The Royal York Grand, 1403 Royal York Rd: No Small Suites Here

The Royal York Grand is a building for people who have stopped wanting a condo the size of a hotel room. At this 2009 tower near Royal York and Eglinton, the smallest suite is about 900 square feet and most plans are two bedrooms with a den. It has also become a transit story, because a Crosstown station is now being dug down the road. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A tower built for downsizers

The suite mix is what sets this building apart. Condos.ca puts sizes at about 900 to 1,545 square feet, so there are no studios or small one-bedrooms. That is unusual for a 2009 tower, when many projects were trimming suite sizes to reach lower price points, and it shapes who the building appeals to: people leaving a house who are not willing to give up a dining table, a guest room and storage.

Two-bedroom-plus-den plans are the common format. A den large enough for an office or a guest bed, two bathrooms and a separate dining area is what most buyers here are looking for, and it lets someone moving down from a house keep the furniture they care about.

Larger suites usually mean a more settled, owner-occupied building than one full of investor one-bedrooms. Check the owner and renter figures in the panel on this page rather than taking that on trust, and ask the manager how leasing is handled.

Who built it

Condos.ca lists H&R Developments as developer, and a 2008 Daily Commercial News report named H&R Construction Management as general contractor, Page + Steele as architect and Tanana Investments as owner of the project, so you will see more than one company name attached to the site. CondoInvestments lists the architect as Page + Steele / IBI Group, reflecting the firm’s later merger.

The same report put the building at 15 storeys and 216 units, with occupancy then scheduled for March 2009, and CondoInvestments records its height at about 48 metres. Construction reached the roof in mid-2008, and the corporation was registered in June 2009.

The consultant list in that report is worth a look for anyone who likes to know what they are buying: Jablonsky Ast & Partners on structure, GPY + Associates on mechanical, Allan Windows Technologies on windows and CNIM Canada on elevators. When you read the reserve fund study, those are the original systems it is planning to repair and replace.

Concierge, guest suites and the fee

The amenity package is practical rather than flashy: a concierge and security guard, a gym, a party room, a meeting room, guest suites and visitor parking. Guest suites matter more than people expect for this owner group, because visiting family can stay in the building instead of the den.

Fees on current listings run about $847 to $870 a month, which condos.ca works out to roughly $0.92 per square foot. Condos.ca lists heat, air conditioning, water, parking, building insurance and common elements as included. Hydro is not on that list, so plan on your own electricity bill.

For a staffed building with heating and cooling in the fee, that per-foot figure is in a reasonable range. Larger suites still produce a large monthly cheque, though, and that is the number downsizers on fixed incomes should model.

Royal York and Eglinton: the Crosstown is coming

The location is an established residential pocket of Etobicoke in Humber Heights-Westmount, with houses on most of the surrounding streets and the Humber River valley to the east. Day-to-day shopping is mostly a short drive, and the panel on this page has the walkability and transit figures.

The bigger story is underground. Metrolinx’s Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will add an underground station at Royal York, and in July 2026 crews had broken ground on the Royal York, Islington, Kipling and Martin Grove station sites. No opening date has been announced, so treat it as a long-term benefit, not something to price in at full value today.

During construction, expect traffic changes and noise around Royal York and Eglinton. For an owner planning to stay ten years, rapid transit along Eglinton should help both convenience and resale; for someone selling in two, it may be an inconvenience.

What the numbers say

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $620 per square foot. Because every suite is at least 900 square feet, total prices sit higher than in towers with small units, and buyers generally pay a little less per foot for the extra space. Compare it with other large-suite buildings in Etobicoke rather than with new towers full of one-bedrooms.

Three suites were for sale at the time of writing, asking from about $577,000 to $630,000, with one for rent. Fees on those listings ranged from about $847 to $870 a month. Three listings is a thin sample, so the range will move as suites sell.

For a downsizer, the cleaner comparison is total monthly cost against staying in the house: fee, tax and hydro here versus heating, insurance, maintenance and tax on a detached home. The recorded sales on this page, and my building sold report, show what has actually traded.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Royal York Grand

This is a staffed, secure building with the rooms owners actually use: a gym, a place to host and guest suites for visiting family. There is no pool, which keeps one of the most expensive items out of the reserve fund. For owners who travel, a staffed front desk that accepts packages and keeps an eye on the lobby is often worth more than any amenity room.

Jatin’s honest take on The Royal York Grand

The Royal York Grand — frequently asked questions

Looking at Downsview, Weston, York University Heights, Rexdale and northwest Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.