Picnic Condos, 2114 Bloor St W: Two-Bedroom Boutique Living by High Park

Picnic at 2114 Bloor Street West was built for a buyer the Bloor West condo market usually ignores: the couple or small family who wants a real two-bedroom, not a one-plus-den. It is a 68-suite, eight-storey building across Bloor from the northwest corner of High Park, and most of its suites are two-bedrooms. It is also small and young, so resale data is thin, and that shapes how you should buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The second North Drive building on this stretch of Bloor

North Drive marketed Picnic as The High Park II. It is the smaller sister to The High Park at 1990 Bloor West, a few blocks east, and was designed by the same firm, Quadrangle. The Globe and Mail reported that much of the early demand came from buyers who had missed out on two-bedroom suites at the first building.

Before construction, the site held a two-storey retail block, part of which North Drive turned into its presentation centre. Construction started in the summer of 2016, the building topped out around 2018 and residents moved in during 2019. It replaced a low commercial strip rather than housing, which kept the approvals simpler than at its sister building.

UrbanToronto described the cladding as brick and textured concrete tile, with the facade pushed in and out to echo the older buildings along Bloor. Large windows bring in a lot of daylight. At eight storeys it reads as a neighbourhood building rather than a tower.

Layouts: two-bedrooms with real ensuites

Strata.ca’s breakdown shows about 55% two-bedrooms and another 18% two-bedroom-plus-den. Roughly a fifth are one-bedrooms, and only a few are three-bedrooms. For a new building in Toronto, that is an unusually family-friendly mix.

Every suite was sold with a five-piece primary ensuite, and UrbanToronto noted those ensuites have windows, which is rare. Most suites also had his-and-hers closets, and every suite has a balcony or terrace. The Globe reported glass balconies, integrated kitchen appliances and detailed millwork as standard.

Size figures vary. The Globe gave 668 to 1,250 square feet at launch, condos.ca shows 668 to 1,189, and strata.ca’s listing data runs as high as about 1,833, which likely includes a penthouse or a combined suite. Check the floor plan and the registered size for the exact suite you are considering.

Living across from High Park’s northwest corner

The building is bordered by Kennedy Park Avenue to the east and north, with the small Kennedy-Margdon Parkette behind it. The lobby has two entrances, one from Bloor and one from the parkette side, which gives you a quieter way in and out. North-facing suites look over the parkette and single-family streets. South-facing suites look toward the park, and from higher floors, the lake and the skyline.

High Park is across the street, and Bloor West Village is a short walk west. Condos.ca notes the Gardiner is a few minutes’ drive by way of Dowling Avenue. The data panel on this page shows the subway walk.

There is about 4,500 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Ask who the current tenants are, because a restaurant downstairs changes the noise, smells and garbage traffic at the door more than a dentist’s office does.

What 68 owners and a mostly-rented market mean for you

A building this size behaves differently from a tower. Sixty-eight owners share the operating budget, so a big repair or a reserve fund shortfall lands on each owner more heavily than in a 400-suite building. On the other hand, a single owner can actually move a board decision, and problems tend to get noticed early.

Strata.ca’s activity numbers are worth reading closely. Nine leases against one sale in a year tells me a fair share of suites are now held by investors, which is common in a building this young. That is not a problem in itself, but it changes the feel of the halls and the make-up of the board. Ask the manager roughly how many suites are owner-occupied, and read the last year of board minutes to see who is running things.

Pricing and fees: what the numbers say

This is the hard part of buying at Picnic. Strata.ca recorded only one sale and nine leases in the past 12 months. Its only per-square-foot figure is about $1,136 for one-bedrooms, with no stated period, and condos.ca shows no building average at all. With samples that small, the honest answer is that there is no reliable building-wide price per square foot.

In practice, you price a Picnic suite against The High Park next door and other newer mid-rise buildings in High Park North and Bloor West Village, adjusted for size and outdoor space. That needs real comparables, so ask me for the sold report before you make an offer. Strata.ca also shows units here selling about 4% below list on average, which tells me there is some room to negotiate.

At launch, the Globe reported projected fees of about 54 cents per square foot. Fees in every building rise after the first years, so ask for the current budget and the reserve fund study rather than relying on the launch figure. The Globe also reported parking spaces sold separately at the start, so not every suite comes with one. Confirm parking and any locker on title.

Building specifications

Amenities at Picnic Condos

The amenity package is modest and sized for 68 suites: a gym, a party room and lounge, and a south-facing rooftop terrace looking toward the park and the lake. The concierge is useful in a building this size, and the park across the street makes up for the lack of a pool. Bike storage matters more than it sounds in a building with High Park and its trails on the doorstep.

Jatin’s honest take on Picnic Condos

Picnic Condos — frequently asked questions

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