River City Phase 3, 170 Bayview Ave: Stacked Cubes Beside Corktown Common

River City Phase 3 is the building I show to buyers who are tired of glass towers that look like every other glass tower. RC3 is a 29-storey stack of black and white boxes by the Montreal firm Saucier + Perrotte, standing at the edge of Corktown Common in the West Don Lands. It is the most architecturally ambitious condo on this side of downtown, and it comes with a few practical quirks you should know about. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The tallest and boldest of the River City phases

Urban Capital’s River City was the first major private condominium community in the West Don Lands, the former industrial land along the Don River that was opened up after it was chosen for the 2015 Pan Am Games athletes’ village. Phase 1 introduced the textured matte black cladding, Phase 2 the cantilevered white boxes, and Phase 3 combined the two in the tallest building of the community.

RC3 is about 100 metres tall. Its massing looks like drawers pushed in and pulled out at random, especially on the northwest face, where the projections run the full height of the tower. The finished envelope reads as a black shell wrapped partly around a white core, with opaque aluminium panels, fritted and clear glass, and board-formed concrete at street level that carries the texture of wooden boards.

Construction began in 2015, the tower topped out at the end of 2017, and the condominium was registered in September 2018. The fourth and final phase, a 13-storey building on Lawren Harris Square, followed beside it.

No underground parking, and why

This is the quirk buyers miss. RC3 sits on land that was part of the Don River floodplain before the area was fortified against flooding. For that reason the building has foundations below grade but no underground garage. Parking was built above ground instead, in the north side of the podium near the Eastern Avenue overpass.

In practice, an above-ground garage is easier to keep dry than a buried one, which can reduce one of the most common long-term repair costs in Toronto condos. The trade-off is that the garage takes up podium space that might otherwise have been suites or retail. Confirm whether the suite you want comes with a space; do not assume it does.

Condos.ca lists only common elements and building insurance as included in the fee. Heat, cooling and water are not listed, so expect separate utility charges. Ask exactly which utilities are sub-metered and who bills them. Bicycle storage matters more than usual here too, because so many residents ride the Don trail; ask how much there is and whether it is full.

Suites from studios to large family plans

Condos.ca lists suites from about 316 to 1,663 sq ft, which is an unusually wide range. At one end are very small studios; at the other are two- and three-bedroom suites large enough for a family, which are rare in new downtown towers.

In a building with this much geometry, no two stacks are quite alike. Some suites sit inside the projecting boxes and gain extra windows or terraces; others have angled walls or deep balconies. Walk the actual suite, not just the floor plan, before you commit.

The large suites are the ones I would pay most attention to. Downtown family buyers rarely find a three-bedroom of real size in a building this new, with a park across the street. That scarcity is the strongest argument for the building at resale.

Living at the edge of Corktown Common

Corktown Common, the park that forms part of the area’s flood protection, is across the street. The Don River trail, the Distillery District and the Canary District are a short walk, and Underpass Park under the Eastern Avenue ramps connects RC3 to the earlier River City phases.

The area has changed dramatically in a decade. When River City started, this was a walled-off industrial zone. Today it is a residential neighbourhood with the athletes’ village buildings, the Canary District, a YMCA and George Brown College residences nearby, and new towers continue to rise to the south and east.

The neighbourhood is quieter and greener than the core, but daily errands are more limited, and the Don Valley Parkway and the Eastern Avenue ramps are right beside the building, which some suites will hear. The transit and walkability data for this address is in the panel beside this review.

What River City Phase 3 costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $917 per square foot. That is in the range of newer buildings in the Canary District nearby and reflects the design, the park frontage and the age of the building.

Only two suites were for sale when I checked, asking roughly $539,000 to $918,000. With so few listings, there is not much to compare against at any given moment.

Fees on those listings were roughly $560 to $1,140 a month, with only common elements and building insurance listed as included. Compare total monthly cost with neighbouring buildings, and if you want a value check on a specific suite, my building sold report shows what has actually traded.

Building specifications

Amenities at River City Phase 3

Condos.ca lists a concierge, gym, party room, guest suites and an outdoor pool. That is a solid package, but the real amenity here is outside: Corktown Common, the river trail and the Distillery are your back yard. The outdoor pool is a summer bonus, but it is also one of the items to look for in the reserve fund study.

Jatin’s honest take on River City Phase 3

River City Phase 3 — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.