Lotus Condos, 7 Kenaston Gardens: A Boutique Mid-Rise by Bayview Station

Lotus Condos is the building I point to when a buyer wants Bayview Village and the Sheppard subway but does not want a 30-storey tower. It is a 2018 mid-rise with roughly 234 suites, a rooftop terrace and a fee that covers heat, cooling and parking. The catch is that it prices like the new building it is, so you need to be clear on what you are paying extra for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A mid-rise in a street of towers

Kenaston Gardens is one of the densest condo pockets in North York, a short loop off Sheppard that is mostly lined with towers of 20 storeys and up. Lotus is the smaller, newer building at the Sheppard end. Condos.ca lists 11 storeys and about 234 suites; UrbanToronto’s 2016 construction coverage described the plan as 12 storeys and 244 suites. Counts often shift between marketing and registration, so treat the condo corporation’s own documents as the final word.

The design team was Kirkor Architects Planners, with interiors by Mike Niven Interior Design and landscape by Terraplan Landscape Architects. The approved plan also set aside about 249 square metres of retail at grade and a small piece of on-site parkland, about 227 square metres. That is not a park you will picnic in, but it softens the corner.

What the size means in practice: fewer neighbours per elevator, a quieter lobby than the big towers on the same street, and a board that owners can realistically get to know. The trade-off is that fixed costs are spread over fewer suites.

Compact suites, built for one or two people

The original plan offered studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, and condos.ca puts the size range at about 473 to 1,180 square feet. Most of what trades here is one-bedroom-plus-den and smaller two-bedroom space; the two suites for sale when I checked sat in the 500 to 599 and 700 to 799 square foot bands.

That size profile tells you who lives here: first-time buyers, single professionals, couples without children and investors renting to subway commuters. Five suites were listed for rent when I checked, against two for sale, so expect a real share of tenants in the building. If you need a true family-size unit with two full bedrooms that both hold a queen bed, you will be looking at the very top of the range and there may be nothing on offer.

Before you write an offer, ask for the floor plan and measure the den. In buildings of this era, a den can be anything from a usable home office to a hallway alcove, and the price per square foot does not distinguish between the two.

Mike Niven’s interiors were part of the original pitch, so the common areas were designed rather than left to a builder default. Walk the lobby and corridors when you view a suite: after seven or so years of move-ins and move-outs, their condition tells you how well the building is being kept.

What the fee covers, and why it matters here

Condos.ca lists air conditioning, common elements, heat, building insurance and parking in the fee. Having both heating and cooling covered is less common in a 2018 building than you might think; many newer towers on Sheppard meter those to each suite. It makes the monthly budget predictable through January and July.

Parking being listed as included matters too, but confirm it for the specific suite. Not every suite in a building like this comes with a space, and a fee that includes parking for a suite with no parking is just a fee. Ask the listing agent for the parking and locker unit numbers on title.

Hydro is the main bill you carry yourself, along with internet and cable.

Living at Sheppard and Bayview

The headline here is the subway. UrbanToronto’s coverage placed the building steps from Bayview Station on Line 4 Sheppard. Line 4 connects to Line 1 at Sheppard-Yonge, one stop west, so downtown is a single transfer away.

Bayview Village Shopping Centre is across the intersection, which covers groceries, pharmacy and a good spread of restaurants without a car. The bigger change is around it. New mid-rises keep arriving along Sheppard East, including Canderel’s Bayview at The Village a short walk east, so expect cranes and lane closures nearby for some years yet.

A real upgrade for residents arrived in 2024. The City opened the Ethennonnhawahstihnen’ Community Recreation Centre and Library at Sheppard and Bessarion, with an aquatic centre, a library and child care. For a building without its own pool, having a City pool a short walk east is a genuine plus. Transit, schools and walkability detail sits in the data panel on this page.

About $834 a square foot, a premium over older Kenaston Gardens towers

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $834 per square foot. That is noticeably higher than the older towers on Kenaston Gardens and Rean Drive, several of which sit in the $650 to $700 range, and in line with other newer mid-rises on Sheppard East such as The Village Residences at 591 Sheppard. You are paying for age, finishes and the subway a short walk away.

Fees on the two current listings work out to about $0.88 per square foot, which is fair for a building with heat, cooling and parking included. The two suites for sale were asking between $483,000 and $638,000 when I checked.

With only two listings, those numbers are a snapshot, not a market. For a real read, ask me for the sold report on this building, which uses TRREB data across the last year rather than asking prices. You can request it on the building sold report page.

Building specifications

Amenities at Lotus Condos

The amenity list is short and practical: a concierge, a gym, a party room and a rooftop terrace. There is no pool, so swimmers will use the new City aquatic centre at Sheppard and Bessarion instead, and a smaller amenity package is part of why the fees stay reasonable.

Jatin’s honest take on Lotus Condos

Lotus Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.