The Residence of Avondale, 16-18 Harrison Garden: Every Utility in the Fee

The Residence of Avondale is the biggest building on Harrison Garden Boulevard by suite count, and it does one thing almost none of its neighbours do: the fee covers hydro. It is a 2004 Shane Baghai development of 611 compact suites at Yonge and the 401, and it trades at a higher price per square foot than the larger-suite towers along the street. Understanding why is the key to buying well here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Shane Baghai building at the head of Harrison Garden

Harrison Garden Boulevard is a short street of towers on the east side of Yonge just north of the 401. Menkes’ two Spectrum towers, Tridel’s Skymark pair and the Mansions of Avondale all sit along it. The Residence of Avondale, at 16 and 18 Harrison Garden, sits near the Yonge end of the street.

The developer was Shane Baghai. CondoInvestments.ca credits Rafael + Bigauskas Architects with the design and gives a height of about 84 metres over 27 storeys. The same firm later designed Savvy near Yonge and Sheppard.

The two street numbers can be confusing. Condos.ca and CondoInvestments.ca treat 16 and 18 Harrison Garden as one corporation, TSCC-1633, with 611 suites, and listings appear under both addresses. If you are comparing suites at the two numbers, the fee structure and rules should be the same, but confirm which entrance, elevator bank and amenities serve the suite you are looking at.

Compact suites, and a lot of them

Condos.ca gives a suite range of about 520 to 1,050 square feet, which is tight for a building of 611 suites. There are no very large suites here. The mix is mostly one-bedrooms, one-bedroom-plus-dens and modest two-bedrooms, which is why the building has always been popular with tenants and investors as well as first-time buyers.

That size range also explains the price per square foot. Smaller suites sell for more per square foot than larger ones, and Skymark down the street, according to condos.ca, has suites running past 3,000 square feet that pull its average down. Comparing the two buildings on price per square foot alone will mislead you; compare suites of similar size.

Penthouse-level suites exist (listings use LPH designations), but even those fall within the same overall size range. I could not verify ceiling heights for typical floors versus penthouse floors, so check the floor plan or ask the listing agent.

An all-inclusive fee, and what that means

Condos.ca lists air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance, parking and water as included in the maintenance fee. Hydro included is the unusual part. At Spectrum next door, condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water only, so owners there pay heat and hydro on top of the fee.

For a buyer, an all-inclusive fee means one predictable monthly cost with no separate hydro bill. For an investor, it means a tenant pays one rent and you carry the utilities, which is easy to manage but leaves you exposed if energy costs rise. It also means that how suites use energy affects every owner, so ask whether the board has looked at sub-metering, since a change there would reshape the fee.

Skymark, further along the street, sits in between: condos.ca lists heat, air conditioning and parking in its fee but not hydro. So on Harrison Garden alone you have three different fee structures within a few hundred metres, and the only fair comparison is total monthly cost for a suite of the same size, with every utility added back in. I build that comparison for every buyer I take down this street.

Yonge and the 401, day to day

This is a location for people who want both the subway corridor and the highway. The 401 is right at the foot of the street and Yonge Street is at the other end, with the shops and restaurants that run north toward Sheppard. Harrison Garden itself carries little through traffic, so the street is mostly residents walking to and from Yonge. The data panel on this page shows the exact transit, schools, parks and food nearby.

The highway is also the main thing to check. Suites facing south toward the 401 will see and hear it, while suites facing north or east look over the rest of the Harrison Garden community. Visit at rush hour before you decide.

Price per square foot along Harrison Garden

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $807 per square foot. That is higher than its neighbours: Spectrum at 28 Harrison Garden averages about $724, the Spectrum south tower about $704, the two Skymark towers about $703 and $704, and the Mansions of Avondale about $721. Newer Aristo at Avonshire, further east on the street, averages about $811.

Two things drive that premium. Suites here are small, which pushes the per-square-foot figure up, and the fee covers hydro and heat, which buyers will pay a little more for. On a compact one-bedroom, the total monthly cost here can end up close to a neighbouring building’s once you add utilities back in.

With only one suite for sale when I checked, there is no asking-price range to give. Four suites were listed for lease, which fits the building’s rental profile. The data panel on this page shows recorded sales and leases.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Residence of Avondale

A pool, sauna, concierge and security guard is a solid package for a 2004 building, and with 611 suites sharing the cost, the pool is easier to carry than in a smaller building. CondoInvestments.ca mentions a gym in its highlights but not in its amenity list, so confirm what the fitness room offers.

Jatin’s honest take on The Residence of Avondale

The Residence of Avondale — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.