Townhouses For Sale in Briar Hill-Belgravia, York

Belgravia below the Beltline, Briar Hill above it

The old Belt Line railway once divided this area. Its tracks are long gone, replaced by the York Beltline Trail, but the line still marks the traditional boundary between Belgravia to the south and Briar Hill to the north.

Both sides were mostly planned in the 1920s and 1930s with small detached two-storey and storey-and-a-half houses on north-south streets. Belgravia has seen a lot of rebuilding and renovation in recent years, with older homes sitting next to new ones. Briar Hill, further from Eglinton, has changed more slowly.

Townhouses come from the gaps in that pattern: a corner lot, a former shop, a builder assembling two or three houses. Most are recent, and most are three-storey freehold or condo units with parking at the back or below.

Because the original houses are small, a new three-storey townhouse can offer more interior space than the detached house next door. That's part of why infill projects sell here: buyers get new construction and a short walk to the LRT without needing a detached budget.

Caledonia and Fairbank stations on the southern edge

Line 5 runs along Eglinton at the bottom of the neighbourhood, with Caledonia station at the west end and Fairbank station near Dufferin. Oakwood station is a short walk east. For the first time, the area has rapid transit at its doorstep, with a direct ride to Line 1 at Cedarvale.

Caledonia GO, on the Barrie line, is under construction where the rail corridor crosses Eglinton and will connect with Caledonia station. That will make the western side of Briar Hill-Belgravia one of the better-connected spots in the west end.

The construction years were hard on Eglinton West's shops, many of them part of the strip often called Little Jamaica. How the street recovers will shape what it's like to live a block or two north.

Infill townhouse checks for this area

• Grading and drainage. Some streets slope noticeably. On new infill, check where water goes and whether the garage or basement sits below the street.
• Ownership type. Small projects here may be freehold, condo, or freehold with a common-elements condo for a shared laneway. The fee and rules differ for each.
• Builder track record. Many infill projects are by small builders. Ask about Tarion enrolment, warranty status and past projects.
• Neighbour impact. New three-storey towns next to older bungalows sometimes lead to privacy and shading disputes. Look at window placement and side setbacks.

Parks, the trail and what's nearby

Fairbank Memorial Park, with its community centre, is the main green space close by. The Beltline Trail runs east toward the Allen and beyond, giving walkers and cyclists a long off-street route. Prospect Cemetery's large grounds sit to the southwest.

To the north, the Castlefield design district has furniture and interior stores, and Yorkdale is a short drive. Daily shopping is mostly along Eglinton and Dufferin.

Buyers who want a townhouse near the trail and Line 5, and don't mind a neighbourhood still in transition, tend to like it here. Those who want a finished, settled streetscape may prefer an older area further east.