Summerside I, 60 Mendelssohn St: Mattamy’s Low-Rise Condo at Warden

Summerside I is what I suggest to buyers who want a condo but do not want a tower. It is four storeys, it sits on quiet internal streets near St Clair and Warden, and it was built by a developer better known for subdivisions than skylines. The fee is short because you pay most of your own utilities, and you need to understand that before you compare it with anything else. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Phase one of a planned low-rise community

Summerside was built in two phases. This first phase, TSCC-2022, covers addresses on Tranter Trail, Ayers Crescent, Gerigs Street and part of Mendelssohn Street. The second phase, Summerside II at 10 to 30 Mendelssohn Street, is a separate corporation with 141 suites and its own budget.

The developer was Mattamy Homes, according to CondoInvestments.ca, and the place feels like it. Mattamy is one of the country’s largest builders of suburban subdivisions, and Summerside reads more like a neighbourhood of low buildings on internal streets than a condo block. Condos.ca leaves the developer field blank, so if this matters to you, confirm it in the corporation’s documents.

The scale is the reason to buy here. Four storeys means fewer neighbours per hallway, shorter elevator waits and a building that feels residential rather than institutional. It also means the corporation has fewer owners to share big repair bills, which is the trade-off I will come back to. In practice, that means a well-run board and a healthy reserve fund matter more here than the finishes in any one suite.

From studios to family-sized two-bedrooms

Sources disagree on the bottom of the size range. Condos.ca records suites from about 298 sq ft, while CondoInvestments.ca starts the range at about 611 sq ft. Both agree on a top end of about 1,093 sq ft. The difference likely comes down to whether a handful of very small suites are counted, so check the actual suite’s size on the floor plan and the MLS listing.

Most of what trades here is one-bedrooms in the 600s of square feet and two-bedrooms, which is the useful middle of the market. A two-bedroom near 1,000 sq ft in a low-rise building is a real alternative to a small townhouse for a young family.

Not every address is the same format. Some suites are classic apartment-style units off a corridor, while others carry low suite numbers that usually signal townhouse-style units with their own entrance. Ask which one you are viewing, because the stairs, the outdoor space and sometimes the fee differ between them.

A short fee list, and the bills you pay yourself

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as included. Heat, cooling and hydro are not on that list, which usually means each suite has its own meters and you pay those bills directly.

Across the four current listings, fees range from about $269 to $625 a month, and they average about $0.74 per square foot. That spread is wide, and it reflects how different the suites are rather than any inconsistency in the building.

When you compare Summerside I with a high-rise where heat and air conditioning are in the fee, add your own utility bills back in. A building that looks cheaper on the fee line can cost about the same to live in once a winter of heating is counted. Ask the seller for a year of utility bills; most will share them.

Daily life near St Clair and Warden

This is a quiet residential pocket. The internal streets carry local traffic only, the buildings are low, and the feel is closer to a townhouse community than to the towers along Eglinton or at Scarborough Centre.

Errands are mostly a drive or a short transit ride rather than a walk out the front door. The data panel on this page shows the transit options, walking scores and nearby shops, and I would check them against your daily routine before you buy.

The amenity list is modest: a party room, a meeting room, visitor parking, an underground garage and a security system. You are not paying for a pool or a concierge, which helps keep the fee down.

What Summerside I costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $599 per square foot. That is almost exactly where its neighbours sit: Summerside II at about $593 and St Clair Pointe at 684 Warden Avenue at about $596. In this pocket, the low-rise condos price as a group.

When I checked, four suites were for sale and none for lease. Asking prices across those four listings ran from $444,999 to $625,000.

Fees line up too. Across current listings, Summerside I averages about $0.74 per square foot, against about $0.77 at Summerside II and about $0.72 at St Clair Pointe. The difference is that St Clair Pointe’s fee includes heat, so on a like-for-like basis Summerside I is slightly more expensive to run than the number suggests. Small differences like this add up over a decade of ownership, which is why I always compare the full monthly cost, not just the fee.

Because the three nearby low-rise buildings trade so close together, you have good comparables. If you want to see what suites like yours have actually sold for, I can pull them through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Summerside I

This is a basic package: a party room, a meeting room, visitor parking and an underground garage. That suits buyers who would rather keep the fee down than pay for a gym they will not use, and both condos.ca and CondoInvestments.ca list the building as pet-friendly, though you should still read the rules for any size or number limits.

Jatin’s honest take on Summerside I

Summerside I — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.