I moved to North Toronto from the downtown core around 6 years ago. It was a huge lifestyle change – I enjoyed my downtown life at King and Spadina – walking to work (or coming home mid-day for lunch hour), to social and networking events after work. I did not have a car because I did not have any need to own one – my life was at a 5 kms radius that included work, home, groceries. In fact friends often joked I would never go north of Bloor which I took offence to but it was mostly true!
Surprisingly but interestingly apart from taking the subway into work everything else felt the same – urban. Yonge and Eglinton which is the epi-centre of midtown Toronto is surprisingly urban. Sidewalks are busy with people walking to and from the TTC Eglinton subway station especially during rush hours, doing their groceries at the Yonge and Eglinton Centre, working out at their condo gyms, Orange Theory or Barreworks amongst many many options. All your daily amenities are steps away at or around the Yonge and Eglinton Centre – so you have the convenience of city living in a very mature neighbourhood of older homes, public parks, green spaces, reputable schools surrounded by massive construction of several high rise glass clad condo towers and the upcoming Eglinton LRT Crosstown (making the area chaotic presently with all the construction but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. No pun intended). Although north of Bloor, Yonge and Eglinton is city living.
And there is more excitement coming here soon – the completion of the LRT that will make Yonge and Eglinton hyper-connected. This Line 5 runs east and west, will connect to the UP Express at Mount Dennis further connecting to the Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. FINALLY, there are more public transit options to get to the city’s largest airport!
Metrolinx identified Yonge and Eglinton as an ANCHOR HUB in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA) and includes the TTC’s Eglinton subway station on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) in the City of Toronto. This hub is planned to integrate subway, Rapid Transit and local bus service making Yonge and Eglinton one of the most critical and major transit hubs in the city.
What does this mean for property value in this neighbourhood?
The Eglinton LRT is going to be a game changer for this neighbourhood. It will spur on huge development at this important transit hub and key intersection for Toronto. It will have a major impact on demand for this location and we anticipate prices and rents here will increase as a result.
Land Values at Yonge and Eglinton have soared which indicates that future projects in this neighbourhood will be priced higher. According to Bullpen Consulting, in Q4 2018, Yonge and Eglinton sales were at $255/ft – second only to Yorkville at $297/ft. Land values are great indicators for prices for future projects. Developers today, are betting big on the future of Yonge & Eglinton indicting that value in the coming years will be significantly higher than today.
the Restaurants
Yonge and Eglinton has always had a great selection of restaurants to choose from. Right in the middle for Northerners and the downtowners, it is a popular spot for people to meet in the middle. I’ll bet many Torontonians have had many a first dates at Grazie – one of the city’s oldest and most popular Italian restaurants that never disappoints.
In the past two-three years, new restaurants appear to be popping up monthly. Some of the hot spots include:
La Carnita, Fresh, Sweet Jesus (ice cream heaven if there ever was one) and most recently a couple of my personal favourites Bar Buca and Byblos Uptown – try the eggplant kibbeh (anything eggplant, always) and the short rib kebab and let me know how you like it! In my humble opinion, the addition of these two restaurants recognizes the significance of Yonge and Eglinton on the restaurant and entertainment scenes.
the Shopping
and ahhhh the shopping. Most of your top favourites are here: Club Monaco (in fact my most favourite location in the city) Lululemon, Roots, GAP, Hartley, Sporting Life (which always causes parking chaos) and some really great spots for furniture and home decor – my personal favourites Casa Life and West Elm and a mix of new boutiques/shops.
At the centre of it all, is the newly redeveloped Yonge & Eglinton Centre with a food court, anchored by office and retail, including Indigo, Toys R Us, Goodlife Fitness with direct access to the Yonge subway line.
So you see, skip the chaos of the malls and hang out here for a lovely afternoon spring, summer, fall and if you dare winter stroll – brunch, coffee or tea on a Yonge St patio, shopping and movies at the Yonge and Eglinton Centre. And all accessible on the subway line!
Yonge and Eglinton also is one of the most desirable family friendly neighbourhoods in North Toronto. Some of the city’s top private and public schools are close by and numerous public parks are across the neighbourhood.
North Toronto Collegiate Institute, Northern Secondary School, Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School, Allenby Junior Public School, St Monica Catholic School, Oriole Park Public School, Eglinton Junior Public School, The Study Academy
Eglinton Park: Nine hectares of urban fun with five multi-purpose sports fields, four tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, a children’s playground, and a wading pool. Enjoy the winter with two ice rinks ready for public skating and pick-up hockey.
Oriole Park: play areas for younger children with swings, a sand area, a junior splash pad, and a wading pool. There is a baseball diamond and two tennis courts.
Lytton Park: three lighted tennis courts and a club house that’s home to the North Toronto Tennis Club and children’s playground.
There are several new condominium towers in the area. Art Shoppe condos and lofts will be taking occupancy Summer 2020.
Line 5 North and South towers went on sale early 2019.
Untitled Toronto in collaboration with Pharrell Williams will be launching for sale in January 2020 – Sign Up now!
Want to learn more, drop me a note! Let’s connect.
