Banbury-Don Mills Community

• North York Real Estate

Banbury-Don Mills

Banbury-Don Mills is one of the largest communities on the southeast side of North York, Toronto. It is an affluent neighborhood with a family median income 12% higher than Toronto Average.

Community Overview

The community of Banbury-Don Mills runs from East Don River on the west to York Mills Road in the North, Wilket Creek on the east, and Eglinton Avenue on the South. Surrounded by ample green space, the Banbury-Don Mills is populated by a mature residential area with a bustling commercial business along Don Mills Road. At the community's south end, a new master plan will develop 60 Acres of space into a living, working, and entertainment hub. In addition, a crosstown LRT is under development along Eglinton to serve the residents.

1. Housing:

Banbury-Don Mills can be divided into three residential real estate zones.

West of Richmond Hill Go Train railway track / Don Mills Trail and north of Lawrence Avenue is part of York Mills Collegiate Institute School Zone. The original housing stocks consist of detached bungalows, split-level, and 2-story homes mostly built between the mid-1950s and early 1970s. It is a sought-after neighborhood with many old houses torn down and redeveloped into multi-million dollar custom-built modern homes sitting on generous lots. There are also a small number of old condo townhouses, rental apartments, and commercial spaces near the intersection of York Mills and Leslie and Railway track. Furthermore, homebuyers can also find some Semi-detached and Attached Townhouses near Leslie at Bond Avenue.

The second zone envelops The Donway circle and is north of the Canadian Pacific Railway track. Here are mixed with commercial real estate and more diversified residential housing options, including Semi-Detached, Townhomes, Condo buildings, and townhouses. Some dated bungalows, back-split, side-split, and 2-Storey detached homes sitting on the lot with a frontage of at least 50 feet have been transformed into custom-built modern homes. Potential tenants will find mid-rise rental apartments along Donway and Don Mills Street.

Further south, between the Canadian Pacific Railway track and Eglinton Avenue, is the zone with commercial, high-rise condo, and rental apartment buildings. West of Don Mills Road, a new neighborhood was under development, wrapping the Crosstown LRT line. With many condo buildings and rental apartments, the community is rental-friendly, and about 39% of the population are tenants.

From MLS listings, in the past 90 days, Banbury-Don Mills North York sold 18 detached houses on average of $2,790,272; 5 Attached town home, Semi-detached and Link houses on average of $1,290,200; 2 Town homes on average of $1,074,500; 29 condos on average of $772,749.

2. Demographic:

Banbury-Don Mills is a culturally diverse community. Over 50% of the residents are of European Origin, and 26% are of East and Southeast Asia origin. The top birthplaces of all immigrants are China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Iran, and India. Also, a significantly higher proportion of the residents have a bachelor's degree and above.

3. Transportation:

Most residents use cars as their primary mode of transportation. The community borders Don Valley Parkway and is very close to highway 401. Car commuters can quickly get on the route and conveniently travel in all directions. Around 26% of residents travel by public transit. Numerous buses run through the community and have bus stops along York Mills Road, Don Mills Road, Lawrence Avenue, Leslie Street, and The Donway. At Eglinton Avenue, the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown LRT will have three stations, which will shorten the commute to the Eglinton Subway station on Yonge Street by half.

4. Recreation:

Banbury-Don Mills is home to Toronto Botanic Garden, which possesses about 4 acres of land and 17 themed gardens. Along Wilket Creek, Windfields Park, Edward Gardens, Wilket Creek Park, and Serena Gundy Park offer several well-maintained paved trails surrounded by gorgeous wooded trees and open fields for excise and recreation activities. Don Mills Trail is a 7.7km bike/walking trail opening year-round for residents, starting from York Mills Road and ending at the railway track close to Eglinton Avenue. South to York Mills Road and west of Don Valley Parkway, Donald Golf and Country Club overlooking the scenic valley with a meandering river running through the golf fields, offers its members a natural avenue for golfing, tennis, curling, swimming, dining, and fitness. Further south near Don Valley Parkway, Moccasin Trail Park is famous with Moccasin Pond via East Don Trail, a moderately challenging path linking the east and west sides of DVP. The Japanese Canadian Culture Centre and Aga Khan Museum are located at the community's south end, exhibiting a good collection of art and artifacts.

5. Shopping:

Several shopping plazas are spread along Don Mills Road. The largest is CF Shops at Don Mills, located in the center of the community. This open-air outdoor shopping center has over 72 retail stores. South to Don Mills Road, 888 to 900 Don Mills plaza is anchored by C&C Chinese Groceries. This center offers a unique mix of Asian and Western restaurants. On the east side of Don Mills Road, close to Wynford Drive, residents can also find Real Canadian Super Stores for more grocery choices. Anchored by Longo's Supermarket, Shoppers Drug Mart, and LCBO, York Mills Garden Plaza is located at York Mills Road and Leslie Street and occupies 89K square feet of retail space.

6. Schools:

Four elementary schools serve the students from JK to grade 5, Denlow Public School and Rippleton Public School covering the northwest, Norman Ingram Public School middle, and Greenland Public School south. Catholic families can also send their children to St. Bonaventure Elementary School. Bounded by Richmond Hill Go Train railway track / Don Mills Trail, Students from Grade 6 to grade 12 east of the border will attend Windfields Middle School and York Mills Collegiate Institute, and west will attend Don Mills Middle School and Don Mills Collegiate Institute. Founded in 1957, York Mills Collegiate Institute is an excellent school and ranks around 50 over 739 high schools in Ontario. The school also delivers a French Immersion program to students.

Banbury-Don Mills is a highly sought-after community in Toronto. Approximate to the downtown core and straightforward highway access make the community a particularly suitable location to live for working professionals. The robust school system, larger living space, and many beautiful parks appeal to families with kids. If you plan to move to Banbury-Don Mills or you want to learn more about real estate investment opportunities in North York, please contact North York realtor agent Alan Zheng.