The Somerside Collection, 120 Donlands Ave: 17 Suites With an Elevator

The Somerside Collection is what I show buyers who want a house-sized suite north of the Danforth without the stairs of a stacked townhouse. It is a 2022 building of only 17 suites on Donlands, four storeys high, with an elevator, a garage and a rooftop deck. Small and new is a good combination, as long as you understand what 17 owners share. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A boutique building on a residential corner

Most new condos near the Danforth are on the avenue itself, above shops. This one is on a corner of Donlands and Somers, among houses, which gives it a quieter, residential setting. The combined address, one number on Donlands and a range on Somers, is typical of corner buildings with entrances on both streets. Ask which entrance serves the suite you are looking at.

At four storeys and 17 suites, it is about the size of a row of houses. That scale is the appeal: you know your neighbours, there is no crowded lobby, and the building fits the street. It is also why the corporation’s decisions affect each owner more directly than in a tower.

Bigger suites, and an elevator

Condos.ca records suites from about 866 to 1,375 sq ft. That is a much larger range than a typical new building, where one-bedrooms of 500 sq ft are common. At the top end, these are suites a family can live in, with space for a home office.

The building has an elevator, which matters more than it sounds. Many small new projects in East York are stacked or back-to-back townhouses with three or four flights of stairs. Here you get similar space on one level, with a lift from the garage. That suits downsizers, people with young children and strollers, and anyone planning to stay a long time.

Condos.ca also lists underground parking, bike storage, an enterphone and a security system. I could not confirm ceiling heights, how many suites have private terraces, or how many parking spaces exist. Ask for the floor plan and check parking and locker ownership in the status certificate.

Louisville Homes and a young corporation

Louisville Homes is a smaller builder, and I found little published about its track record beyond this project. That is not a warning; it simply means the paperwork matters more than the brand. Ask for the performance audit that new Ontario condos complete in their first year, and see whether the deficiencies were fixed and paid for by the builder.

The building registered in August 2022, so it is now a few years old. Tarion’s one- and two-year warranty periods have mostly run, and the seven-year coverage for major structural defects is still in force. Ask the property manager whether any warranty claims were filed for the common elements and what was resolved.

Small corporations work best when owners are engaged. With 17 suites, the board may be three owners, and annual meetings can be a handful of people around a table. That makes it easy to get things done, but it also means one difficult owner, or one unexpected repair, has more impact. Read a year or two of board minutes to get a sense of how things are run, and check how many suites are rented, because a small building with many absentee owners can find it hard to fill the board.

Donlands, north of the Danforth

Daily life here is a short walk from the Danforth’s shops, grocers and restaurants at Donlands, while you sleep on a residential street. This pocket of East York has its own character: modest houses, many being renovated or replaced, and a local feel distinct from the busier Danforth near Pape. The automatic panel on this page covers subway access, schools and parks.

Nearby, The East Yorker at 280 Donlands, at Cosburn, is the obvious comparison: a 2015 building of 105 suites and 11 or 12 storeys, depending on the source, whose fee includes heat, air conditioning, water and parking. The Somerside Collection is newer, with much larger suites and a fraction of the neighbours; The East Yorker has more amenities, more frequent listings and a longer fee history to examine. They suit different buyers.

What The Somerside Collection costs to own

With 17 suites, a building like this may go a year or more with only one or two resales, and condos.ca shows no average price per square foot. There was nothing for sale at the time of writing. The better comparison is the price of a renovated semi or a new townhouse in the area, adjusted for the lack of a yard and the benefit of an elevator and underground parking.

I could not confirm what the maintenance fee includes. In a building this size, fixed costs such as insurance, the elevator contract, the garage and property management are shared by only 17 owners, so fees per square foot can run higher than in a larger building. Ask for the current budget and see how fees have moved since 2022.

If you want to see recent results in the building or on nearby streets, my building sold report is a good place to start. And if you are ready to act, register your interest now; small buildings like this often sell before most buyers notice.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Somerside Collection

The amenities here are practical rather than social: an elevator, a garage, bike storage and a rooftop deck. That is the right mix for a building this small, and it keeps the fee from paying for rooms nobody uses. The rooftop deck is the one shared space worth seeing on a visit. Keep in mind that an elevator in a 17-suite building is a real cost, through its service contract and eventual modernization, and it should appear in the reserve fund study.

Jatin’s honest take on The Somerside Collection

The Somerside Collection — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.