Park Towns, 780 Sheppard Ave E: 50 Townhomes Across From Bessarion

Park Towns is what I show buyers at Bayview and Sheppard who are tired of elevators but are not ready for a freehold house. It is 50 condo townhomes in one low-rise block, with private rooftop terraces and a courtyard instead of a lobby. Small buildings like this behave very differently from towers, for better and for worse. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Broccolini’s first Toronto homes

Broccolini is a Montreal-area family firm that has been operating for more than 75 years and works across investment, development, construction and property management, mostly in industrial and commercial real estate. It now has a Toronto-area office in Mississauga. Park Towns was its first residential project in Toronto, launched in 2013. UrbanToronto reported that all 50 homes sold out quickly once sales opened to the public, and construction was slated to start in early 2014.

SMV Architects designed the building with a brownstone look, a style you see more often in older Toronto neighbourhoods than on a suburban arterial like Sheppard East. Bryon Patton & Associates did the interiors, and MMM Group designed the front courtyard with cobblestone paving, trees and lawn.

Because it was a first project for this builder in this market, there is no long Toronto track record to judge it against. That is not a red flag in itself, but it means the building’s own record, which you can read in the status certificate and board minutes, matters more than the developer’s name.

Townhome living, condo rules

The launch coverage described one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, including two-plus-den plans, with nine-foot ceilings and a private rooftop terrace for each home. Condos.ca gives a size range of about 520 to 1,240 square feet, so this ranges from compact one-bedrooms to genuine family-sized plans.

The storey count is reported differently. UrbanToronto described a single four-storey building, while condos.ca lists two floors. My read is that the homes are stacked, with lower and upper units over four levels, which is the common format for condo townhomes on sites this size. Confirm the layout of the specific unit, including how many sets of stairs you climb to reach the roof.

Stairs are the trade-off for the terrace. Anyone planning to age in place, or carrying a stroller and groceries up two or three flights, should walk the unit with that in mind.

Why a 50-unit building is different

In a 300-suite tower, one owner’s special assessment share is small. In a 50-unit building, every major repair is split among far fewer owners. Roofs and terraces, the underground garage, waterproofing and the courtyard landscaping are the big-ticket items in a townhome condo, and each owner’s share of them is larger.

The upside is that there is no concierge, gym or pool to fund, which keeps operating costs down. Condos.ca lists barbecues as permitted, which makes sense with private rooftops. You are paying mainly for the building envelope, the garage and the grounds.

Small buildings also mean thin resale data. With three homes for sale when I checked and none listed for rent, comparables inside the complex are limited, and pricing often leans on nearby townhome condos and on the larger tower stock along Sheppard.

Governance is closer to home, too. In a building this size, a handful of engaged owners can shape the board, the budget and the rules. That can work very well, but it also means you should read recent minutes and get a sense of how decisions are made before you buy in.

Life at Bayview and Sheppard

UrbanToronto placed the site across from Bessarion station on Line 4 Sheppard, with Bayview Village Shopping Centre, parkland and Highway 401 nearby. The data panel on this page lists the transit options in detail.

Sheppard East here is a busy arterial. Homes that face the street will hear it, and courtyard-facing homes will be quieter, so visit at rush hour and compare. The rooftop terraces are your private outdoor space, and their exposure to the street matters as much as their size.

The corridor around Bessarion has changed a great deal since this building launched, with the Concord Park Place towers rising to the east. Expect that change to continue, and treat it as a two-sided thing: more shops and services within walking distance, but also more traffic on Sheppard and more construction in the years ahead.

Price per square foot, and what the fee covers

Condos.ca puts the average at about $725 per square foot. That is close to many tower suites in the area, which is notable, because here you get a private rooftop terrace and a ground-related home instead of a balcony.

Three homes were listed for sale when I checked, asking between $769,000 and $975,000. Their maintenance fees ranged from about $516 to $666 a month.

The fee includes parking, which many towers charge separately, plus water and building insurance. Heat and hydro are not on condos.ca’s inclusion list, so budget for your own utility bills. For a fair comparison with a tower suite, add those utilities back to this fee and add a parking charge to the tower’s.

One more pricing point: the wide gap between the lowest and highest asking prices reflects how different the plans are here, from compact one-bedrooms to family-sized homes over 1,200 square feet. Compare a unit with others of similar size and layout, not with the complex average, and give real weight to terrace size and orientation.

Building specifications

Amenities at Park Towns

There is no amenity floor here, and that is the point. Your amenities are your own rooftop terrace and the shared courtyard, and you are not paying through your fee for a gym or pool you may never use.

Jatin’s honest take on Park Towns

Park Towns — 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.