The Plant Condos, 41 Dovercourt Rd: Queen West’s Urban-Farming Condo

The Plant is the building I show buyers who want a mid-rise on Queen West with real outdoor space and a little more thought behind it than usual. It is a 10-storey, 74-suite condo on the old Dufflet Pastries site at Dovercourt, completed in 2020 and designed around growing food at home. The concept is charming. The things that actually make it a good place to live are more practical. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A bakery site turned into a terrace-to-table building

The Plant replaced the Dufflet Pastries site at Dovercourt and Sudbury, just south of Queen. Windmill Development Group, an Ottawa developer known for its sustainability-led projects, bought the property and brought in Curated Properties, the Toronto boutique builder behind Cabin next door and 455 Dovercourt.

The marketing idea was what the developers called terrace-to-table living. The plans included a greenhouse and seed nursery beside a communal industrial-style kitchen, herb micro-gardens built into kitchen counters, optional LED-lit aeroponic growing towers for owners, communal garden plots, a green roof and a green wall on the exterior. Rainwater was to be collected in an on-site cistern for irrigation.

The project was designed around the One Planet Living framework and won a BILD award during sales. Nearly all of the units sold within about two weeks of release.

Wide, shallow suites and triangular balconies

The design choice that matters most day to day is the shape of the suites. Kohn Shnier and SMV made them wide and shallow to bring in as much sun as possible, which is good for plants and better for people. Wide suites have more window per square foot and fewer dark interior corners than the deep, narrow plans common in towers.

Every suite was planned with a balcony or terrace, and the balconies are triangular so light can reach the floors below. During sales, about two-thirds of the suites were two-bedrooms, with studios, three-bedrooms and four-bedrooms making up the rest. Condos.ca records suites from about 418 to 1,615 square feet.

Sales material described options for extra pantry storage, metal pot racks above kitchen islands and integrated wood table extensions, so finishes may differ more between suites than in a typical building. Ask what was chosen in the suite you are viewing.

Plans versus what was delivered

Pre-construction brochures and the finished building do not always match, and with a concept this specific, I would check each headline feature in person. Sales coverage promised geothermal heating and cooling as part of a low-carbon energy system, the greenhouse and kitchen, the cistern, heated bicycle parking and a bike repair area.

Condos.ca today lists a concierge, party room, rooftop deck and barbecue permission. That does not mean the other features are missing, only that I could not confirm them from current sources. Walk the amenity floors, ask the manager what is operating and what it costs to run, and read the reserve fund study for the geothermal system, which is a long-life but specialised piece of equipment.

The building was planned with about 9,500 square feet of retail along Dovercourt and Sudbury and roughly 12,500 square feet of office on the second floor. Ask how those commercial spaces share costs and facilities with residents under the declaration.

Gardening on a condo terrace, in practice

If the growing concept is part of why you are buying, think through the practical side. Soil, planters and water are heavy, and a terrace over someone else’s suite has a waterproofing membrane underneath it that the corporation has to protect. Most buildings have rules about planter size, weight and drainage, and The Plant will have its own.

Before you firm up, read the declaration and rules for anything about planters, irrigation, barbecues and what you can attach to walls or railings. Ask whether the communal garden plots are allocated, how, and whether there is a waiting list.

Exposure matters too. The wide, shallow plans were designed to maximise sun, but a north-facing suite will still grow far less than a south-facing one. If herbs and tomatoes are on your list, ask which way the terrace faces and how many hours of direct light it gets in summer.

Dovercourt and Queen, day to day

This is a quieter corner of West Queen West than the blocks around Ossington. You are steps from Queen Street’s shops and restaurants, with Trinity Bellwoods Park and the Ossington strip a short walk east, and the residential streets of Little Portugal to the north.

Within a block or two are several other newer buildings, including Cabin next door and Art Condos at Dovercourt and Sudbury, so the immediate pocket feels newer than the Queen West strip itself. Transit, schools and parks are shown in the data panel.

Boutique pricing on Queen West

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,150 per square foot. That is a premium figure for this part of Queen West, and close to 1181 Queen West nearby at about $1,166, the other newer building in this pocket aimed at larger-suite buyers.

There were no active listings when I checked, which is not unusual for a 74-suite building. When suites do come up, the wide plans and large terraces tend to carry a premium over a standard plan of the same size, so compare on outdoor space and exposure, not just interior square footage.

Fees cover common elements, building insurance and water. If the geothermal system is operating as planned, ask how heating and cooling are billed to suites, because that affects the true monthly cost. My building sold report can show recent aggregate sales.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Plant Condos

Condos.ca lists a concierge, party room, rooftop deck and barbecues. The food-growing amenities were the heart of the original pitch, so confirm which are in use; for most owners, the private terrace is the amenity that matters. A food-focused fitness tenant and cafe were discussed for the retail space during sales, so ask what actually opened at street level.

Jatin’s honest take on The Plant Condos

The Plant Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.