Newtowns at King Towns, 12-28 Laidlaw St: Stacked Towns Off King West

Newtowns at King Towns is my answer when a buyer wants their own front door near Liberty Village but cannot stretch to a freehold house. It is a 2007 community of three-storey stacked townhouses on Laidlaw Street, about 265 suites in all, with rooftop terraces on the upper units and fees well below what nearby towers charge. The trade-off is stairs, and lots of them. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Stacked towns, not a tower

This is not a building in the usual sense. Newtowns is a group of three-storey brick blocks of stacked townhouses, laid out along private laneways off Laidlaw Street. You walk along the lane and up a few steps to your own front door. One listing compared the feel to a row of brownstones, and that is a fair description of the streetscape.

It is the second phase next to the original King Towns, and the two together form a small, self-contained neighbourhood tucked behind King Street, close to Lamport Stadium. One listing describes the community as neighbourly, with block parties, which is the kind of community feel that is hard to find in a 40-storey tower a few blocks east.

There is no lobby, no concierge, no elevator and no gym. The parking garage sits underground, and there is bike storage and visitor parking. Pets are allowed according to condos.ca, though I would still read the rules for limits on size and number.

Lower suites, upper suites and the roof

Stacked towns come in two basic types, and which one you buy decides how you live. Lower suites usually sit at or a half-level below grade, and some corner suites have a private terrace entrance. Upper suites are typically two levels, reached by a flight of stairs from the lane, with more stairs to a private rooftop terrace.

Those rooftop terraces are the main reason buyers choose upper suites here. Condos.ca notes that upper-floor suites have private rooftop terraces with a gas line for a barbecue. In a part of the city where most condo balconies are narrow strips, a private roof deck is a genuine piece of outdoor space.

The sizes run from about 445 to 1,675 sq ft, so there is a real range, from small one-bedrooms to two-bedroom-plus-dens that work for a small family. The catch is the stairs. Carrying groceries, a stroller or a bike up two or three flights is the daily reality of an upper suite, and it is the first thing I ask buyers to think honestly about.

Why the fees are lower

Townhouse complexes usually carry lower fees than towers because there is no elevator, no concierge and no amenity floor to run. Here the fee includes common elements, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water. The two current listings both carried fees in the low $500s a month, which works out to well under a dollar per square foot.

Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so in a stacked town with its own furnace or heat pump you pay those directly. Compare the total monthly cost against a nearby tower, not just the fee line. Older press coverage of a King Towns suite on Laidlaw described parking as an optional extra for that suite, so check whether the suite you want actually has a space and a locker, rather than assuming.

Between Liberty Village and Parkdale

Laidlaw Street sits in the pocket between Queen Street West, King Street and the Dufferin corridor, on the edge of Liberty Village and South Parkdale. Liberty Village’s cafés and restaurants and the Queen West strip are within a walk, and the big-box stores along King and Dufferin cover the weekly shop, including a Longo’s, a Canadian Tire, a Shoppers and a Winners nearby.

There is a small park across from the complex with a splash pad and a playground, which matters if you have young children or a dog. The waterfront trail is a short bike ride south. The transit, school and park details are in the data panel on this page.

This is also one of the more densely developing parts of the city, with Liberty Village and the King and Dufferin area continuing to add towers. For Newtowns owners, that has been a mostly positive force: more shops and services nearby, while the complex itself stays low-rise.

Pricing: townhouse space at condo prices

Condos.ca puts the community average at about $803 per square foot. That is noticeably below what newer condo towers in Liberty Village and King West typically trade for per foot, which is the core value case for stacked towns: more space and your own entrance, at a lower price per foot, in exchange for stairs and fewer amenities.

At the time of writing, two suites were listed, a two-bedroom and a two-bedroom-plus-den, asking between $699,000 and $769,900, both with parking. Upper suites with rooftop terraces generally sit at the top of the building’s range, and lower suites at the bottom, so do not compare the two types directly.

With 265 suites, there are usually enough sales here each year to price a suite sensibly against its own type. For recent recorded trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Newtowns at King Towns

There is no shared amenity package to speak of: no gym, no party room and no concierge. What you get instead is a private front door, a rooftop terrace if you buy an upper suite, underground parking and the park across the street.

Jatin’s honest take on Newtowns at King Towns

Newtowns at King Towns — frequently asked questions

Looking at South Parkdale more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.