Minto Longbranch West, 120-150 Long Branch Ave: Stacked Towns by the Lake

Minto Longbranch West is one of the few places in south Etobicoke where a buyer can get a one-bedroom with its own front door, or a family-sized stacked townhome, at a price per square foot well under the condo towers. It is the west half of Minto’s Longbranch community, and it is a different product from a high-rise in almost every way that matters day to day. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Half of a 463-home Minto community

Minto built Longbranch on Lake Shore Boulevard West at Long Branch Avenue as two phases of stacked townhomes, 463 homes in all, and lists the community as complete in 2018. Minto Longbranch West, at 120 to 150 Long Branch Avenue, is one condominium corporation within that community with 129 suites. Its sister corporation, Minto Longbranch East, sits across the avenue at 115 to 145.

Minto says one phase was ENERGY STAR for New Homes qualified and the other was certified LEED Silver. Its page does not say which is which, and I could not confirm it from another source, so if green certification matters to you, ask the listing agent for the documentation or check the status certificate.

The architecture is flat-roofed and modern, with rooftop terraces and garden patios rather than a shared amenity floor. It reads as a small neighbourhood of low-rise blocks, not a building, and that is the point.

The widest size range in the community

Condos.ca puts suites here at about 515 to 1,541 square feet. That bottom end is the interesting part. Across the street, Minto Longbranch East starts at roughly 981 square feet, so the west corporation is where the smaller one-bedroom and one-plus-den stacked units are. The one suite listed for sale when I checked was a one-plus-den in the 600 to 699 square foot band.

In a stacked town, one home sits on top of another. Lower suites usually open onto a garden patio at grade, and upper suites are typically two levels with a private rooftop terrace. There is no elevator, so upper units mean stairs from the front door and stairs again to the roof.

For a young couple or a first-time buyer coming out of a rental tower, the stairs are a fair trade for a front door and outdoor space. For anyone with mobility concerns, or who expects to stay into later life, they are often a deal-breaker. Ask about sound between suites too: you share walls and a floor or ceiling, without the concrete slabs of a high-rise.

Your own meters, and what that does to the fee

Minto’s page says each suite has its own meters for water and electricity, so you pay only for what you use. That is a big reason the maintenance fee is low compared with a tower. It also means the fee is not the whole monthly cost. Ask the seller for a year of utility bills before you firm up a budget.

Minto also lists efficiency features across the community: extra wall insulation, high-efficiency heating equipment, a heat recovery ventilator in each suite for fresh air, low-VOC finishes, water-saving fixtures that Minto says cut potable water use by more than 40 per cent against the building code, a rainwater cistern, and ENERGY STAR appliances. Those help keep your own bills down.

In a low-rise community with individual mechanicals, some equipment sits inside your suite and is your responsibility, not the corporation’s. Ask which items, such as the furnace or heat pump, the water heater and the HRV, are owned, rented or the corporation’s, and when they were last serviced.

Resale here, or new at Westshore?

Minto is still building in Long Branch. In October 2023 it launched Westshore, a townhome community of more than 500 homes over several phases, designed by BDP Quadrangle. Its first phase offers suites of about 472 to 1,282 square feet with underground parking, elevator access and an internal corridor, which Longbranch West does not have.

If you need an elevator, Westshore may suit you better. If you would rather see exactly what you are buying, move in now, and read a real reserve fund study and several years of board minutes, a resale here is the cleaner purchase. You also skip the closing delays and cost adjustments that come with pre-construction.

Long Branch itself is the old village at the west end of Toronto’s waterfront, with Lake Shore’s shops and the lake a short walk south. The transit, school and walkability figures for this address are in the data panel on this page.

Well under tower pricing per square foot

Condos.ca puts the average here at about $670 per square foot, close to Minto Longbranch East at about $663 and well below most Etobicoke condo towers. That is the main reason buyers look here: more space and a private outdoor area for the money.

With only one suite listed for sale when I checked, there is no active range I can responsibly quote. Supply in low-rise communities like this is thin, so recent sales are a better guide than one asking price. For aggregate sold figures and days on market, see the data panel or ask me for a building sold report.

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance and parking as included in the fee. Water and hydro are on your own meters, and heat is not listed as included, so confirm how each suite is heated and what that costs. When you compare this fee with a tower that bundles heat and water, add those bills back in first.

Building specifications

Amenities at Minto Longbranch West

There is no gym, pool or party room here, and that is part of why the fee is low. What you get is visitor parking, permission to barbecue on your own terrace or patio, and secure bike storage for residents and visitors.

Jatin’s honest take on Minto Longbranch West

Minto Longbranch West — frequently asked questions

Looking at Humber Bay Shores, Mimico, the Queensway and central Etobicoke more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.