May Tower II, 11 Lee Centre Dr: Hydro in the Fee, a Pool Downstairs

May Tower II is the building I point to when a buyer tells me they want one number each month and no utility bills. Its fee covers hydro as well as heat, cooling, water and parking, which is rare in Toronto. The building is 2002 vintage and looks it, and that is the trade you are making. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second May Tower on a planned block

Lee Centre Drive was planned as a cluster of towers on one block south of the 401 and McCowan interchange. A 1998 City of Toronto report on the block describes the first phase, Hillsborough Court, at 464 suites with retail at grade, and records that the original May Tower was then under construction for Lee Development Corporation.

May Tower II at number 11 followed in 2002, under the May Tower Developments name. The two Ellipse towers at 36 and 38 Lee Centre came after it. So this building sits in the middle of the block’s timeline, newer than Hillsborough Court and older than Ellipse.

The practical upshot is a good set of comparables. Five towers of similar age and builder background sit within one block, which makes it easier to judge whether a suite here is priced fairly against its neighbours.

A fee that covers almost everything

The defining feature of this building is its fee structure. Condos.ca lists air conditioning, heat, hydro, water, building insurance, common elements and parking as included. Almost every condo I show leaves suite hydro off that list, and in a tower with electric baseboards or older heat pumps that bill can be large.

The flip side of bundled hydro is that you share everyone’s usage. A neighbour who runs space heaters all winter is partly on your bill, and the corporation carries the risk of rate increases. Ask how the budget line for utilities has moved in the last three years, and whether the board has looked at sub-metering, which would change what your fee covers.

When you compare this building’s fee to newer ones, add back hydro, heat, cooling and parking to the other building’s number first. On that basis, a fee that looks high here can turn out to be the cheaper total.

Layouts and what 2002 means inside

Condos.ca puts suites between about 581 and 946 square feet, which in practice means one-bedroom-plus-den plans and two-bedrooms, with few small studios. That is a more generous size floor than many newer towers, where 450 square foot one-bedrooms are common.

Original finishes from 2002 will be dated unless a suite has been renovated, and many have been. Look for the age of the kitchen, the flooring and especially the heating and cooling unit in the suite, because replacing that is usually an owner’s cost even when the energy is included.

Ask which way the suite faces. Units looking toward the 401 trade noise for open views, while those facing the interior of the block are quieter but look onto neighbouring towers.

Living between the highway and Scarborough Centre

The appeal of this location is convenience. The 401 is at your door for driving, and Scarborough Town Centre, the civic centre and the bus terminal are close. Groceries, restaurants and services are a short trip rather than a project.

Rapid transit here is being rebuilt. The Line 3 Scarborough RT closed in 2023 and buses replaced it, and the City’s Line 2 East Extension will add stations at Lawrence and McCowan, Scarborough Centre and Sheppard and McCowan. Construction is underway but no opening date is published, so buy for today’s bus service and treat the subway as future upside.

Living on a block of five towers also means sharing roads, driveways and in some cases facilities with other corporations. The City’s 1998 report required easements across the block’s condominiums for vehicle and pedestrian movement, parking, servicing and recreational facilities. Ask the manager what shared-cost agreements bind TSCC-1431 and how those costs have trended.

Who runs it, and what to ask them

Condos.ca lists Shiu Pong Management as the property manager. A building of this size with a pool, a guard and bundled utilities needs a manager who watches energy use closely, because utilities are likely to be one of the largest lines in the budget.

Before you firm up, ask for the last two years of board minutes alongside the status certificate. You are looking for how often the pool has been closed for repairs, whether elevator or garage work is planned, and whether owners have pushed back on fee increases. None of that shows up in a listing, and all of it shapes what you will pay over the next five years.

Pricing at May Tower II

Condos.ca shows an average of about $580 per square foot here, slightly below the Ellipse East Tower across the street at about $606. For a building with a pool, a sauna and nearly every utility in the fee, that is a low entry point for the Scarborough Centre area.

Only one suite was listed for sale at the time of writing, with two for rent, so there is no active range to quote. Supply is thin here, which cuts both ways: buyers have less choice, and sellers have fewer competing listings. With so little on the market, I would lean on the sold record across the whole Lee Centre block, adjusted for age and fee inclusions, rather than on one asking price.

Because the fee includes hydro, the fee per square foot will look high against buildings that leave utilities off. Judge it on total monthly cost. I can pull the recent sale record for the building for you through the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at May Tower II

An indoor pool and sauna plus a security guard is a solid package for a 271-suite building of this price. Pools are costly to run and eventually rebuild, so check how the reserve fund study treats the pool equipment and deck.

Jatin’s honest take on May Tower II

May Tower II — frequently asked questions

Looking at Scarborough Bluffs, West Hill, Guildwood, Woburn, Malvern and Rouge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.