St. Gabriel Manor, 676 Sheppard Ave E: 96 Suites, Last Baghai Phase

St. Gabriel Manor is the smallest condominium building in the St. Gabriel cluster near Bayview and Sheppard, and for the right buyer that is the whole point. It is an eight-storey, 96-suite Shane Baghai building from 2011, the final phase of a master plan he built out over several years. Listings here are rare, so when one comes up, you need to know quickly whether it fits. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The final piece of the St. Gabriel plan

Shane Baghai developed the St. Gabriel lands on Sheppard East in phases: the St. Gabriel Terraces mid-rise, the two St. Gabriel Village towers, the St. Gabriel Lanes townhouses, and finally St. Gabriel Manor. Forum records on SkyriseCities describe the Manor as the last phase of that master plan, and construction coverage at the time had it scheduled to finish in summer 2011.

Baghai acted as owner, developer and construction manager, which is less common than it sounds. Many GTA condominiums are marketed by one company and built by a general contractor hired for the job; here the same firm planned and ran the work across every phase of the site.

Rafael + Bigauskas Architects designed the Manor, and it was drawn to be architecturally compatible with the townhouses, the Village towers and the Terraces around it. Expect a traditional exterior in keeping with the rest of the St. Gabriel buildings rather than a glass tower. Forum posters who have walked the complex years later describe the exteriors as well kept and the buildings as well put together.

Ninety-six suites and retail at the door

With only 96 suites over eight floors, the Manor is a genuinely small building. You will get to know your neighbours, the elevator is rarely crowded, and the lobby feels residential rather than like a transit hub. For buyers coming out of a house in Bayview Village, that scale is usually what sells it.

The ground floor fronts Sheppard Avenue East with retail space, so the building has a street presence that a purely residential mid-rise would not. The residential amenity sits up on a second-floor roof terrace above that retail base, which gives you outdoor space without needing to go to the top of the building.

Small buildings have a financial side. Fewer owners share the cost of the roof, the garage, the elevators and staff, so the budget is more sensitive to any single big repair. That is not a reason to avoid the building, but it is a reason to read the financial documents carefully.

Layouts sized for downsizers

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at roughly 670 to 1,155 sq ft. The smallest suites start around 670 sq ft, so there are no micro-units here, and that is part of why the building appeals to owner-occupiers. Ask for the full suite mix when you book a showing, because with so few listings you will rarely see more than one plan at a time.

At around 1,100 sq ft, the largest plans are a realistic step down from a house for a couple who still want a proper dining area and room for guests. Ask about the exposure: suites facing Sheppard look over the street and the retail strip, while those facing back toward the rest of the St. Gabriel site are quieter.

Because the building is from 2011, many suites are now on their first renovation cycle. Compare kitchens, floors and bathrooms before you compare price, because two suites of the same size can be very different purchases.

Daily life on Sheppard East

The practical draw is the Bayview and Sheppard corner: Bayview Village Shopping Centre and its grocery store are a short walk west, and the established streets of Bayview Village sit behind the Sheppard frontage. The Sheppard subway line runs under this stretch; the panel beside this review shows the nearest station and the walking time.

Sheppard East has filled in with towers and mid-rises over the past twenty years, and new applications keep appearing along the corridor. If your suite has an open view, check the City of Toronto’s development applications map before you buy, because the next building on the strip can change your light and outlook.

What St. Gabriel Manor costs, fee included

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $776 per square foot. That is reasonable for a 2011 mid-rise in Bayview Village with heat, cooling and parking in the fee, and it sits a little above the roughly $729 per square foot condos.ca shows for the larger St. Gabriel Terraces next door, which I would expect for the newer, smaller building.

The maintenance fee includes common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water. That is a broad inclusion list. In many newer towers on Sheppard, heating and cooling are metered to each suite and parking is billed separately, so compare total monthly cost, not the fee line alone.

Hydro for your own suite is not listed as included. In a mid-rise this size, I also want to see how fees have moved over the last five years and what the reserve fund study projects for the next ten, because a small owner base feels every increase.

When I checked, only one suite was listed for sale and none for lease. I do not publish a single listing’s asking price or fee, and with one listing there is no range to give. What that thin inventory does tell you is that owners tend to stay, and that a buyer who wants this building may need to wait.

With so few trades, comparables are the hard part. I use the St. Gabriel Terraces and St. Gabriel Village sales as a cross-check alongside the Manor’s own history; see my building sold report for what has actually closed.

Building specifications

Amenities at St. Gabriel Manor

The amenities are modest: a second-floor roof terrace and patio, a meeting room and a recreation room. There is no pool or large gym, so if those matter to you, the bigger towers on the same strip are the better fit.

Jatin’s honest take on St. Gabriel Manor

St. Gabriel Manor — 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.