The Beach Condominiums I, 1829 Queen St E: First of the Racetrack Five

Most condo buyers who want the Beach end up choosing between a house they can’t afford and a boutique loft with ten suites and no sales history. The Beach Condominiums I sits in between: a four-storey, 48-suite building from 1999, on land that was a racetrack for more than a century, with a fee that covers most of your utilities. It is the oldest of a row of five sister buildings, and that matters when you compare them. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built on the old Greenwood track

This stretch of Queen Street East was a horse racing venue from 1874, first as Woodbine Race Course and, after a full renovation in 1963, as Greenwood Raceway. Racing moved to the Woodbine track in Etobicoke after the 1993 season, the grandstand came down, and the land was rebuilt as a mix of houses, townhomes, a few low-rise condominiums and parkland.

Condos.ca describes The Beach Condominiums I as the first of five towers on what was the track’s northern boundary. In practice they are not towers at all. They are four-storey buildings set in a row along the south side of Queen, with the newer streets of the old track lands behind them. Some of those streets keep the racing theme in their names, such as Northern Dancer Boulevard and Winners Circle.

For a buyer, the history explains the setting. You are on the main street of an old lakeside neighbourhood, but the blocks behind you were laid out in the late 1990s, with Woodbine Park on part of the old track lands. That gives the building a quieter, more planned edge than most Queen East addresses.

The first of five, and why that matters

The five buildings were built in sequence. This one, at 1829, registered in March 1999. The Beach Condominiums II at 1797 followed in November 1999, and The Beach Condominiums III at 1765 registered in October 2000. Each is a separate corporation with its own board, budget, reserve fund and manager.

That is the point most buyers miss. The buildings look like siblings and their suite sizes are almost identical, but they do not share finances. Condos.ca lists a different management company for each of the first three, and a different set of fee inclusions. Two suites with the same floor plan, a few doors apart, can carry very different monthly costs and very different reserve fund positions.

Being first also means this is the oldest of the group. At 27 years, it is well into the stage where roofs, windows, balcony membranes, the garage and the heating and cooling equipment come up for replacement. I would compare its reserve fund study directly with its neighbours’ before deciding which address to buy.

Suite sizes and the low-rise format

Condos.ca records suites from about 611 to 1,087 square feet across 48 units on four floors. That is a narrow, sensible range: mostly one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom plans, sized for people moving out of a house rather than first-time investors chasing the smallest unit.

The sister buildings are described as having a lot of glass and terraces with lake and city views, especially on the upper floors. I would treat that as a general description of the complex rather than a promise about any one suite. In a four-storey building, the view depends heavily on the floor and the direction the suite faces, so walk the actual suite and check what the terrace looks at.

A four-storey building also means a short elevator ride, few neighbours on each floor and a scale that feels residential. The trade-off is that there is no concierge-style amenity package here; condos.ca lists a party room and a meeting room, plus underground parking and a security system.

Daily life on this end of Queen East

This is the western end of the Beach strip, near Woodbine Avenue, where Queen Street East starts to change from Leslieville’s shops into the Beach’s lakeside main street. The boardwalk and the beach are a short walk south through the old track lands, and Woodbine Park is on the way.

The Queen streetcar runs along this stretch. The data panel on this page shows the transit, school and Walk Score details, so I won’t repeat them here. What I will say is that this is a neighbourhood where people walk to the lake, the bakery and the grocery store, and where a car is useful but not essential.

Summer brings crowds to this part of the east end, especially on festival weekends. Buyers coming from a quiet street should visit on a warm Saturday before they commit.

Price and fees at The Beach Condominiums I

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,031 per square foot. That is almost the same as The Beach Condominiums II next door at about $1,026, and well above The Beach Condominiums III at about $932. Among the Beach-area boutique buildings I have reviewed, it sits close to Bellefair Kew Beach Residences at about $1,012 and just below Academy Lane Lofts at about $1,077.

The fee is the reason to look closely. Condos.ca lists heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance, common elements and parking as included. Having hydro in the fee is uncommon, and it makes comparisons with newer buildings misleading: a higher fee here can still mean a lower total monthly cost once you add back a hydro bill, a heating bill and a parking charge elsewhere.

There were no active listings in the building when I checked, so I can’t give you a current asking range. For recorded sale figures, see the data panel on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Beach Condominiums I

The amenity list is short: a party room, a meeting room and underground parking. The real amenities are outside, with the boardwalk, Woodbine Park and Queen Street East all on foot.

Jatin’s honest take on The Beach Condominiums I

The Beach Condominiums I — 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.