The Courtyards of Rosedale, 1 Baxter St: Townhouse Living Off Yonge

The Courtyards of Rosedale is what I show buyers who want a house and are tired of losing bidding wars on one. It is 26 suites on a short side street off Yonge, mostly laid out like three-storey townhouses, with rooftop terraces and a garage under your feet. It also has no gym, no pool and no concierge, and that is exactly why some people love it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A condo that is really a row of townhouses

Most condominiums stack flats on top of each other. This one does not. A property manager that lists the building describes many of the suites as three-storey townhomes set around landscaped inner courtyards, which is where the name comes from. The building profile records it as a single-floor low-rise, while that same manager describes it as four storeys. The difference is just how you count a stacked townhouse, but it is worth knowing when you compare listings.

The practical result is a home that lives like a semi-detached house. You come up from the garage through your own lower-level entrance, live on the middle floor, and sleep on the top floor with a terrace on the roof. For a buyer coming out of a Rosedale or Summerhill house, that layout feels familiar in a way a tower suite never will.

With only 26 suites, there are very few shared hallways and very few neighbours. That privacy is the product. You are buying into a small corporation where every owner’s vote, and every owner’s share of a repair bill, counts for more.

Small corporations also tend to run on volunteer energy. A handful of owners sit on the board, decisions can move quickly, and the tone of the building depends a lot on who those owners are. Ask how often the board meets and how long the current directors have served.

Layouts, ceilings and the rooftop

Recorded suite sizes start at about 1,462 square feet and go to roughly 2,034 square feet. There are no studios or small one-bedrooms here. Every suite is a family-sized home, and current inventory tends to be three-bedroom layouts.

According to the property manager’s description, many of the townhome suites have nine-foot ceilings, open kitchens, hardwood floors and granite counters. The principal bedroom on the top level is described as loft-like and opens onto the rooftop terrace. Finishes are now more than 25 years old in many suites, so expect a wide spread between original and renovated homes.

The rooftop terraces are the feature I would weigh most. Private outdoor space of that kind is rare in midtown condos, and in a three-storey plan it sits directly off the bedroom rather than down a shared hallway. Ask how the roof membrane under each terrace is maintained and who pays when it is replaced, because that answer lives in the declaration, not the listing.

Parking, stairs and who this layout is not for

Parking is included in the fee, and the townhome suites have a lower-level entrance that opens straight into the underground garage. In winter, being able to walk from your car to your kitchen without going outside is a genuine luxury. There is also visitor parking and a security system.

The trade-off is stairs. A three-storey townhouse plan means you climb between every part of your day, and I have not found any record of in-suite elevators. If you are downsizing because stairs are becoming hard, this building may solve the wrong problem. Walk the full suite, garage to roof, before you fall for it.

The building profile lists pets as permitted. Confirm the current rules in the declaration and by-laws before you buy, especially for larger dogs.

The street and the neighbourhood around it

Baxter Street is a short, quiet street off Yonge near Belmont. You are a few minutes’ walk from the Yonge Street shops and from Yorkville to the south, but the courtyard plan turns the homes inward, away from the traffic. Budd Sugarman Park is across the street and Ramsden Park is nearby, which gives the area a greener feel than its position next to Yonge suggests.

Low-rise homes on a side street depend on what happens on the main street next to them, so check active development applications along Yonge on the City of Toronto map before you buy. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and nearby food and parks.

House-sized suites at a condo price per foot

The building averages about $920 per square foot. That is well below nearby boutique buildings such as Two Roxborough East, which averages about $1,222 per square foot, and it is a long way under what you pay for a freehold house in Rosedale. You are giving up new construction and amenities to get house-sized space with a garage and a roof terrace.

With only 26 suites, listings are scarce, often one or none at a time, so there is rarely a range of active asking prices to quote. That scarcity cuts both ways: buyers wait for the right suite, and sellers have few comparables to price against. Sizes cluster between about 1,500 and 2,000 square feet, so condition and renovation drive most of the price difference between suites.

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so ask for the seller’s utility bills and add them to the fee before comparing this building with an all-inclusive tower. My building sold report shows what has actually closed here.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Courtyards of Rosedale

There is no amenity floor here, and that is the point: you are not paying through your fee for a gym, pool or concierge you might never use. The amenities are the courtyards, your own roof terrace and a garage you can reach without going outside.

Jatin’s honest take on The Courtyards of Rosedale

The Courtyards of Rosedale — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.