加台地产

Average 2007 sale price:    $1,012,500
Property crime:    very high
Crime against people:    average
Neighbourhood map

During his lengthy stint as mayor of North York, Mel Lastman devoted a lot of energy toward converting Yonge Street between Willowdale East and West into a city centre. Since amalgamation, the neighbourhood of North York Centre has disappeared, but its assets remain. Many of the tiny bungalows, which have long been dwarfed by the high-density developments on Yonge just a block away, are being sold and torn down to make way for monster homes. The residential streets that stretch east from Yonge consist largely of housing stock built in the late 1940s to ’60s, but the area has seen countless renovations and demolitions over the past decade or more. The expansive lots and quiet, peaceful residential streets have made Willowdale East a prime target for rejuvenation. As with the city’s other uptown neighbourhoods, it is not at all uncommon to see a monstrous rebuilt home shoehorned between two more modest mid-century residences.

HOUSING STOCK: There’s a large variety of homes in this neighbourhood thanks to intense developer interest in the past few decades. Choose from post-war bungalows and ’90s McMansions on quiet, tree-lined streets or newly constructed condos and townhomes just off Yonge.

BARGAIN ZONES: Yonge’s condo alley offers resales from the mid-$200s (for a small one bedroom plus den). No serious renos are required though, as most units were built in the past 10 years and have clubhouse-style amenities—exercise and meeting rooms, and swimming pools. For detached homes, look closer to Finch, but expect to pay at least $450,000 for a small bungalow.

THE VERDICT: With rising prices at Yonge and Eglinton, singles and young couples continue to move north, particularly to Yonge and Sheppard. Developers expect the trend to continue and have planned several projects for the few blocks east of Yonge between Sheppard and Highway 401 over the next decade, including new condo towers on Oakburn Place and Glendora Avenue, and at the Yonge and Sheppard intersection. On the plus side, urban intensification has meant an increase in local services, with more coffee shops and new restaurants. But long-time residents complain about the rise in traffic and overcrowding in local schools—including Earl Haig Secondary, considered one of the city’s top public high schools.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:

Ichiban Fish House This is one of several good Japanese and Korean restaurants on the same block. 15–17 Spring Garden Ave., 416-512-9014.
Paisano’s Italian Garden Café Summer means patio dining at this unpretentious spot, which offers casual service and hearty Italian fare. 116 Willowdale Ave., 416-222-5487.
Rain Spa & Salon Get pampered in a 4,500-square-foot oasis bedecked with candles and flowers. 384 Sheppard Ave. E., 416-449-2099.