Windermere by the Lake, 15 Windermere Ave: Lake Views and Big Fees

Windermere by the Lake is the building I suggest to buyers who want a lake view and a short walk to Sunnyside Beach without paying waterfront-tower prices. It is a 27-storey rounded glass tower from 2007, and most of its strengths and weaknesses come from that curved shape and from a fee that, on paper, covers almost everything. Get those two things clear and you will know whether it is right for you. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A tower on the old Stelco lands

The building stands on land that, before the 2000s, was a Stelco steel operations site. In 2004 the City adopted urban design guidelines for what it called Windermere Village, the block bounded by The Queensway, the rail corridor, South Kingsway and Ellis Avenue, planning a mostly residential neighbourhood of around 850 homes with three towers, low-rise buildings on the street edges and small parks.

That plan explains what you see today. The towers were meant to read as a landmark at the mouth of the Humber, while townhouses line The Queensway and Windermere Avenue. The guidelines also called for better walking routes under the rail line and the Gardiner to the lake, which is the route you would use to reach Sunnyside.

The name causes confusion. Some sites call this tower Phase 1, and separate corporations nearby use versions of the same name, including Windermere by the Lake Townhomes along The Queensway and a terrace-townhouse complex at 9 Windermere Avenue. Each has its own budget and rules, so check the corporation number on any listing.

I have not found a reliable source naming the developer or architect of 15 Windermere, so I have left both out rather than guess. If that matters to you, it will be in the declaration.

Curved walls, and the layouts that come with them

The tower is a rounded glass form over a podium, which blogTO, reviewing a suite here in 2017, called a faux heritage base. Architecture critics will not be impressed. What matters to an owner is that the curve means many suites are not standard rectangles: you get curved window walls and floor-to-ceiling glass, but also exposed columns and corners that are hard to furnish.

The same blogTO review flagged a quirky floor plan with a small kitchen and wasted space behind a bedroom, and praised the views and location. That matches what I see across the building. Good plans here are very good, and awkward ones stay awkward, so judge each suite on its own layout rather than the building’s reputation.

The suite mix is broad: roughly a quarter one-bedrooms, slightly more one-plus-dens, a quarter two-bedrooms and about a fifth two-plus-dens, with a small number of three-bedroom plans. Sizes run from about 505 sq ft up past 2,100 sq ft at the top of the range.

Original finishes were hardwood, granite counters and stainless appliances. After almost two decades, some owners have renovated and some have not, so two suites with the same plan can show very differently. Price the renovation into any suite that still has its 2007 kitchen.

Which way the suite faces is most of the price

South, east and west suites can look over Lake Ontario, the Humber mouth and the downtown skyline. North-facing suites look up toward The Queensway and High Park. In a rounded tower the views change suite by suite, and the floor matters a great deal, because the lower floors look into the neighbouring towers and townhouses.

The rail corridor and the Gardiner run between the building and the lake. You hear and see both from the south side, which is the price of the view. Go and stand on the balcony at rush hour before you decide.

Daily life between Sunnyside and The Queensway

The appeal is the outdoors. Sunnyside Park, the beaches and the Martin Goodman Trail are a short walk south through the underpasses, and High Park is close by to the north. Cyclists do well here; strata.ca rates the area highly for biking.

The weakness is errands. This is not a walk-everywhere block, and the panel on this page shows the Walk Score and transit detail. Sobeys on The Queensway is nearby, but for most shopping you will be heading to Bloor West Village, Roncesvalles or west along The Queensway by car or bus.

Pricing: compare all-in cost, not the fee line

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $726 per square foot. Strata.ca’s figures by unit type run higher, from the high $700s per square foot for two-plus-dens to the high $900s for one-bedrooms, because smaller suites always carry a higher per-foot price. That is modest for a lake-view tower this close to downtown.

When I checked there were five active listings, asking roughly $485,000 to $765,000, with the two-bedroom and two-plus-den suites at roughly $600,000 to $765,000. Strata.ca reported 17 sales over the past year, an average of about 31 days on market and prices about 3 percent below list, so buyers have room to negotiate here.

Fees on current listings average about $1.15 per square foot, which looks high. The reason, per condos.ca, is that the fee includes heat, hydro, air conditioning and water as well as parking, common elements and insurance. Strata.ca lists those utilities as not included. That is a big difference, so ask for the status certificate and the budget and confirm exactly what the fee covers before you compare it with anything. See my building sold report for recorded trades.

Building specifications

Amenities at Windermere by the Lake

This is a full tower amenity package, including a pool and sauna according to strata.ca, plus concierge, gym and guest suites. Combined with the lake trail a few minutes away, it covers most of what an active owner needs without a gym membership.

Jatin’s honest take on Windermere by the Lake

Windermere by the Lake — frequently asked questions

Looking at High Park-Swansea more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.