Townhouses For Sale in Brant, Burlington

Upper Brant and the GO station plan

Central Burlington is where the city's growth plans are most ambitious. The area around Burlington GO, near Fairview Street, has a draft precinct plan that allows tall and mid-rise residential buildings, stacked townhomes, shops and offices. North along Brant Street, the Upper Brant precinct allows mid-rise and tall mixed use while keeping a low-rise feel along the street itself.

For townhouse buyers, this is the corner of Burlington most likely to see new stacked and back-to-back townhouses, usually in larger projects. It's also where existing older townhouses may end up next to new mid-rise buildings.

If you value being able to walk to the train and to Brant Street, this is the place. If you want a quiet, unchanging street, look farther from the station.

An older, mostly apartment core

Brant has the oldest housing mix of any Burlington area on this page. A large share of the buildings are apartments, and much of the stock was built before 1980, including many homes from before 1960. Downtown, along Lakeshore Road and Maple Avenue, mid- and high-rise condos dominate.

Townhouses here come in a few forms:

• Older condo townhouse complexes north of downtown, on streets such as New Street and Stephenson Drive
• Small infill townhouse blocks on former single-family lots
• Townhouse units in newer downtown condo projects

Each comes with different costs and different questions. An older complex has a long maintenance history to review. A newer infill block may have a young corporation still building its reserve.

Living a walk from the lake

Downtown Burlington runs down Brant Street to Spencer Smith Park on Lake Ontario. The park has a shoreline path, a water-jet play area and the Brant Street Pier, opened in 2013. The Village Square has historic buildings, shops and restaurants. Joseph Brant Hospital is downtown too.

A townhouse within walking distance of the core is about lifestyle. You give up yard space and often parking, but you gain the lake, restaurants and events within a few blocks.

Events at Spencer Smith Park through the summer bring crowds and road closures to the downtown core. Most residents see that as part of the appeal, but if you need a quiet street every weekend, a townhouse a few blocks north of Lakeshore Road may suit you better than one right by the water.

Questions for a central Burlington townhouse

• Parking. Downtown units may have one spot or none. Check what's included and what street parking rules apply.
• Neighbouring development. Ask what's approved or proposed nearby. Downtown has had a number of tower proposals in recent years.
• Condo documents. Read the status certificate, reserve fund study and rules on rentals and renovations.
• Heritage designations. Some older properties are on Burlington's heritage register, which can affect changes to the exterior.

Brant compared with the north end

Buyers often compare central Burlington with Headon, Millcroft or Uptown north of the QEW. The north offers newer townhouses, more yard space and easier parking. Brant offers the train, the lake and a walkable main street. Many downsizers and commuters choose Brant for that reason, while families who want space tend to head north.

Investors look at central Burlington for similar reasons. Renters who work downtown or commute by train have few townhouse options near the station, and a well-kept unit within walking distance of Burlington GO or Brant Street tends to draw interest. Check the corporation's rules on leasing first, and remember that new rental buildings planned near the station will add supply.