The Bay Street corridor is one of the main arteries to Toronto's financial district and has long been designated as condo alley. Some of the early residential communities to spring up were Polo I and Polo II which sit just north of Wellesley. In their day these two developments were held in high esteem although the units were small. It was more the name and the sex appeal of investing in a condo that brought them their reputation.

One of the cities more visibly attractive condos, and one which I had the opportunity to sell is 1001 Bay. Still today, visually 1001 stands apart from the rest. The construction quality was not up to par but now, after special assessments and a lot of individual owner investment, 1001 offers pretty fair value. It is ideal for teachers and students at University of Toronto as well as businessmen from the Financial District willing to take a short walk to work in the morning. bycrd2.gif (33594 bytes)

A host of new condos have just sprung up to occupy the parcel of land at Wellesley St. and Bay that had been earmarked for a new Opera House. These new condos have taken on the name Opera House even though there is no actual opera house on the site. The first of these, the Opera Place is a brick facade. The Allegro at Opera Place and The Aria at Opera Place are a superior product.
Just down the street on the west side of Bay Street are two nice developments, Conservatory Tower and The Penrose which are both registered/occupied condo developments, both with good recreational amenities and at the top of their category in the hierarchy of lifestyle in the condo world. bycrd7.gif (47886 bytes)

62 Wellesley is a well established quality residence that offers large, well appointed suites. On Wellesley Street one of the better newcomers is Century Plaza, however with the introduction of the Opera House projects its views may well be materially affected. 8 Wellesley East and 555 Yonge Street appoint the north and south east side of Yonge at Wellesley and are both retrofit developments that used to be office towers. The Cosmopolitan, just east of Yonge Street on Maitland is nice however buyers should be aware that the community east of Yonge is predominately gay and if the lifestyle is not for you then possibly another location would be better for you.

The Grenville offers excellent view over the new and I must say architecturally bycrd6.gif (34598 bytes)

impressive Toronto Police Station and again an ideal location between Yonge and Bay just north of College.   One of the high points in the Bay Corridor inventory is the new Royalton introducing a higher standard of finishes and appointments.   The Royalton is located adjacent to the Toronto police station - talk about security.

   The Ellington, developed by Lee Developments is located at the corner of Yonge at Carlton and is another upper end quality residential community. That’s the thing about condos, there is a never ending supply of them available on the market all of the time, but in the past, access to this information was limited to Realtors and many, many of them were part time, straight commission people.

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38 Elm Street at Minto Plaza is a first class development that I had the pleasure of being involved with and still today its quality is unparalleled. Some developers just know how to do it right and in the case of Minto Developments quality of workmanship and attention to detail is a trade mark. Talk about amenities! Again, you have got to be selective with regard to floor plans as many offer great views while, as I've said before, each building has its not so good units. That's why you use a professional when you are buying. Don't get lulled into buying from someone else's sales agent - get your own.

Today, Buyers (the almighty and most important person in the mix) demand that they play a more significant role in determining their own fate. The Internet has opened up access to the market for the entire world. Today buyers come from Asia, Europe and everywhere else and the best advice that I could give you is to be sure you have a professional condominium specialist playing on your team. This is the only way that the game is a fair one. Don't use cousin Lucy just so she can get some commission when her lack of knowledge could end up winning you a lemon. You don't even have to pay for this service as our fees are built into the commissions being paid by the seller. bycrd4.gif (41748 bytes)

The "new kid on the block" on the Bay corridor is Elev'n21, a site on the Southeastern quadrant of the Charles St and Bay intersection, just one block south of Bloor and the trendy Yorkville area. Elev'n21 is a sleek glass crafted exterior flowing from its lot line opening onto Bay on its west face and Charles on its north, upward to a spear forming the central point of the building.

Immediately on the horizon for the Bay Corridor is a new Conservatory on Bay to be built near the bus depot. We'll bring you all the details once the developer releases them. Until then, I'll sign off from bycrd3.gif (44253 bytes)

the Bay Corridor. I'm Charles Laurie Hanes.

Underground:
Downtown Walkway "Path"

Neighbourhoods:
Annex, Avondale, Bay Corridor, Bloor East,
Casa Loma, Chinatown, Downtown East, Entertainment District, Fashion District,
Financial District, Harbourfront, King West Village, Merton, North York, Queen West, Rosedale, St.Lawrence, Summerhill, Yonge & Eglinton,
Yonge & St. Clair, York Mills, Yorkville

Charles "Laurie" Hanes 416-783-5000
Sutton Group Tower Realty Inc., Broker

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