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New in Toronto real estate: Minto 30 Roe Condos
Minto 30 Roe is yet another new condo set to arrive at Yonge and Eglinton. Planned for just north of the giant E Condo duo, this building will be slightly more modest, slightly more conventional, and a lot better priced. Rising 34 floors with close to 400 units in total, this condo might have a solid framework, but if you're looking for luxury, better prepare to upgrade. Here is a closer look at Minto 30 Roe.
SPECS
Address: 30 Roehampton Ave.
Floors: 34
Total number of units: 397
Types of units: One bedroom, one-plus-den, two bedroom, two-plus-den, townhomes
Unit sizes (in square feet): 503-920
Ceiling heights: 9' (from unfinished floor to unfinished ceiling)
Prices from: Low $300,000's
Parking: Starting from $46,000 (for select suites, plus maintenance fee)
Locker: $4,500 (plus maintenance fee)
Maintenance fees: $0.54
Developer: Minto
Architect: Rudy Wallman Architects Inc.
Interior Design: II by IV Design
Amenities: Outdoor terrace, party room, gym, media room
Expected occupancy: Spring 2015
THE GOOD
According to developers, 30 reasons to love Minto 30 Roe include "No.2: A low fat, no foam latte on every corner," and "No.8: It's not just a condominium, it's a lifestyle." Boo. I'm on to you, nutritionist copywriters. While there are very many real reasons to extol this project, its virtues should be capped before we start digressing to foamless lattes. The location, for one, is an obvious boon, steps away from the subway and right at the heart of action at Yonge and Eglinton.
While the area still begs for an alternative to the Metro at the Yonge Eglinton Centre (as well as respite from Saturday night 905 kids heading "downtown"), the neighbourhood does have plenty of options for eating, shopping, drinking, and primping. And though I may be belittling myself to say so, the hot dog stand on the southwest corner has some of the best street meat around. That's a reason to buy a $400,000 condo, right?
Perhaps a better reason is the fact that many of the layouts are actually quite practical, some with built-in breakfast bars, fair-sized balconies, and ample closet space. My pick for a starter investment would be the one-bed, one-bath Bayview layout (588 s.f.), which is laid out with a fairly spacious living and dining area, a walk in closet, and a (sort of pitiful) 57-square-foot balcony.
Starting at $358,900, it's not exactly a steal, but I've seen much worse options in much poorer locations for a lot more than $610 per square foot. And yes, apparently my standards have taken a beating.
THE BAD
This is one where you clearly need to read the fine print. Those "soaring" 9-foot ceilings are from the unfinished floor to the unfinished ceiling. Parking spots are priced from $46,000. And blink and you'll miss the part where it says that those who own parking spaces and lockers will be subject to additional monthly fees. What happened to this all being about the lifestyle, Minto?
The finishes, too, leave much to be desired. Laminate floors, awful stipple ceiling (people still use that?), and 24" appliances are just some of the features, which granted, aren't terrible on their own, but combined and for that price aren't exactly winning points. And considering Minto 30 Roe is just one of a handful of new condo projects in the area, its cheaper finishes might not necessarily stand up to the competition.
THE VERDICT
If I leave the ceiling unfinished, can I count on the extra height?
What do you think? Would you live here? Add your comments to the thread below.
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Discussion
21 Comments
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9 foot ceilings are standard in the condo market, anything higher would be considered luxury product and would increase the cost $60-80 psf.
The reason I wouldn't buy in this area is the traffic congestion is out of control. There are over 3000 new condo units planned for this area in the next 3-4 years. There are no new schools, new parks, or public parking (in fact, public parking is being eliminated with new condos) planned for this area..
Is: Overpriced box for Asian investors.
Is Not: Adequate living quarters for young professionals.
I don't understand what 24" appliances are (is that the diagonal length of the stove or something?), but they look fine. I don't get what you mean by 905 kids heading downtown, unless you mean they are coming here as downtown, since 905ers take the GO Train. I've never seen a huge number of kids walking around at night here though, did you just make that up?
I really hate this area - no soul, and an influx of transient asshats come to this area Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays for a reason that I will never understand.
Have fun living within a glass wind tunnel, with crazy ass trafic, and trying to make friends with the other self conscience douche's that inhabit here.
You're dead on about everything else though and the area will further decline on the character side of things.
I live in the area already, what are you talking about an influx of transients on thursdays, fridays, and saturdays? There are lots of bars and the movie theatre so obviously people come to hang out, how anti-social are you that you hate other people that much? As someone who grew up in the suburbs I'm very glad lots of people hang around here at night, because it's a lot safer and less creepy than deserted streets.
If you don't like traffic maybe you should move to the country? Seriously, what is the point of living on a transit hub if you don't use it? I never understand people complaining about traffic in a city, that's just part of living in a vibrant city.
Again, tall buildings cause wind, so yes, any real city will have wind tunnels. Sounds like your issue is just with city living? Maybe you should just move to the suburbs. Lots of room to drive there, and nobody goes anywhere on any night except for douchey house parties and loitering in parking lots. Sounds like your kind of time.
Or, you know, they could just assign enough cashiers to their checkouts. The real reason that Metro is so crowded seems to be that, probably due to the lack of alternatives, it doesn't pay off for them financially to staff their store adequately.
There's a market for condos in less urbanized areas as well, and many projects are in development, but the builders can't charge as much PSF leading them to focus on "goldmine" locations with a lot of hype (Y+E, St Clair, or any of the rapidly gentrifying downtown neighbourhoods to the east and west of downtown).
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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/08/art_flourishes_in_old_buildings_while_chains_hold_condo_neighbourhoods_in_bondage_hume.html