Platinum Towers XO, 18 Spring Garden Ave: All-In Fees North of Sheppard

Platinum Towers XO is a building families quietly like. It sits a block off Yonge on a side street north of Sheppard, the suites are larger than the newer towers around it, and the fee covers hydro, heat, cooling, water and parking. It is not new, and its price per foot shows it, which is exactly why I look at it for buyers who need space in North York. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Bigger suites than the Yonge and Sheppard norm

The first thing I notice at XO is the suite mix. Sizes run from about 585 sq ft to about 1,585 sq ft, and what comes up for sale is mostly two-bedroom-plus-den and three-bedroom plans. In the newer towers around Yonge and Sheppard, the bulk of the stock is one-bedrooms under 600 sq ft.

Every suite has a balcony and 9-foot ceilings, according to the property management directory listing. Nine feet was a real selling point in 2008, and it still makes a mid-size suite feel noticeably more open than an 8-foot-6 ceiling does.

If you are a family or a downsizer coming out of a house, this is the type of floor plan you want to see: separate bedrooms, a den you can actually use, and room for a proper dining table. Ask for the floor plan of any suite and check where the second bathroom and the den sit.

An amenity floor with a bowling alley

XO’s amenity list goes further than most buildings of its age. Alongside an indoor pool, a sauna, a fitness centre and a theatre, the management directory lists a bowling area and a card room, which tells you who the building was designed for: families and older residents who actually spend time at home.

There is also a conference room, a party room, guest suites and a 24-hour concierge. In a 341-suite building, that is a lot of space to maintain, and the cost of keeping it running is part of your fee.

That is worth weighing honestly. If you will use the pool and sauna every week, the amenity floor replaces a gym membership and then some. If you will never set foot in it, you are still paying your share, and you may be happier in a smaller building with a leaner fee.

Ask the property manager whether any of the amenity spaces have been renovated recently or are due for it. Amenity rooms in 2008 buildings are often original, so check that a refresh is actually budgeted in the reserve fund study rather than left for later.

The fee is high on paper and complete in practice

On the three suites for sale when I checked, monthly fees ran from about $877 to $1,290. That looks heavy, but the fee here includes hydro, heat, air conditioning and water as well as common elements, building insurance and parking.

Most newer North York towers meter hydro and often heating and cooling to each suite, and charge separately for parking. Add those bills back to a newer building with a lower fee, and Platinum XO often comes out even or ahead, especially for a larger suite that would have a bigger utility bill on its own meter.

Condos.ca lists a pet restriction among the building’s features, but does not spell it out. If you have a pet, ask for the declaration and rules before you make an offer.

The developer is the one fact I could not pin down. Condos.ca does not name one, and the other directories I checked did not either. The original declaration in the status certificate package will name the declarant, and it is worth knowing who built a building before you buy into it.

Living just north of Yonge and Sheppard

Spring Garden Avenue is a short side street off Yonge, so you get a little distance from the traffic on Yonge itself while staying a few minutes’ walk from the Sheppard-Yonge interchange area and the shops and restaurants along that strip. The subway, schools and parks nearby are listed in the data panel on this page.

This part of Willowdale has been densifying for 20 years, and it is still changing. Ask what is approved or proposed on nearby lots, because a new tower next door can change your view and your sun far more than any finish upgrade inside the suite.

For families, the practical question is the daily routine: school drop-off, the commute and groceries. The data panel shows the zoned schools and the nearest stations, and I would walk that route at rush hour before committing, because Yonge near Sheppard is very different at 8 a.m. than on a Sunday afternoon.

Pricing: older-building value for larger suites

Platinum Towers XO averages about $748 per square foot on condos.ca. That is meaningfully below the newer towers along Yonge between Sheppard and Finch, which is the age discount, and it is also why larger suites here can cost less in total than a smaller suite in a new building.

When I checked, three suites were for sale, asking from about $680,000 to $1,099,000, from two-plus-den plans up to a three-bedroom. Only one suite was listed for rent, which may point to fewer investor-held suites; the data panel shows the actual owner and renter mix.

Low listing volume cuts both ways. It points to owners who stay, but it also means fewer current comparables, so lean on the sold data in the panel and on recent sales of the same floor plan rather than one or two asking prices.

Building specifications

Amenities at Platinum Towers XO

A pool, sauna, theatre and even a bowling area make this an amenity floor residents actually use, especially families in winter. The flip side is upkeep: the older the building, the more the pool and its mechanicals cost to keep running.

Jatin’s honest take on Platinum Towers XO

Platinum Towers XO — frequently asked questions

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