The Residences of Wanless Park, 18 Wanless Ave: Plaza’s Own Backyard

The Residences of Wanless Park is a small Plaza building in one of the hardest neighbourhoods in Toronto to find a condo. It has seven storeys and 65 suites, it sits just off Yonge Street north of Lawrence, and its developer still runs its head office a few doors along the same street. The price per foot is high, and the fee includes less than you might assume. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Plaza building on Plaza’s own street

Plaza has been building condominiums in Toronto since 1982 and says it has completed or started more than 5,000 suites, with much of its work in midtown neighbourhoods such as North Toronto, Lawrence Park and Mount Pleasant Village. According to UrbanToronto’s company listing, its head office is at 10 Wanless Avenue, a few doors from this building.

I would not read too much into that, but it is a good sign. A developer that walks past one of its older buildings every day has a reputational reason to care how it ages, and Plaza’s long presence in this part of the city means its buildings are well known to local buyers and agents.

Plaza’s marketing has long stressed finishes such as stone counters and hardwood-style floors as standard rather than upgrades. Whether a particular suite here still has its original 2001 finishes, or has been redone, is something to check in person.

Seven storeys of mostly larger suites

Condos.ca lists suites from about 622 to 1,419 square feet. With 65 suites over seven floors, the building averages roughly nine homes a floor, so hallways are short and the building feels residential rather than institutional.

Those sizes point to one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom plans, with a few larger suites at the top and no true studios. That mix matches the neighbourhood: many buyers here are leaving a house in Lawrence Park or North Toronto and want to stay within walking distance of the same shops and friends.

Condos.ca lists a rooftop deck, which in a seven-storey building at Yonge and Lawrence is a real asset. The surrounding streets are low-rise, so even a modest height gives open views over the treetops.

Because the building is small, ask how the rooftop deck is booked and maintained. Roof decks sit on top of the building’s roof membrane, and when that membrane is replaced the deck usually has to come up too, which is a cost worth seeing in the reserve fund plan.

Read the fee inclusions carefully

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance and water as covered by the fee. Heat, hydro and parking are not listed. That is a shorter list than many buildings of this age, where heat and parking are often bundled.

This matters when you compare. A fee here may look moderate next to an older building that includes heat and parking, but once you add your own heating and any separate parking charge, the gap can close or reverse. Ask exactly how parking is held for the suite: owned, exclusive use, or rented from the corporation.

Ask too how each suite is heated and cooled, and how old the equipment is. If it is in-suite equipment, it is the owner’s cost to replace, and a 2001 building is at the age when original units come due.

Condos.ca notes pet restrictions, so read the rules on the status certificate if you have a pet.

Life just off Yonge and Lawrence

Wanless Avenue runs east from Yonge Street just north of Lawrence, so this building sits a minute’s walk from the Yonge strip of grocers, cafés, banks and restaurants that serves the whole of North Toronto. Yonge and Lawrence is one of the few midtown intersections where you can live without a car for daily errands.

The streets east of the building are some of the most expensive detached-house blocks in the city, and condo supply in this pocket is thin. That scarcity is the main reason the price per foot sits where it does. The panel beside this review shows the nearest subway station, schools and parks.

The trade-off of a side-street address so close to Yonge is that you get the convenience without the noise of the main road. Suites facing Wanless rather than toward Yonge are likely to be the quieter ones, so ask which way a suite faces and visit at rush hour before you commit.

Why the price per foot is above $1,000

Condos.ca puts the average here at about $1,012 per square foot, which is high for a 2001 building and close to what new midtown construction asks. On the published size range of 622 to 1,419 square feet, that implies roughly $630,000 for the smallest suites to around $1.4 million for the largest, as a rough guide rather than a valuation.

The premium reflects location and scarcity more than the building itself. There are very few condos within a short walk of Yonge and Lawrence, and buyers downsizing from the surrounding streets compete for the same small pool of suites.

Only one suite was listed for sale when I checked, and none for lease, so I am not going to quote a single listing’s price or fee. With 65 suites and owners who tend to stay, resales are infrequent, and a suite with a good layout and an updated kitchen will usually attract more than one buyer. If you are serious about this building, register for alerts and have your financing settled before a suite appears.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Residences of Wanless Park

The amenities are modest: a rooftop deck, a party room and a meeting room, with visitor parking and a security system. There is no gym or pool listed, so if you train regularly, budget for a membership at one of the many gyms and studios along Yonge.

Jatin’s honest take on The Residences of Wanless Park

The Residences of Wanless Park — 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.