The Boardwalk II, 9 Boardwalk Dr: Concierge Mid-Rise by Woodbine Park

The Boardwalk II is the building Beach downsizers ask me about first. It is a five-storey, 98-suite mid-rise on Boardwalk Drive, next to Woodbine Park, with a concierge, guest suites and some of the largest condo suites in the neighbourhood. It also carries one of the highest price-per-square-foot averages in the Beach, so it pays to know exactly what you are paying for. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built on the old racetrack, beside the park

Boardwalk Drive sits on land that was the Greenwood Raceway until the track closed at the end of 1993. The grandstand was demolished, the northern part became new housing, and the southern half became Woodbine Park, with its pond, open lawns and paths. The Boardwalk II is one of the mid-rises that face that park.

The setting is the reason people buy here. You are south of Queen Street, a short walk from the lake and the boardwalk, and buffered from the traffic of Queen by the newer residential streets. Several suites look over Woodbine Park toward the downtown skyline.

The Boardwalk II is the second of two related buildings on the street. The original, The Boardwalk, is at 35 Boardwalk Drive and was finished in 2001. Condos.ca does not name a developer for either, and I could not confirm one, so check the declaration if it matters to you.

Suites from compact to very large

Condos.ca records suites from about 584 to 2,280 square feet. The top of that range is unusual for a Beach condo. Suites of 1,500 square feet or more are effectively houses on one floor, and they are a big part of why this building draws people leaving family homes nearby.

Listings describe features that vary suite to suite: private terraces, some with gas barbecue hookups and views over Woodbine Park, gas fireplaces in living rooms, and corner plans with large windows. The north side is described as the quieter side. Ask for the floor plan, and confirm which features belong to the specific suite.

With five storeys and 98 suites, the building is big enough to support staff and amenities but small enough that owners know each other. Listings describe an active social life, with coffee mornings and wine nights. That is not a feature you can measure, but for a downsizer moving alone it can matter a great deal.

Concierge, guest suites and the fee

Condos.ca lists a concierge, guest suites, a party room, visitor parking and permitted barbecues, and listings add a fitness room, meeting space and landscaped courtyard gardens. For a five-storey building, that is a full package, and it shows up in the fee.

The fee includes heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and the common elements, according to condos.ca. Hydro is not on the list, and neither is parking. Do not assume a spot is included; ask whether parking is owned, leased or separately charged for the suite you want.

Large suites in a bundled-fee building can carry large fees. Compare total monthly cost, not just price, when you look at a bigger suite here. A fee that looks high in dollars can still be reasonable per square foot once you account for what is included.

Because the fee covers heating and cooling, the corporation also carries that equipment. Ask what the building uses, how old the main components are and what the reserve fund study plans for them. Those are the largest single items in most mid-rise budgets of this age.

How it compares with The Boardwalk next door

The obvious comparison is The Boardwalk at 35 Boardwalk Drive. Both are five-storey concierge buildings with guest suites, managed by the same company, with similar suite ranges. On paper, they are siblings.

The differences are in the numbers. Condos.ca puts the average at about $1,076 per square foot here and about $832 at 35 Boardwalk, and the older building lists hydro and parking in its fee while this one does not. Some of that gap may come from which suites happened to sell. It is worth comparing the two on the same suite size before you decide.

Age matters as well. At 35 Boardwalk you are buying a building three years further into its maintenance cycle, which can mean more work already done or more work still to come. The reserve fund studies of the two corporations will tell you which, and I would read both side by side.

Where The Boardwalk II sits on price

At about $1,076 per square foot, according to condos.ca, The Boardwalk II is among the more expensive mid-rise condos in the Beach. Applied across the recorded suite sizes, that average points to roughly the low $600,000s for the smallest suites and well over $2 million for the largest, though large suites rarely trade at the building average.

That premium is consistent with the park setting, the concierge and the large-suite mix. It is also higher than The Boardwalk at 35 Boardwalk Drive and The Beach Condominiums V on Queen Street, at about $832 and $908 per square foot on condos.ca. If you like both Boardwalk buildings, the price difference is real money.

At the time of review, condos.ca showed one suite for sale and one for rent. A single listing is not a range, so I am not quoting it. Use the sale data on this page and my building sold report, and price large suites against other large Beach condo sales, not against the building average.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Boardwalk II

The amenities are built for people who live here full time: a concierge to take parcels and watch the door when you travel, guest suites for visiting family, a fitness room and a courtyard garden. You will not find a pool or a rooftop lounge, but you will find the services that make a large suite in a small building work.

Jatin’s honest take on The Boardwalk II

The Boardwalk II — 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.