The Rocket Condos, 545 Wilson Ave: Metropia’s gh3 Tower by Wilson Station

The Rocket is the building I point first-time buyers and investors to when they want a newer suite on the subway line north of Yorkdale without paying Yonge Street prices. It is a 2020 Metropia building designed by gh3, one of the more thoughtful architecture firms working in Toronto, and it sits in a pocket that has been rebuilt almost entirely in the last decade. The suites are compact, and that is the main thing to understand before you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Part of the Tippett Road rebuild

Tippett Road runs south from Wilson Avenue just east of the Allen Road. Over the last decade it has filled in with mid-rise condominiums built within a few years of each other, and The Rocket is one of the anchors of that change.

UrbanToronto described Rocket Condos as two buildings on an L-shaped site wrapping the south and west sides of The Station condominium. The west building, closest to the Allen Road, has 291 suites, which matches the condos.ca record for this corporation. A second, 8-storey building of 171 suites sits to the east, and the two share one underground garage.

Across Tippett Road is the Southside Residences phase of Gramercy Park, and Gramercy Park itself and The Station are next door. Few streets in North York have this many buildings of the same age in one place, and that is useful for buyers: there are plenty of comparables.

Metropia describes the project as part of a larger master plan for the area, with shopping, recreation and schools planned nearby. The point for you is that this is a neighbourhood still filling in, not a finished one.

gh3 design, and the height question

The architects were gh3, with SMV Architects. Gh3 is better known for public buildings and parks pavilions than for condos, and the result here is cleaner and more restrained than the typical mid-rise of its era.

There is a small discrepancy on height. Condos.ca lists 13 floors, while UrbanToronto lists the west building at 14 storeys and 41.15 metres. The difference may come down to how a mechanical penthouse or a lower level is counted, but confirm the floor of any suite you look at against the plans.

Height matters here because of the Allen Road. Suites on the west side face the expressway and the subway corridor, which brings open views but also traffic noise. East- and south-facing suites look over the Tippett Road neighbours instead. If noise matters to you, visit at rush hour with the windows open.

Compact suites, built for one or two people

Condos.ca records suites of about 402 to 1,043 square feet. That range, and the listings I have seen here, point to a building weighted toward one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den plans, with fewer two-bedroom suites.

That suite mix suits first-time buyers, single professionals and investors who want rentable product near the subway. It suits families less well. If you need a real second bedroom, ask for the floor plan and check whether the den has a door and a window before you treat it as a bedroom.

In a building of small suites, the details matter more: storage, the size of the balcony, and whether the kitchen is along one wall or has room to work. Walk the suite with a tape measure, and ask whether parking and a locker come with it, since many smaller suites in buildings like this were sold without either.

Daily life at Wilson and the Allen

This is a practical location rather than a pretty one. Metropia’s own material puts Yorkdale Shopping Centre about 10 minutes away and most of downtown within about 30 minutes, and the subway corridor runs right along the Allen Road beside the building. The panel shows the nearest station and the walking time.

Wilson Avenue itself is a busy arterial with everyday shops and restaurants, and the Allen Road and Highway 401 make this one of the easier spots in the city to leave by car. That combination of subway and highway access is why the street has filled with condos so quickly.

What you give up is a quiet residential setting. Between the expressway, Wilson Avenue and the ongoing construction typical of a pocket like this, expect a busier environment than you would find a few blocks east in the houses of Clanton Park. For many buyers that is a fair trade for the commute.

Pricing: around $848 a foot, compact suites

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $848 per square foot. That is a newer-building number, and it is higher per foot than the older towers along Wilson and Sheppard, partly because small suites always carry a higher price per square foot than large ones.

Supply was thin when I checked: condos.ca showed one suite for sale and two for lease. With so few listings at any one time, the 12-month sold data in the panel beside this review is a better guide than any single asking price.

Condos.ca does not list what the fee covers, so confirm the inclusions in the status certificate. Because Gramercy Park and The Station are next door, a building sold report covering all three is the clearest way to see whether a suite here is priced fairly.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Rocket Condos

Condos.ca lists only a concierge and a gym, so this is not an amenity-led building. You are paying for the location, the newer construction and the design, so do not expect a pool or a large party floor; check the status certificate for any other shared rooms.

Jatin’s honest take on The Rocket Condos

The Rocket Condos — 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.