The Forest Hill, 2020 Bathurst St: CentreCourt Above the Crosstown

The Forest Hill is a transit building first. CentreCourt put 390 mostly compact suites on the corner of Bathurst and Eglinton and sold them on the station connection, and that is still the reason to buy here. The question is whether a studio or one-bedroom with fees well above a dollar a square foot is the right way in. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A building designed around the station

The Forest Hill was marketed with a direct connection from the building to the Forest Hill station on the Eglinton Crosstown line, and UrbanToronto’s project record also describes a direct connection. That is the defining feature. Few buildings in midtown can say you reach the platform without crossing a street, so confirm how the connection works and its hours before you buy.

CentreCourt is a developer known for transit-oriented, design-forward buildings in Toronto, and this project fits the pattern: a small-suite mix aimed at commuters, first-time buyers and investors, at a corner where the Crosstown changes the commute.

The site is on the Humewood-Cedarvale side of the intersection. The Forest Hill name sells, but the building sits at a busy commercial corner rather than on the quiet residential streets the name suggests.

The architecture, and the height question

The exterior is metal-clad in three monochrome palettes, with inset balconies and terraces, a podium that steps back at the ninth level and a canopied entrance. BDP Quadrangle designed it, and the landscape is by Quinn Design Associates and o2 Planning and Design.

Sources disagree on height. The developer’s marketing and condos.ca describe 14 storeys, while UrbanToronto lists 17 storeys at about 61 metres. Early planning descriptions used yet other figures. The difference may come from how mechanical and amenity levels are counted, but check the actual floor of any suite against the plans.

The ninth-level step-back matters for buyers. Suites at and just above it are the likeliest to have larger terraces, and those are the units I would look at first if outdoor space is on your list.

Exposure is the other variable. Suites facing Eglinton or Bathurst look over two of midtown’s busiest roads, with the activity and noise that come with them, while suites facing south and west look toward the lower-rise streets and the Cedarvale side. Ask for the floor plan with the compass direction marked, and visit at rush hour.

Small suites, and why the fee per foot is high

The size range runs from about 355 to 1,033 square feet, and most of the current listings are studios and one-bedrooms under 600 square feet. A 355-square-foot studio is very small; it works as a first home or a pied-à-terre, not as a place to settle.

Fees across current listings work out to about $1.33 per square foot, which is among the higher figures I see in midtown. Part of that is arithmetic: small suites carry a larger share of the building’s fixed costs per square foot. Part of it is the concierge, the rooftop and the station-connected lobby. Either way, it is the number that shapes your monthly budget.

Condos.ca does not list what the fee includes. Ask whether heat, water and hydro are bundled or metered, and confirm whether a parking space or locker comes with the unit. In a building sold on transit, many small suites were likely sold without parking.

Bathurst and Eglinton, day to day

This corner is a mix of older low-rise retail, new towers and the long-awaited Crosstown, with the Eglinton West shops and restaurants on one side and the residential streets of Humewood-Cedarvale and Forest Hill on the others. Cedarvale’s ravine park is a short walk to the south-west, which is a genuine asset for anyone who runs or walks a dog.

Years of Crosstown construction weighed on this stretch of Eglinton. As the line settles in and new buildings fill their retail, the street should improve, but expect continued construction as more towers come along Eglinton.

The transit, school and Walk Score panels on this page give the detail. For the people who buy here, the commute is usually the whole decision.

Compared with buying a resale condo a few stops away, the premium here is the connection itself. Over a five-year hold, avoiding a winter walk to the station twice a day is worth more to some buyers than an extra 100 square feet, and less to others. Be honest with yourself about which you are.

Pricing and fees at The Forest Hill

The building average on condos.ca is about $830 per square foot. For a 2023 building at a station corner in midtown, that is moderate, and it mostly reflects the small suite sizes. Studios and compact one-bedrooms often trade at higher per-square-foot figures than larger suites, so compare like with like.

Seven suites are listed for sale right now, asking between $349,000 and $699,000, with eight more for lease. Monthly fees across the sale listings run from about $332 to $585, roughly $1.33 per square foot.

The investor math is the main thing to test. With fees this high per square foot, a small suite has to rent well to carry itself, and the number of units for lease shows you will have competition for tenants. For an owner-occupier, the fee is easier to justify against no car and a short commute. See my building sold report for what has actually traded.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Forest Hill Condominiums

The amenities cover the essentials: concierge, a gym, a party room and a rooftop deck. For small-suite owners, the rooftop and the party room effectively extend a studio’s living space, which is a real benefit in a 400-square-foot home. In a building of 390 suites, though, ask how bookings work and how busy the rooftop gets on summer weekends.

Jatin’s honest take on The Forest Hill Condominiums

The Forest Hill Condominiums — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.