Village Mews, Kane Ave and Rogers Rd: 20 Newer Townhouses in Keelesdale

Village Mews is twenty two-storey townhouses at the corner of Kane Avenue and Rogers Road, a block from Keele, registered in 2016. Newer condominium townhouses are scarce in this part of the old City of York, where most homes are modest detached houses. That scarcity is the appeal, and a ten-year-old micro-corporation is the thing to understand before you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Not the Village Mews in Don Mills

Search for Village Mews in Toronto and you will also find a condominium at 245 and 255 The Donway West in Don Mills. That is a different building in a different part of the city. This Village Mews is a small townhouse complex at Kane Avenue and Rogers Road in the old City of York.

The mix-up matters when you are researching. Reviews, fee figures and sale histories for the Donway building have nothing to do with this one. Make sure anything you read refers to TSCC-2502.

Condos.ca does not name a developer for this complex, and I could not confirm one from public sources. For a 2016 project, the corporation’s turnover documents and the original disclosure statement should name the declarant, and they are worth asking for.

Twenty homes, ten years in

Twenty homes is small but not tiny. A $100,000 common repair is $5,000 a home before reserves, which is manageable if the reserve fund has been built properly from the start. Condos.ca lists TSE Management, so the corporation has professional management rather than relying entirely on volunteers.

At ten years old, the corporation has finished its first-generation questions. The developer’s period of control ended long ago, the new-home warranty periods have run out, and any construction deficiencies should either have been resolved or be recorded in the board minutes. Ask whether a performance audit was done in the early years and what came of it.

Newer complexes sometimes start with fees set low to help sales. If that happened here, the reserve fund study updates since registration will show it, usually as a schedule of fee increases. Read those updates in order; the trend tells you more than the current fee.

Small boards matter as well. Ask how many directors there are, whether seats are filled, and whether the annual meeting reaches quorum easily. In a twenty-home corporation, a handful of engaged owners usually carries the governance, and you want to know they are still there.

What the homes are

Condos.ca records the complex as two storeys, so these are townhouses rather than stacked units: no one lives above or below you. Condos.ca does not publish a size range or list any amenities, and there were no listings at the time of writing, so measure the specific home and ask for its floor plan.

Condos.ca also does not list fee inclusions or parking. In many newer townhouse complexes, owners pay their own heat, hydro and water, and parking may be a garage, a pad or a space in a shared lot. Confirm both from the status certificate, along with any locker or storage.

Ask who is responsible for roofs, windows, doors and mechanical equipment under the declaration. In some townhouse corporations those belong to the owner, and in others to the corporation. The answer changes your fee, your insurance needs and your risk.

Finally, look at the corporation’s insurance deductible. In a small complex, a water or roof claim below the deductible can fall on the owner of the affected home, so make sure your own policy covers that gap before you firm up.

Keele and Rogers, day to day

This corner sits in Keelesdale, the part of the old Silverthorn area west of Keele Street. South of Eglinton, the neighbourhood keeps a working-class character, and most residents own modest single-detached homes. A newer condominium townhouse is the exception here, which is part of why it appeals to buyers priced out of nearby freeholds.

Rogers Road is a busy street, and the homes facing it will hear traffic. The Castlefield Road design district, with furniture and home decor showrooms, is a short drive east. Transit, schools and walkability are shown in the panel on this page.

Eglinton Avenue to the north has been the focus of the area’s biggest changes in recent years. For a small townhouse complex, the practical effect is more interest from buyers who want a newer home in an older neighbourhood.

The old City of York had its own civic centre on Eglinton, and the area still feels like a separate place from downtown: practical, residential and family-oriented. For buyers that is the draw, a settled street rather than a condo corridor.

Pricing a small, newer complex

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for Village Mews, and there were no active listings at the time of writing. With twenty homes, a year can pass with only one or two sales. That makes each sale carry more weight than it should.

Build value from the neighbourhood: freehold semis and detached houses on nearby streets in Keelesdale and Silverthorn, other condominium townhouses in York and west Toronto, and two-bedroom condo apartments along Eglinton. A newer townhouse should earn a premium over an older one for its building systems, but only if the reserve fund and fee are in good shape.

If you own here and are thinking of selling, ask me for the building sold report. In a complex this small, pricing against the right alternatives matters more than any average.

Building specifications

Jatin’s honest take on Village Mews Townhouses

Village Mews Townhouses — 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.