Bayview/Sheppard (NY Towers)

[ACCT]

Hi everyone, I just purchased a resale condo in the Rockefeller Building at Bayview/Sheppard and happened to stumble upon this site as I was surfing. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a thread that currently discusses this neighbourhood so I was just wondering what everyone thinks about the area? A few things that I would like to potentially touch up on are:

a) Do you guys think that the area will increase in value relative to other areas in the future with the building of an LRT on Sheppard?

b) What do you guys think about the neighbourhood?

I would just like to see what others think about this area in which I will be living in for the next couple of years. Thanks!

 

[Urban Shocker]

Welcome aboard. It'll be a bumpy ride.

 

[UD2]

Hi everyone, I just purchased a resale condo in the Rockefeller Building at Bayview/Sheppard and happened to stumble upon this site as I was surfing. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a thread that currently discusses this neighbourhood so I was just wondering what everyone thinks about the area? A few things that I would like to potentially touch up on are:

a) Do you guys think that the area will increase in value relative to other areas in the future with the building of an LRT on Sheppard?

b) What do you guys think about the neighbourhood?

I would just like to see what others think about this area in which I will be living in for the next couple of years. Thanks!

I've been living a bit southeasterly from you for a while now. It's a great place to live in. If you ask around you'll find that Bayview in between Lawrance and Finch is one of the most thought after neighbourhoods in Toronto.

Althought I've heard some conflicting things about your NY towers. Mainly having to do with resale value and maintinance fees, thats on top of the suite sizes. But since you've purchased the place, you obviously are ok with how big the condos are and because you probably want to stay in the place for a while, current resale values probably arn't your biggest concerns either. So that leaves maintinance, but I assume you've already found out how much it costs/month and you're already ok with that.

So, welcome and all the best in your new home.

The NY towers are also some of the oldest buildings of its type here in Toronto. So it falls into the same league as Empress Walk and so forth. They look, from the outside at least, to be well maintained buildings. Hopefully they're the same on the inside as well.

 

[ACCT]

Thanks for the reply!

Well, so far, I have noticed that the building appears to be well kept. The cleaning staff are very diligent in sanitizing the place daily (I can smell the freshness every morning ) and the residents are generally friendly.

I bought one of the bigger units in the building, close to 1000 sq ft. Maintenance is definitely a little bit on the high end (around 55-56 cents per sq ft), but in return, the building is well kept and orderly, and all the staff are very diligent in their work. I've heard horror stories of some condos where it is just filthy...

 

[scarberiankhatru]

So the Rockefeller is an old building, now, having been built 3 years ago? Are they even done fixing deficiencies from the initial construction?

No, the value will not go up a penny due to the Sheppard LRT...it'll have no effect.

One thing I'm not fond of with the area is that there's nothing to walk to. Sure, you can drive or take the subway over to Yonge, but then you might as well live along Yonge. It'll change in the coming years, though.

 

[UD2]

So the Rockefeller is an old building, now, having been built 3 years ago? Are they even done fixing deficiencies from the initial construction?

1. The original NY towers have been around for almost 10 years now.

2. Whatever...

3. Ranked by distance. YMCA (next door), Bayview Village (across the street), TD Bank (around 400 meters) Canadian Tire (around 800 meters), Family Doctor/X-Ray Scan/Blood Lab building complex (around 950m), IKEA (a bit more than 1KM). Distance estimates exclude the length of the driveway. I thought there was a beer store somewhere in between but I'm not sure anymore, plus a bunch of other things that doesn't standout as much.

And Yonge St. is more expansive. And frankly, My life style and the life style of most working people around me doesn't have time to stroll around on the street when I can get on my gas pedal and simply get there. If I have the time, I'd rather spend it with friends, family, or getting more things done.

ACCT may just be in the same situation.

 

[Urban Shocker]

In 1970, when I lived at Bayview and Sheppard, we walked to Bayview Village Shopping Centre. In 2009, people living at Bayview and Sheppard can still walk to Bayview Village Shopping Centre. And the seniors in the Amica building just south of Sheppard can take a shuttle bus there. So lots has changed.

 

[UD2]

In 1970, when I lived at Bayview and Sheppard, we walked to Bayview Village Shopping Centre. In 2009, people living at Bayview and Sheppard can still walk to Bayview Village Shopping Centre. And the seniors in the Amica building just south of Sheppard can take a shuttle bus there. So lots has changed.

They've upgraded the parking lot recently.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

1. The original NY towers have been around for almost 10 years now.

2. Whatever...

3. Ranked by distance. YMCA (next door), Bayview Village (across the street), TD Bank (around 400 meters) Canadian Tire (around 800 meters), Family Doctor/X-Ray Scan/Blood Lab building complex (around 950m), IKEA (a bit more than 1KM). Distance estimates exclude the length of the driveway. I thought there was a beer store somewhere in between but I'm not sure anymore, plus a bunch of other things that doesn't standout as much.

