South Beach, 2371 Queen St E: A 13-Suite Twin at the East End of the Beach

South Beach is one of the smallest condominiums I review in the east end: 13 suites in a four-storey building on Queen Street East, paired with a twin next door at 2365. The suites are large, some are very large, and sales are rare. That makes it a building you buy for the location and the suite, and one where the paperwork does more work than the price history. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two small buildings, one development

Condos.ca describes South Beach as a pair of buildings at 2365 and 2371 Queen Street East, developed by South Beach Development Corporation in the mid-1990s. This review covers 2371, which condos.ca lists as its own corporation, MTCC-1150, with 13 suites over four storeys.

The sources do not fully agree on the details. The condos.ca page for 2371 lists 13 units, while its overview of the pair mentions 14. Condos.ca also keeps a separate page for 2365, which suggests the twin is a separate corporation, possibly built as its own phase. Before you buy, confirm which corporation the suite belongs to and what is shared between the two buildings, if anything.

That last point matters more than it sounds. If the garage, the entrance or any services are shared with the twin, there will be an agreement between the corporations setting out who pays for what. Ask for it with the status certificate.

Large suites, fireplaces and lake-facing units

Condos.ca records suites from about 729 to 2,000 square feet. In a 13-suite building, that is a striking range: the top end is house-sized, and even the smallest suite is a generous one-bedroom by today’s standards.

The building is described as having gas fireplaces and pot lights, with south-facing suites looking out over trees toward the lake. That suits the Beach, where many buyers are downsizing from houses and don’t want to give up a fireplace or a sense of space. As with any small building, each suite is close to unique, so ask for the floor plan of the actual unit and check which way it faces.

An elevator in a 13-suite, four-storey building is not a given, and condos.ca lists one here. For buyers planning to stay into later life, that one feature can decide the purchase.

If you are looking at one of the largest plans, check how the space is divided. A 2,000 square foot suite in a 1990s building can be laid out as a true three-bedroom or as a two-bedroom with oversized living rooms, and the two appeal to quite different buyers when you sell.

The east end of the Queen Street strip

At 2371, you are toward the eastern end of the Beach’s Queen Street East shops, east of Kew Gardens, where the street gets quieter and more residential. The lake and the boardwalk are a short walk south down the neighbourhood’s tree-lined side streets.

This end of Queen has its own small cafes, bakeries and shops, and condos.ca points to a local sweet shop and fair-trade coffee nearby. The Queen streetcar runs along the street, and the data panel on this page covers transit, schools and Walk Score.

The Beach as a whole gets busy in summer, but the far east end of the strip tends to feel calmer than the blocks around Kew Gardens. For many owners, that is the reason to be here rather than further west.

What a 13-suite corporation means for you

Thirteen owners share every cost in this building, from insurance renewals to roof work. That keeps the community personal and often keeps operating costs modest, but a large repair is split among very few people. At nearly 30 years old, the building is at the age when windows, the roof, the garage and the mechanical systems come up in reserve fund studies.

Condos.ca lists Mareka Property Management as the manager, so there is professional management in place rather than a self-run board. Even so, a small board makes the key decisions, and it is worth reading the last few sets of minutes to see how it handles them.

A small corporation also changes how you buy. Board decisions often come down to a few votes, the rules may be applied more personally, and one owner who falls behind on fees has a visible effect on the budget. None of that is a reason to avoid the building, but it is a reason to read the minutes closely and, if you can, talk to an owner before you firm up.

South Beach on price

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for South Beach, which is common for very small buildings with few recent sales. That makes pricing a suite here harder than in a 48-suite building. I would compare it with recent sales of similar-sized condos and townhomes in the Beach, and with the closest boutique buildings, such as Bellefair Kew Beach Residences at about $1,012 per square foot and Academy Lane Lofts at about $1,077.

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, water and parking, per condos.ca. Heat and hydro are not listed, so budget for your own utilities, including the gas fireplace. With suites up to about 2,000 square feet, ask for the fee on the specific suite and work out its cost per square foot yourself.

There were no active listings when I checked. For recorded sale figures, see the data panel on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at South Beach

There are no shared amenity rooms to speak of, and in a 13-suite building that keeps costs down. What you get is an elevator, a parking spot and the lake a short walk away.

Jatin’s honest take on South Beach

South Beach — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.