The Yorkdale Condos, 160 Flemington Rd: KPMB Mid-Rise Behind the Mall

The Yorkdale Condos is the building I mention when someone wants to live near Yorkdale but does not want a tower in a parking lot. It is a 2019 KPMB design by Context and Metropia, sitting at the north edge of the largest neighbourhood rebuild in North York. The suites are on the small side and the fee per square foot is not low, so the value case depends on what you need. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A KPMB building at the edge of Lawrence Heights

KPMB is one of Toronto’s best-known architecture firms, with a portfolio weighted toward cultural and institutional buildings. Seeing its name on a 15-storey mid-rise beside the Allen Road is unusual, and it is one of the reasons this building stands apart from the generic condos of its era.

UrbanToronto lists the building at 15 storeys and about 41 metres, and describes it as a Context and Metropia project in the backyard of Yorkdale Shopping Centre, with retail as part of the program. The two addresses, 138 and 160 Flemington Road, belong to the same corporation.

The same partners, together with Toronto Community Housing, are behind the Lawrence Heights revitalization, a multi-phase rebuild between Lawrence Avenue and Ranee Avenue along the Allen Road. UrbanToronto describes it as a mix of social housing, rentals, condominiums and freehold townhomes, with new parks, a community centre and a school planned.

For an owner here, that rebuild is the long-term story. The neighbourhood around you will keep changing for years, with construction along the way, and the finished result should be a more connected and better-served area than the one that existed before.

Living beside the Allen Road and the mall

This is a location chosen for access. The Allen Road runs along the west side of the site, Highway 401 is a short drive north, and the subway runs in the Allen corridor. The panel beside this review shows the nearest stations and walking times.

Yorkdale is the obvious draw, for shopping, groceries, restaurants and the cinema. UrbanToronto forum commenters noted that the walk from this side to the mall is easier through the subway station than along the roads around the park, which tells you something about how car-oriented the immediate streets still are.

The trade-off is noise. Suites facing the Allen Road will hear the expressway, and suites facing south and east look over a neighbourhood that is under construction in phases. Visit the suite at rush hour, and ask which direction it faces before you book a second showing.

Smaller suites, and what that means

Condos.ca does not publish a full size range for this corporation, but every suite listed for sale when I checked was under 700 square feet, across one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den and compact two-bedroom plans. That points to a building aimed at first-time buyers, couples and investors.

Compact two-bedroom suites can work well for a couple who needs an office, but they are not family homes. Check whether the second bedroom has a window and a closet, and measure it, because some plans in this size range are tight.

In a building of smaller suites, parking and lockers carry more weight on resale. Ask whether the suite comes with either, and if it does not, ask the manager whether any spaces are available to rent from other owners.

Reading the fee before you buy

The fee is the number I would look at hardest here. Across the suites listed when I checked, condos.ca put it at about $1.05 per square foot, which is higher than I would expect for a 2019 mid-rise in North York, where a newer building’s fee usually starts lower and climbs as it ages.

A higher fee is not automatically a problem. It can reflect a well-funded reserve, a concierge contract, a shared-facilities agreement with retail or neighbouring phases, or inclusions such as water or heating that other buildings bill separately. It can also reflect costs that are growing faster than planned.

The only way to know is to read the documents. Ask for the current budget, the most recent reserve fund study and the status certificate, and compare what the fee covers with what you would pay at a building nearby. If the inclusions are generous, the gap may be smaller than it looks.

Pricing: about $800 a foot, with a higher fee

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $800 per square foot. That is in line with other newer mid-rise buildings in this part of North York, and well below new product closer to Yonge Street.

When I checked, four suites were listed for sale, with asking prices from about $419,000 to $565,000. Condos.ca put the average fee on those listings at about $1.05 per square foot, which is on the high side for a 2019 building, so ask what the fee includes and how it has moved since registration.

Condos.ca does not list the fee inclusions. Confirm them in the status certificate, along with whether hydro and water are metered by suite. For actual trades, use the 12-month data in the panel, and ask me for a building sold report if you are weighing this against other buildings near Yorkdale.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Yorkdale Condos

Condos.ca lists a concierge, a gym, a party room and visitor parking, along with Beanfield Fibre. It is a practical package rather than a resort one, and with Yorkdale close by, most residents will find their entertainment outside the building. Fibre is worth noting if you work from home, since it gives you a second internet option beyond the usual large providers.

Jatin’s honest take on The Yorkdale Condos

The Yorkdale 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.