The Manderley Condos, 1496 Kingston Rd: Birch Cliff’s Newest Mid-Rise

The Manderley is the building I point to when a buyer wants new construction east of the Beach but cannot stretch to Beach prices. It is a brand-new mid-rise on Kingston Road at Manderley Drive, and its condominium corporation was registered in January 2026. The upside is that everything is new. The catch is that nothing has been tested yet, and that changes how you should buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A corner that took years to settle

The corner of Kingston Road and Manderley Drive was planned more than once before this building went up. In 2018 Birch Cliff News covered a public meeting about an earlier proposal from Core Development Group: a 10-storey, 120-unit mixed-use building with brick and wood at street level, chosen to suit St. Nicholas Church across the road.

That version did not go ahead as drawn. UrbanToronto reports that Nova Ridge acquired the site after new zoning was in place, then brought in IBI Group for a revised design in an early 2020 application to the City. It kept the massing the zoning amendment allowed and added a red-framed corner feature. The name comes from Manderley Drive, the residential street running off the east side of the site.

Why does that history matter to a buyer? Because the building you are buying into is a Nova Ridge building, not the Core one that residents saw in 2018. If you have read older articles about geothermal heating or a community terrace, do not assume those features carried over. Ask for the final disclosure documents and check what was actually delivered.

Suite sizes and who they suit

When it launched, UrbanToronto reported one- to three-bedroom suites from about 400 to 1,100 square feet. The listings on the market now sit mostly in the 500 to 900 square foot range, with den plans common. That is a mix aimed at first-time buyers and couples, with a smaller number of family-sized three-bedrooms.

A 400-square-foot suite is small by any standard, so walk the floor plan carefully. Look at where the den sits and whether it has a door or window, how the kitchen runs along the wall, and whether the bedroom fits a queen bed with room to move. Measured plans and real furniture in a model suite tell you more than a brochure rendering.

The two numbers to resolve before you buy are the storey count and the suite count. Condos.ca shows 11 storeys and 194 suites. UrbanToronto shows 12 storeys and 198. The difference may come from how the rooftop amenity level is counted, or from suites that were combined during construction, but the registered declaration is the document that settles it.

Buying into a first-year building

A corporation registered in January 2026 is in its first year of life. The first budget was set by the developer, the board may still be in transition to owners, and the corporation’s first reserve fund study is either just done or still to come. Fees in the first year are often set lean, so ask how the budget was built and what it assumes.

Ask for the status certificate and the disclosure statement, and read the first-year budget line by line. Look at how much is going into the reserve fund, what the management contract costs, and whether any shared facilities or easements with neighbouring properties carry their own costs. Condos.ca does not list a property manager yet, so confirm who runs the building day to day.

If you are buying on resale or assignment, find out where the original buyer is in the Tarion warranty process. Deficiencies in a suite are usually logged at the pre-delivery inspection and in the first year, and the corporation handles the common elements separately. A buyer who knows which items are already reported is in a much better position than one who discovers them after closing.

Daily life on Kingston Road in Birch Cliff

Birch Cliff is one of the older pockets of Scarborough, with a stretch of Kingston Road that still has small shops and restaurants rather than strip plazas. The Manderley sits right on that main street. You get the convenience of shops at your door, and you also get the traffic, bus noise and street activity of a main road, so suite orientation matters.

Suites facing Kingston Road will hear the road. Suites on the north side look back toward the low-rise houses behind the building. Earlier plans for this corner put planted terraces on the rear to soften that edge, so ask what the north-facing suites actually look onto from each floor. For anyone who wants the lake, the Bluffs parks are a short drive south, and the panel on this page lists the nearest parks and transit.

What new construction costs here

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $962 per square foot. That is new-construction pricing, and with registration only in January 2026 there is no meaningful resale history yet to test it against. Treat early resale and assignment prices as a sign of what owners hope to get rather than proof of what the building is worth.

Six suites were listed for sale when I checked, asking from about $400,000 to about $673,000. Fees on those listings ran from about $450 to about $820 a month, which works out to roughly $0.82 per square foot on average. Condos.ca does not show what the fee covers, so confirm whether heat, cooling, water and parking are in it before you compare against an older building where they often are.

My advice is to compare this building on a cost-per-month basis, not just price per square foot. Add the fee, your hydro and any separate parking charge, then set it next to a resale suite of the same size nearby. If you want the comparison done for you, I can pull the recorded figures through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Manderley Condos

The rooftop is the centrepiece, with a party room, billiards and a fireplace lounge opening onto a terrace, according to UrbanToronto. Study rooms and a boardroom suit people who work from home, and the kids’ room and pet wash station tell you the building was planned for families and dog owners as well as singles.

Jatin’s honest take on The Manderley Condos

The Manderley Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Scarborough Bluffs, West Hill, Guildwood, Woburn, Malvern and Rouge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.