Heathside Place, 447 Walmer Rd: A 71-Suite Forest Hill Condo

Heathside Place is the building I show buyers who are leaving a Forest Hill house and refuse to move into a glass tower. It has 71 suites spread over two low towers on Walmer Road, none of them small, and it feels more like a private residence than a condo. You pay a Forest Hill price per foot for that, and the 1983 construction date is the thing to study closely. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two low towers, 71 suites, no small units

Heathside Place is a pair of towers, 447 and 449 Walmer Road, sharing one condominium corporation. Between them there are only 71 suites. On a street lined with large houses, that scale matters: it reads as part of the neighbourhood rather than an intrusion into it.

There is one discrepancy I want you to know about. Condos.ca records the building at 9 storeys, while its own overview text describes two 8-storey towers. The difference is probably a mezzanine or penthouse level being counted, and one recent listing described a suite as the only unit on its mezzanine floor. It does not change much, but it tells you the floor numbering here is not standard.

The smallest suite on record is about 949 sq ft and the largest about 1,688 sq ft. There are no 450 sq ft investor units here. That is why the building has a stable, owner-occupied feel, and it is also why it rarely has more than a handful of suites on the market at once.

Layouts built for people leaving a house

Heathside was planned in the early 1980s for downsizers, and the floor plans show it. The suites I have seen marketed are two-bedroom, two-bathroom plans with separate living and dining space, a kitchen with a breakfast bar and a primary bedroom with a walk-in closet and ensuite.

Corner suites get floor-to-ceiling glass on two sides, and some lower suites have private patios with a Juliet balcony rather than a full balcony. If outdoor space matters to you, confirm what each suite actually has, because it varies a lot across the two towers.

Parking is generous by Toronto standards. A recent listing came with two underground spaces and an oversized locker set behind one of them. Do not assume every suite has two spaces: check the parking and locker schedule in the status certificate, because in a building this age some spaces are owned units and some are exclusive-use common elements.

Concierge, a rooftop terrace and an amenity list to verify

Day to day, the feature people notice is the 24-hour concierge and security. In a 71-suite building, the front desk knows who you are, and that is a large part of why buyers from nearby houses are comfortable here.

Listing descriptions mention a gym, a sauna and steam room, a party room, visitor parking and a rooftop terrace with views across the city and over Sir Winston Churchill Park. Condos.ca also lists an indoor pool. The recent listing I read did not mention a pool, so ask management to confirm what is still operating before you count on it.

Condos.ca lists the building as pet-friendly. I would still read the declaration and rules for any size or number limits before you make an offer if you have a large dog.

Living on Walmer Road

Walmer Road at this point is a quiet residential street in Forest Hill South, between the St. Clair West strip and the ravine land around Sir Winston Churchill Park. You get the cafés, grocery and restaurants of St. Clair West on foot without living on a main road.

This is not a neighbourhood that changes quickly, and that is the point. The bigger change is south and east, where the Bathurst and St. Clair corridors have been adding new mid-rise buildings. The transit, schools and parks around the building are listed in the data panel on this page.

One practical point: most buyers here are coming from a house with a garage and a basement. Before you sell, measure what you actually need to store, then compare it with the locker and parking for the suite. In my experience, storage is where downsizers feel the move most, more than square footage.

I would also visit at different times of day. A quiet street in the afternoon can feel different at school pick-up time or on a weekend evening, and you want to know that before you commit to a building where you may stay for 15 years.

What a Forest Hill address costs per foot

Heathside’s average sits around $1,101 per square foot, according to condos.ca. That is a high figure for a 1983 building, and it is not about finishes. You are paying for the address, the low suite count and the size of the suites.

There were no suites listed for sale when I checked, which is normal here. With 71 suites and long ownership, you may wait months for the right plan. If you are serious, tell me which tower and exposure you want and I will watch for it, rather than waiting for a public listing.

On fees, the inclusions are common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so ask for the suite’s utility history as well as the monthly fee. A large suite with its own heating bill costs noticeably more to run in winter than the fee alone suggests.

If you want a sense of how comparable buildings have actually traded, the building sold report gives aggregate figures without naming individual sales.

Building specifications

Amenities at Heathside Place

This is a quiet-building amenity package: concierge, a small gym and sauna, and a rooftop terrace you will actually use in summer. If the pool listed by condos.ca is still running, it is a bonus, but confirm it rather than pay for it in your offer.

Jatin’s honest take on Heathside Place

Heathside Place — 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.