Soul Condos, 150 Fairview Mall Dr: A Mid-Rise Next to a Mall in Transition

Soul is the kind of building I suggest to buyers who want a newer condo near the subway for less than they would pay on Yonge. It is a 2018 mid-rise with parking and heat in the fee, a short walk from Fairview Mall and Don Mills station. The thing to understand before you buy is what is planned for the mall next door. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of three towers at Fairview Park

Soul is part of a FRAM + Slokker community along Fairview Mall Drive that UrbanToronto lists as Soul, Connect and Vivo, three towers of 16 to 18 storeys, with a fourth, 23-storey building proposed at the east end of the site. UrbanToronto’s project page gives 633 suites across the three buildings, though another field on the same page lists a different number, so I would not rely on either.

Condos.ca records Soul at 17 storeys and 213 suites under its own corporation. CORE Architects designed the community and U31 did the interiors.

At 17 storeys and just over 200 suites, Soul is a mid-rise by North York standards. A building this size usually means fewer people per elevator and a lobby where the concierge knows the residents, which buyers coming from a 40-storey tower tend to notice.

Suites from micro to family-sized

Condos.ca puts suites at about 313 to 1,320 square feet. That is a wide range for a building this size: the bottom end is a true micro-suite, while the top end is a real family plan, which is rarer in newer mid-rises.

When I checked, there were only two suites for sale and five for lease, so supply for buyers is thin and most owners appear to be holding. Expect to wait for the right layout rather than choose from several.

I could not confirm ceiling heights. Check the floor plan of the suite you are viewing, and look at the den: in newer suites, some dens can take a desk and nothing more.

Parking and heat in the fee

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water as included. For a building finished in 2018, that is a good list. Many newer towers bill heating and cooling to the suite and charge separately for parking.

On the current listings the fee works out to about $0.90 per square foot. With parking and heat inside that number, it is fair. Hydro is not listed, so budget for your own electricity, and confirm on the status certificate that the suite you want actually comes with a parking unit.

The amenity package is practical: a concierge, guest suites, a party room, a media room, a meeting room, a recreation room and an outdoor patio. There is no pool, which helps keep the fee down over the long run.

Living in a phased community

Soul was finished before its neighbours, and condos.ca lists the newer Vivo phase at 180 and 245 Fairview Mall Drive as completed in 2021. Early owners lived beside construction for a few years, and the proposed fourth building at the east end of the site means that may not be fully over.

Phased communities often share things that are easy to miss: a driveway, a garage ramp, landscaped areas or an amenity space. Those arrangements are usually set out in a shared facilities agreement, and they affect both the fee and how decisions get made. Ask for it with the status certificate, and read how costs are split between Soul and the other corporations.

The benefit of buying now is that the neighbouring towers are built and occupied, so you can see what living here is actually like rather than relying on a rendering.

Fairview Mall is about to change

Fairview Mall is the biggest reason to live here today, with shopping, a bus terminal and Don Mills station on Line 4 all on the mall site. It is also the biggest change ahead.

In April 2022, Post City reported that the mall’s owner, Cadillac Fairview, had applied to rezone the first phase of a four-phase plan to replace surface parking around the mall with new streets, three new parks and about 4,700 homes. The first phase alone proposed towers of 38, 48 and 58 storeys on the south side of the mall, near Don Mills station.

I could not confirm the current status of that application. If it goes ahead, expect years of construction nearby. The stated aim of the plan is a denser, more complete neighbourhood around the station, with new streets and parks where the parking lots are now. Check the City of Toronto’s development applications for the latest before you buy.

Price per square foot at Fairview Park

Condos.ca puts Soul at about $733 per square foot, essentially level with the neighbouring Vivo building at 128 Fairview Mall Drive at about $734, and below the newer Vivo phase at 180 and 245 Fairview Mall Drive at about $812. Those are well under the price per square foot for newer towers on Yonge at North York Centre.

Only two suites were for sale when I checked, asking from $400,000 to $528,000. That is not enough to call a market, so I would look at the last year of sales in all three Fairview Park buildings before setting a price. The data panel on this page shows the recent sales record.

The redevelopment of the mall is the wild card for value. A denser neighbourhood with new parks and better street life tends to support prices over time, but the years of construction in between can weigh on resale for suites that face the work.

Building specifications

Amenities at Soul Condos at Fairview Park

Condos.ca lists a concierge, guest suites, a party room, a media room, a meeting room, a recreation room, an outdoor patio and visitor parking. It is a sensible package for a 213-suite building, and the absence of a pool is one reason the fee stays reasonable.

Jatin’s honest take on Soul Condos at Fairview Park

Soul Condos at Fairview Park — 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.