Liberty Walk, 760 Lawrence Ave W: 245 Stacked Towns Near Yorkdale

Liberty Walk is the complex I show buyers who want a two-storey home with a front door near Yorkdale and do not want to pay freehold prices. It is a 2003 community of 245 stacked townhomes arranged around courtyards and a private loop road, and it trades at a price per foot well below the towers along Lawrence West. It is also more than 20 years old, so the documents matter. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A townhouse community, not a building

Liberty Walk does not feel like a condo building because it is not one in the usual sense. It is laid out as several blocks of townhouses, with two-storey units stacked one above another, set around inner courtyards and linked by footpaths.

A road loops through the complex, so some owners can park near their front door, much like a house. Others use the underground garage, and there is surface visitor parking. Ask which arrangement comes with the suite you are looking at, because it changes daily life more than most buyers expect.

At 245 suites, it is the size of a mid-rise tower spread across a low-rise site. That scale gives the corporation a broader base to share costs than most townhouse complexes, while the layout keeps the feel of a residential street.

Two-storey suites from one bedroom to three

Condos.ca records suites of about 665 to 1,350 square feet, and the listings on the market when I checked ran from one-bedrooms up to three-bedroom-plus-den plans. That is a broader mix than most stacked-town complexes offer, and it means a buyer can move up within the community as a family grows.

Because the suites are two-storey and stacked, you are either in a lower unit, closer to the courtyard and the ground, or an upper unit reached by stairs. Upper units tend to get more light, and condos.ca lists rooftop decks and outdoor patios among the amenities, so ask which outdoor space, if any, belongs to the suite. Lower units give easier access from the courtyard.

Check the stairs, the sound between your unit and the one above or below, and the age of the kitchen and bathrooms. A 2003 suite may have been fully renovated or may still have original finishes, and the difference shows up in the price.

Lawrence West between Dufferin and the Allen

The complex sits on Lawrence Avenue West, a busy arterial, with Treviso and other mid-rise condos along the same stretch. Lawrence Square and Yorkdale are the two shopping centres residents lean on, and the panel beside this review shows the nearest subway station and the walking time.

For daily errands that combination is hard to beat. Lawrence Square covers groceries and everyday shopping, Yorkdale covers everything else, and the Allen Road and Highway 401 are close for drivers.

The area around it is changing. The Lawrence Heights revitalization, a multi-phase rebuild led by Context, Metropia and Toronto Community Housing along the Allen Road, will bring new housing, parks and community facilities over the next decade. That is good for the neighbourhood, with construction along the way.

What 23 years of history means here

Liberty Walk registered in April 2003, which makes it one of the more established condominium communities on this part of Lawrence West. Age brings real advantages: a long record of budgets and reserve fund studies, a track record of how the board handles repairs, and plenty of resales to compare against.

It also brings the costs that come with a low-rise complex of this age. In stacked townhomes, the expensive items are roofs, rooftop decks and their membranes, windows and doors, exterior cladding and the underground garage. Many of those reach the end of their first life somewhere between 20 and 30 years.

That is not a reason to avoid the complex. It is a reason to read the reserve fund study with care, to see what has already been replaced and what is scheduled, and to compare the reserve balance with the work ahead. A corporation that has kept up with its plan is a much safer purchase than one that has deferred work to keep fees low.

Ask the manager, too, whether any major exterior project is under way or planned. Scaffolding and roof work can disrupt a stacked-town complex for a season, and it is better to know before you move in.

Pricing: about $628 a foot, with parking in the fee

Condos.ca puts the average at about $628 per square foot. That is well below the newer mid-rise and tower product along Lawrence West and near Yorkdale, which is the main reason buyers come here: more space per dollar, in a townhouse format.

When I checked, condos.ca showed ten suites for sale and none for lease. The seven I could see in detail were asking from about $399,000 to $699,900. Condos.ca put the average fee on active listings at about $0.74 per square foot.

For a 2003 complex with parking, water and building insurance included, that fee is reasonable. Hydro and heat are not on the inclusion list, so budget for them separately. With this many suites on the market, use the 12-month sold data in the panel, and ask me for a building sold report before you set an offer price.

Building specifications

Amenities at Liberty Walk

Condos.ca lists rooftop decks, outdoor patios, barbecues, bike storage and visitor parking. There is no pool or gym; the amenity here is the setting itself, courtyards and footpaths that make the complex feel more like a neighbourhood than a building. For families with young children, a car-light courtyard is worth more day to day than a gym would be.

Jatin’s honest take on Liberty Walk

Liberty Walk — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.