The Villas at 18 Yorkville, 21 Scollard St: Yorkville Without the Tower

The Villas is the half of 18 Yorkville that most people walk past without noticing. While the 36-storey tower faces Yorkville Avenue, this seven-storey mid-rise sits behind it on Scollard Street, with townhomes at grade and fewer than 100 suites in total. For buyers who want Yorkville without living in a tower, it is one of the quieter options on the strip. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A mid-rise built as half of a two-building project

Great Gulf built 18 Yorkville as a pair: the 36-storey tower on Yorkville Avenue and this seven-storey building on Scollard Street, both designed by architectsAlliance. A public park landscaped by Janet Rosenberg & Associates sits between them, next to the Yorkville library branch. The Villas is its own condominium corporation, TSCC-1740, separate from the tower’s TSCC-1724.

The Villas has its own design credit. The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario records a 2007 Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Award of Excellence for it in the mid-rise building in context category, the same year the tower won in the tall building category. Dash Property Management describes the Scollard side as an enclave of suites and townhomes in a Back Bay style, a nod to Boston’s brick row houses.

The Architectural Conservancy lists completion as 2005, and the corporation was registered in January 2006. In practice the two buildings were finished and occupied at roughly the same time.

Suites and townhomes on Scollard

Suite sizes run from about 502 to 1,563 square feet across 97 units, so this is mostly one- and two-bedroom territory with some larger plans. The townhomes are the unusual part. A townhouse-style suite inside a Yorkville condominium is rare, and it appeals to buyers with a dog or a bike who would rather not ride an elevator every time they go out; ask whether a given townhome has its own street entrance.

The management company’s building page, which covers both buildings, says most suites have a balcony, terrace or walk-out and nine-foot ceilings, with granite kitchens, marble in the primary bathroom and engineered wood floors. Confirm the details for the specific suite, because finishes and outdoor space vary by plan, and many units have been renovated since 2006.

The obvious trade-off in a seven-storey building is the view. You are looking at Scollard Street, the park or neighbouring buildings rather than a skyline. What you get in return is a smaller building, fewer people in the lobby and elevators, and a quieter street.

Parking in the fee, and a different fee profile from the tower

condos.ca lists the fees here as covering common elements, heat, building insurance, parking and water. That is a different list from the tower next door, where parking is not included but air conditioning is. If you are comparing the two buildings, compare the inclusions as well as the monthly number.

Having parking in the fee is a real advantage in Yorkville, where a spot can add a meaningful amount to a purchase or a monthly bill. Confirm that the suite you are buying actually has a space assigned to it, and whether a locker comes with it, since not every unit in every building does.

condos.ca lists Icon Property Management as the manager, while Dash Property Management publishes a page for 18 Yorkville and the Villas that names TSCC-1740. Ask the seller or the status certificate which company is currently under contract. condos.ca also lists a pet restriction; get the actual rules before you assume anything.

Scollard Street, between Yonge and the Four Seasons

Scollard is the quieter street just north of Yorkville Avenue. The building sits between the 18 Yorkville tower and the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences, so your neighbours on the block include one of the most expensive addresses in the city. You are a short walk from the Yorkville galleries, restaurants and Bloor Street shopping, and close to Yonge for errands.

The area keeps changing. New towers around Yonge and Yorkville, including 1 Yorkville, have added residents and construction activity, and the Yonge end of the strip is busier than it was in 2006. Scollard itself is calmer. Transit, schools, parks and restaurants nearby are in the automatic panel on this page.

One practical point about living beside a hotel and a busy tower: deliveries, valet traffic and ride-share pick-ups concentrate on these short streets. Stand outside the building at dinner time on a Friday before you buy, and ask the concierge how residents handle move-ins and guest parking.

What the Villas trade at

condos.ca puts the building average at about $941 per square foot, almost exactly in line with the tower next door at about $952. The difference is that the Villas’ fee includes parking, which can make the effective cost of owning here lower than the headline number suggests.

At the time of writing there was one suite listed for sale and one for rent. A single listing does not tell you much about value, so I am not going to quote it; the more useful comparison is the sold history here and in the tower over the past few years.

When you compare, add back what the Villas fee covers. A suite in a newer building that looks cheaper per month often carries a separate parking charge and its own heating bill, and the gap can shrink once those are counted.

Because there are only 97 units, sales are not frequent, and the right comparables often include the tower and other mid-rise Yorkville buildings. My building sold report pulls those numbers together.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Villas at 18 Yorkville

condos.ca lists a concierge, party room and meeting room here, and the management company presents the tower’s Club 18 gym, steam rooms and lounge together with the Villas. Confirm in the status certificate exactly which shared facilities Villas owners can use and how the costs are split.

Jatin’s honest take on The Villas at 18 Yorkville

The Villas at 18 Yorkville — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.