Hollywood Plaza Town Villas, 38 Hollywood Ave: Low-Rise Living Off Yonge

Hollywood Plaza Town Villas at 38 Hollywood Avenue is the low-rise part of a complex best known for its two towers. Three storeys and 48 suites, one block off Yonge near Sheppard, it is for buyers who want to be in the middle of North York without living in a high-rise. It works differently from its neighbours, though, and the fee is the first place you will notice. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The low-rise between two towers

Hollywood Plaza was built in three parts: the 19-storey tower at 18 Hollywood in 1991, these Town Villas in 1994, and the 17-storey tower at 28 Hollywood in 1995. The Town Villas are a separate condominium corporation, MTCC-1070, with their own budget, rules and reserve fund.

That independence has real consequences. The two towers have an indoor pool, a sauna, a gym and a 24-hour concierge, but condos.ca does not list any of those for this corporation. Whether Town Villas owners can use the tower amenities depends on any shared-facilities agreement between the corporations, and I could not confirm one exists. Ask the manager directly and see what the status certificate says. If there is no access, budget for a gym membership and treat the lower amenity load as part of what keeps this corporation’s costs contained.

CondoInvestments.ca credits Camrost-Felcorp with the project, as other sites do for the towers. Condos.ca does not name a developer, so I treat it as reported rather than confirmed.

What the suites are like

Condos.ca records suites from about 665 to 1,430 square feet across three storeys. At the larger end, that is the size of a small house in a building with only 48 neighbours. At least one recent listing was a two-bedroom with three bathrooms, which usually points to a layout spread over more than one level.

The name suggests townhouse-style living, but I could not confirm from public sources how many suites are multi-level, how many are single-floor flats, or which have their own front doors. Ask for the floor plan of any suite you look at, and pay attention to stairs if you are downsizing.

These are 1994 suites, so finishes vary a great deal with how much the owner has updated. Expect solid construction and traditional room layouts, and price in a kitchen or bathroom renovation if the suite is original.

A different fee structure from the towers next door

The fee here includes cable TV, common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Unlike the two towers, condos.ca does not list heat, hydro or air conditioning in the fee. In practice, that means you should budget for your own utility bills on top of the fee, as you would in a house.

That is not a bad thing. Paying your own utilities means you control them, and you are not subsidising a neighbour who runs the air conditioning all summer. It also means you cannot compare the fee here directly with 18 or 28 Hollywood. Add your expected hydro and heating costs, then compare monthly totals.

Ask the seller for a year of utility bills. In a building of this age, the efficiency of the suite’s heating and cooling equipment, and who is responsible for replacing it, can make a real difference to your monthly costs. The declaration will say whether that equipment belongs to the owner or the corporation.

Parking is one place where the fee works in your favour. Condos.ca lists parking among the inclusions and the building has an underground garage, so you are not paying a separate monthly charge for your space, and your car stays out of the snow. For a low-rise where many owners are families or downsizers with a car, that is worth more than it looks on paper. Confirm on the status certificate which space and locker belong to the suite.

Life a block off Yonge

Hollywood Avenue is a short street running east from Yonge just north of Sheppard. You are a walk from the restaurants, grocery stores and shops along Yonge, Empress Walk and Mel Lastman Square, but a three-storey building on a side street feels very different from a tower on the main road.

The area around it keeps building up, with Conservatory towers across the street, including Platinum at 23 Hollywood, and new projects along Yonge between Sheppard and Finch. A low-rise surrounded by towers gives up some sky and sunlight, so check what the suite faces. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

What the Town Villas cost

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $583 per square foot. That is slightly above both towers in the complex, at about $572 for 18 Hollywood and $546 for 28 Hollywood, and well below the newer Platinum across the street at about $742.

A small premium over the towers is what I would expect. Buyers usually pay more per square foot for a low-rise with fewer neighbours and a more house-like feel, even though the fee here does not cover utilities. With just 48 suites, sales are infrequent, so the building average can move a lot with one or two transactions.

There was only one suite listed when I checked, so I am not quoting asking prices or fees here. For recent closed results, use the sold data on this page or ask me for a building sold report, and compare any suite with similar-sized units in the two towers to see whether the low-rise premium is worth it to you.

Building specifications

Amenities at Hollywood Plaza Town Villas

The amenity list for this corporation is short: security, an enter-phone, underground parking and visitor parking. If you want the pool and gym, confirm whether Town Villas owners have access to the tower facilities before you assume it.

Jatin’s honest take on Hollywood Plaza Town Villas

Hollywood Plaza Town Villas — 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.