And Yonge St. is more expansive. And frankly, My life style and the life style of most working people around me doesn't have time to stroll around on the street when I can get on my gas pedal and simply get there. If I have the time, I'd rather spend it with friends, family, or getting more things done.

ACCT may just be in the same situation.

No, the oldest building is about 7, and the Rockefeller is 3 years old...as I said, it's more likely that deficiencies from the original construction are just being cleared up than one should worry about the building falling apart due to old age.

He asked what the effect of the LRT would be, no need to get all pissy, especially when you're not being addressed.

Have you ever driven on Sheppard? You don't 'simply get' anywhere. 10 minute walk here, 15 minute drive there...it adds up to time spent not doing other things, though you'll probably be stuck in traffic on Sheppard in your car with family or friends, so that's kinda multitasking. "Nothing to walk to" obviously doesn't mean you physically cannot walk to a business, but the fact that you're listing individual businesses within a kilometre shows that as an urban neighbourhood it may leave a bit to be desired. This forum is called "Urban Toronto," by the way.

The area's a work in progress, and as Urban Shocker pointed out, that progress has not been particularly speedy despite all the recent residential projects. There's a mall filled with boutique stores nearby and...not much else. It's much better than some spot in Scarborough or Markham, though, and will get better over time. No, Yonge is really not more expensive than Bayview & Sheppard.

 

[ACCT]

See, that's the thing. I don't want to live on Yonge. It's true that there are a lot of shops on Yonge, but growing up in Scarborough/Markham, I'm much more used to driving everywhere and shopping in malls/plazas.

I mean, sure, there are tons of shops on Yonge, but most of them are small little shops and restaurants, and they are all outdoors. In Toronto, half of the year it is either snowing or raining, so I don't really see myself walking around on Yonge all the time. I would much rather take a short walk to Bayview village or the surrounding area if the weather is good and do all my shopping within the confines and comfort of a nice little mall as opposed to having to walk around on the street and stopping by at a million shops just so I get what I want. And if it rains, I can drive across and shop indoors. I just don't get that option (or the options are much more limited) on Yonge if I want to do that. I find that Bayview Village is pretty convenient when it is literally 500M away from where I live, in which I can find an LCBO, Loblaws, Shoppers, and pretty much everything that I would need for my everyday needs, INDOORS. This is pretty important to me.

Also, when we bought the place, we just couldn't stand the hustle and bustle of Yonge/Sheppard/Finch. I mean, it was just too busy. The noise pollution and traffic is just horrific. Going on the highway is an even bigger nightmare. At least on Bayview/Sheppard in the NYT community, the condos are a little bit segregated from the main streets.

Yonge and Sheppard is a great location no doubt, but I guess it just isn't for us.


And for some reason scarberiankhatru you seem quite bitter about the NYT area . Sure, it's a new building, but it's not like there are no new buildings in the Yonge/Sheppard area. As for deficiencies, I haven't seen/heard/experienced any first hand yet. And also, even if there was, I don't think that it's isolated to the NYT buildings, it's also the case for any new(er) buildings, including the ones on Yonge/Sheppard.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I never mentioned shops...Yonge has multiple indoor malls. Bayview Village is fine but there's little else nearby, for now, anyway.

Hey, you wanted opinions on an overrated area (even though you're already living there)...if one of the best things about it is that you can drive away from it, well, what else needs to be said?

Maybe one thing: since Sheppard East has some of the worst traffic in the city, you won't be driving away from it very quickly.

 

[adma]

One other potential factor against Yonge/Sheppard/Finch I can anticipate is its being perceived as headed in too much of a Near/Middle/Far Eastern high-rise ethnic-ghetto direction for comfort...

 

[scarberiankhatru]

One other potential factor against Yonge/Sheppard/Finch I can anticipate is its being perceived as headed in too much of a Near/Middle/Far Eastern high-rise ethnic-ghetto direction for comfort...

If a Eurasian jumble counts as "ethnic-ghetto," that is.

Note that the poster said he grew up in Scarborough/Markham...these parts of North York may seem white as a ghost in comparison.

 

[prosperegal]

One other potential factor against Yonge/Sheppard/Finch I can anticipate is its being perceived as headed in too much of a Near/Middle/Far Eastern high-rise ethnic-ghetto direction for comfort...

But it isn't poor ghetto.

 

[adma]

But it isn't poor ghetto.

Still a kind of cultural ghetto. Just like, to be a little more literal about the term "Ghetto", it might feel understandably weird to exist as a Gentile around Bathurst + Lawrence...