is a part of North York that is still changing. More towers have been proposed along Yonge between Sheppard and Finch, and the subway extension north of Finch has been in planning for years. Most of that is good for value, but it means more construction on Yonge over the coming decade.

Inside the Northtown enclave itself, the streets are quiet and largely built out, which is one of its strengths: what you see around you now is likely to be what you see in ten years. The bigger changes are happening on Yonge, a short walk away, rather than outside your window.

Pricing: among the cheaper buildings in Northtown

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $675 per square foot. That is in line with the Marquis at Northtown at about $675 and Parkside at Northtown at about $656, and below Triomphe at about $709, Sommerset at about $749 and Grande Triomphe at about $737. Age, mid-rise height and the absence of a pool all pull it toward the lower end of the group.

The three suites for sale when I checked ranged from $465,000 to $648,000. For suites of 700 square feet and up within walking distance of Yonge and Finch, that is a lot of space for the money compared with newer towers on Yonge.

Use the sold and leased medians in the data panel or my building sold report for a firmer picture. Asking prices tell you what sellers hope for; recent sales tell you what buyers paid.

Building specifications

Amenities at Grandview at Northtown

The amenity list is about security and convenience rather than leisure: a gated site with round-the-clock security, a gym and sauna, a party room, guest suites and a car wash bay. There is no pool, which keeps operating costs lower, and guest suites are useful if family visits for weeks at a time.

Jatin’s honest take on Grandview at Northtown

Grandview at Northtown — frequently asked questions

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