The Beach Condominiums V, 1863 Queen St E: Heat and Parking in the Fee

The Beach Condominiums V is the building I point to when someone wants the west end of the Beach without a house, a tower or a long walk to the lake. It is a five-storey, 69-suite mid-rise at Queen and Woodbine, and its fee covers more than most buyers expect. It is also 20 years old, which is exactly why the paperwork matters. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The fifth building in a Queen Street series

The name tells you something. Condos.ca and other listing databases record a numbered run of Beach Condominiums buildings along the south side of Queen Street East, including II at 1797, III at 1765 and IV at 1733. Number V, at 1863, is the easternmost of the ones I could confirm, closest to the Woodbine corner.

These buildings went up on the stretch of Queen that faces the old Greenwood Raceway lands. The track closed at the end of 1993, the grandstand came down, and the land was rebuilt as housing, with the southern half turned into Woodbine Park. That history explains why this part of Queen looks newer and more uniform than the strip east of Woodbine.

I could not verify the original developer. Condos.ca leaves the field blank, and the numbered naming suggests a single program, but I would not assume that without the original disclosure documents. If it matters to you, ask the property manager or look at the declaration, which names the declarant.

Suite sizes and what five storeys means

Condos.ca records suites from about 586 to 1,085 square feet. In practice that is one-bedrooms at the small end and two-bedroom and corner plans at the top, with nothing here that competes with the larger penthouse-style suites on Boardwalk Drive.

Five storeys changes the view question. Nobody here is buying a skyline. North-facing suites look over Queen Street and its streetcar line; south-facing suites look back toward the residential streets and park built on the racetrack lands. Upper floors on the south side are the ones I would chase if quiet and light matter to you.

The low height has an upside too. Elevator waits are short, the building is easy to understand at a glance, and a 69-suite community means owners tend to recognise each other. If you are coming from a 400-unit tower, this will feel very different.

When you view a suite, ask which way it faces, which floor the garbage room and elevator sit on relative to it, and whether the windows and balcony doors are original. In a 2006 building, original windows are common, and their condition affects both comfort and what the corporation will need to spend next.

A fee that carries heat, cooling and parking

Condos.ca lists heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking as included, on top of the common elements. That is a heavier inclusion list than many newer east-end buildings, where heating and cooling sit on your own meter and parking is a separate monthly charge.

So do not compare this fee to a newer building on a per-square-foot basis alone. Add back what you would pay separately elsewhere, especially winter heat and summer cooling, and the gap usually narrows. Hydro is not on the inclusion list, so budget for your own electricity.

The other side of a bundled fee is that the corporation carries the cost of the shared heating and cooling plant. At 20 years old, that equipment is reaching the point where reserve fund studies start to schedule major work. Ask what has already been replaced.

Daily life at Queen and Woodbine

This is the western gateway to the Beach strip. Walk south and you reach Woodbine Beach and Ashbridge’s Bay; walk east and Queen Street East turns into the independent shops and cafes the neighbourhood is known for. The 501 Queen streetcar runs along this stretch; the transit panel on this page has the details.

Every July, the Beaches International Jazz Festival brings big crowds, and most performances now happen at Woodbine Beach Park, just south of you. Summer weekends in general are busy here, and parking on side streets gets tight. Your included garage spot is worth more than it looks.

Something to watch: in 2016, Live Nation bought the remaining part of the old Greenwood property, the former off-track betting site, with plans for a venue of roughly 2,700 seats. Check the current status with the City before you buy, because a venue nearby would change evening traffic on Queen.

Where 1863 Queen St E sits on price

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $908 per square foot. Applied to the recorded suite sizes, that points to roughly the low $500,000s for the smallest one-bedrooms and the high $900,000s for the largest plans, before you adjust for floor, exposure and condition.

For context, the condos.ca average at The Boardwalk II on Boardwalk Drive is about $1,076 per square foot, and The Boardwalk at 35 Boardwalk Drive is about $832. This building lands in between, which feels right: Queen Street frontage and a smaller suite mix, without the courtyard setting and concierge of the Boardwalk buildings.

There were no active listings in the data I reviewed, so I cannot give you a current asking range. With 69 suites, sales are not frequent. Price a suite against recent Beach-area sales of a similar size and age, not the building average alone, and use the sale data on this page or my building sold report to anchor the number.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Beach Condominiums V

This is a practical package rather than a resort one: a party room and meeting room, visitor parking, an underground garage and barbecues permitted. There is no gym or pool in the condos.ca record, so you are relying on the lake, the boardwalk and the neighbourhood for recreation, which for most owners here is the point.

Jatin’s honest take on The Beach Condominiums V

The Beach Condominiums V — 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.