Townhouses For Sale in Yorkdale-Glen Park, York

Bungalows and backsplits south of Lawrence

Most of the housing south of Lawrence went up in the 1950s and 1960s, when builders filled the area with similar brick bungalows and backsplits. Those streets still make up the bulk of Glen Park and feel like a classic middle-class postwar suburb.

Townhouses don't fit that pattern, so they appear mainly where a larger site was available: along main roads, on former commercial lots, or as part of the Lawrence Heights rebuild. North of Lawrence, the northwest corner of the area is mostly industrial and commercial, with only a small residential pocket between Paul David Street and Dufferin.

The Lawrence Heights rebuild east of Dufferin

The northeast part of Yorkdale-Glen Park, east of Dufferin and north of Lawrence, is part of Lawrence Heights, a large 1950s public housing community. It is being replaced in phases with a mixed-income neighbourhood of new streets, apartment buildings and townhouses. Demolition for the first phase began in 2015, and it's the largest revitalization in Toronto Community Housing's history.

Market townhouses in a project like this sell as condo or freehold units, often with a fee covering shared roads or amenities. Ask for the declaration and any agreements that tie the market units to the wider plan, including shared parks and community facilities.

Later phases have been revised over time, including taller buildings in more recent plans. Construction will continue for years, so check which phases are still to come near any unit you're considering.

Three Line 1 stations and the 401 at the door

Few townhouse areas in the city have this much access. Yorkdale, Lawrence West and Glencairn stations on Line 1 sit along the Allen Road corridor, and the 401 and Allen Road interchanges are right on the edge of the neighbourhood. Bus routes on Dufferin, Lawrence and Caledonia fill the gaps.

The trade-off is traffic and highway noise. Units close to the 401, the Allen or Dufferin near the mall should be visited at rush hour and on a weekend afternoon, when Yorkdale's parking lots fill and the surrounding roads back up.

Shopping is the other big draw. Beyond Yorkdale itself, Lawrence Plaza and the stores along Dufferin and Marlee Avenue cover everyday needs.

Before buying a newer stacked unit near Dufferin

• Find out whether the building is registered as a condominium yet, or still in interim occupancy, which affects what you pay and when.
• Check the Tarion warranty status and any outstanding deficiency items.
• Ask how the fee is likely to change once the corporation's first-year budget is replaced by its own.
• Look at parking and storage: many stacked units come with one spot, and visitor parking can be tight.

For resale units in older nearby complexes, the usual reserve fund and special assessment questions apply.

Who Yorkdale-Glen Park suits

Commuters who drive to the 905 or ride Line 1 downtown like the location. Buyers who want something new rather than a fifty-year-old complex will find more of that here than in most of York. Families looking for a yard usually end up in a detached house on the Glen Park streets instead, since few townhouses have more than a patio.