Townhouses For Sale in East York

Postwar bungalows first, townhouses wherever a lot opens up

Much of East York's housing went up in the late 1940s, when inexpensive detached homes with front yards and back gardens were built for returning servicemen and the families that followed. The streets around Topham Park are a well-known example. Many of those single-storey houses have since gained a second floor, and some have been replaced outright.

Apartments were concentrated in a few places instead of spread across the streets: Thorncliffe Park in the north and Crescent Town in the southeast. The rest of the area stayed overwhelmingly low-rise and detached.

That leaves little room for townhouses. When they appear, it's usually because a builder bought one or two older houses and replaced them with a short row, or because a commercial site along the Danforth or a main road was redeveloped. Expect a thin, irregular supply and be ready to move when the right unit comes up.

From breakaway township to Ontario's last borough

East York began as the eastern half of York Township. Residents who felt neglected on roads, sewers and other services voted to split off, and the Township of East York was incorporated on January 1, 1924.

In 1967 it merged with the Town of Leaside, along with Bennington Heights and Thorncliffe Park, to form the Borough of East York. It remained a borough, the last in Ontario, until it was folded into the new City of Toronto on January 1, 1998.

The old borough ran north of Danforth Avenue between the Don River and Victoria Park Avenue. The listings on this page follow the real estate board's east-end district rather than those exact lines. Leaside and Thorncliffe Park belonged to the borough, but their listings are filed with the central districts, so this page mainly covers the streets from Playter Estates and Pape Village east to Crescent Town and O'Connor-Parkview.

Cosburn, Pape and the line that turns north

Line 2 runs along the Danforth at the southern edge, with stations from Pape east through Donlands, Greenwood, Coxwell, Woodbine and Main Street to Victoria Park. Most East York streets are a bus ride or a long walk from one of them.

The Ontario Line will add the first north-south rapid transit through the area. After meeting Line 2 at Pape, it heads north to a new Cosburn station serving Pape Village, then crosses toward Thorncliffe Park on an elevated guideway before continuing to Flemingdon Park and Don Valley station on Line 5.

For townhouse buyers on the west side of East York, that's a big shift. A unit within walking distance of Cosburn station will have a direct ride downtown without a transfer. Expect construction along Pape in the meantime, and look at how close any property is to the station work and ventilation structures.

For GO service, Danforth GO on the Lakeshore East line sits near Main and Danforth, a short walk from Main Street station.

Six East York pockets and the townhouse each tends to have

Playter Estates was subdivided by 1912 from the farm of the Loyalist Playter family, and it has a more pre-war feel than the postwar streets further east. The contrast shows in lot sizes and house styles within a few blocks.

Lots without lanes: what East York owners can add

A lot of East York's postwar streets were laid out with driveways down the side of each house rather than rear lanes. That changes what's possible on a lot.

• Laneway suites need a lane, so they're only an option on the streets that have one, mostly toward the south and west.
• Garden suites, allowed in Toronto since 2022, don't need a lane. The side driveway common here can sometimes provide the required emergency access path, but lot width and depth still decide whether one fits.
• Multiplex conversions now permitted citywide can turn a bungalow lot into several units, which is part of why small builders compete for older houses.

If you're buying a freehold townhouse here, check whether your unit has its own driveway or shares one, and whether any easements on the survey cross your lot.

Who ends up in an East York townhouse

Because supply is so limited, East York townhouse buyers tend to be people who already know the area and want to stay. Common profiles:

• Local renters buying their first home, often from the apartments in Crescent Town or along the Danforth, who want to keep the same schools, parks and commute.
• Downsizers from a nearby detached house, looking for less yard work without leaving the neighbourhood. Stairs are the main hurdle, since most new infill towns are three storeys.
• Young families priced out of Riverdale, who move a few blocks north for more space and a quieter street.
• Buyers betting on Cosburn station, who want to be in place before the Ontario Line opens.

Investors are less common than downtown, mostly because there are so few units. Those who do buy usually rent to families rather than students or short-term guests.

Ravines, basements and older infill: checks before you buy

The Don Valley and the Taylor Creek ravine shape much of East York. Homes near a ravine edge can be in regulated areas where the conservation authority's approval is needed for additions, decks or grading changes. A survey will show how close the lot line is to the slope.

Basement water is a common question in older parts of Toronto, including here. Ask about backwater valves, sump pumps and any history of flooding. The City offers a subsidy toward some basement flooding protection work for eligible homes, which is worth knowing if the house hasn't had it done.

For condo townhouse complexes, the usual questions apply: reserve fund health, the age of roofs and windows, and whether a special assessment is coming. In a complex of a dozen units, one roof replacement is split a dozen ways, which is why a thin reserve fund matters more here than in a large suburban development.

East York versus Riverdale and Scarborough

Buyers looking here are often comparing it with two neighbours. To the south, Riverdale and Leslieville have more townhouse stock, older rows and more streetcar service, usually at a higher price for similar space. To the east, Scarborough has many more condo-town complexes from the 1970s and 1980s, with bigger floor plans but longer commutes.

East York sits between them: quieter streets, larger lots than the old city, and quicker access downtown than most of Scarborough. The catch is simply that there aren't many townhouses to choose from.