Pedestrian- and bike-friendly areas include<br />such leafy outposts as the Toronto Botanical<br />Garden

Pedestrian- and bike-friendly areas include
such leafy outposts as the Toronto Botanical
Garden

Real Estate Guide › Central

Banbury - Don Mills

Average 2007 sale price:: $1,363,250
Property crime:: average
Crime against people:: very low

Don Mills feels as comfortable and safe as a favourite cardigan. To stroll its winding streets, still replete with post-war housing of the ’50s and ’60s, is to enter a time warp. The modernist architectural flourishes of the day still dominate: steeply peaked roofs, multi-dimensional façades, sleek carports. Unlike the suburbs that came after it, the neighbourhood features an immense variety of housing styles and, perhaps more importantly, the acknowledgement of the natural landscape in home construction—mature trees abound; glimpses of the surrounding ravines are common. In the north, some of Banbury’s homes seem part and parcel of the scenery. The majority of the area remains pedestrian and bike friendly, and the troubled Sheppard subway line, opened in 2002, provided long-needed (if still underutilized) TTC access. The Don Mills Shopping Centre, which has long been a kind of town square, is being redeveloped by Cadillac Fairview. Set to reopen in fall, this controversial mixed-use “lifestyle centre”—featuring chef Mark McEwan’s very first self-branded grocery store—will be called simply the Shops at Don Mills. An entirely different kind of development, the Aga Khan’s new $200-million Ismaili Muslim community centre begins construction at Eglinton and Don Mills later this year and is scheduled to open sometime in 2011.

HOUSING STOCK: While about half of the original development’s unique ranch styles remain intact, a large number of classic homes have been levelled in favour of massive cookie-cutter mansions (and the occasional more appealing design from Toronto’s prestigious Shim-Sutcliffe).

BARGAIN ZONES: The townhouses southwest of Don Mills Centre are well priced, as are homes east of the Don Valley and south of Lawrence.

THE VERDICT: Even though it’s in transition, Banbury–Don Mills offers homeowners the best of both worlds: the serenity of the suburbs and the convenience of downtown living. Rejuvenated retail and a diverse, younger population promise to make the area even more lively.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Toronto Botanical Garden This is a simple, serene spot for wedding parties and green thumbs alike. 777 Lawrence Ave. E., 416-397-1340.
Congee Queen The inexpensive pan-Asian restaurant draws huge lunchtime and late-night crowds with its finger-licking barbecue pork. 895 Lawrence Ave. E., 416-916-0338.
Katsura This Japanese fave offers creative teppanyaki and a traditional menu, with an emphasis on quality sashimi. 900 York Mills Rd., 416-444-2511.

Nearby Restaurants

Island Foods

This popular West Indian Toronto chain offers over 10 different varieties of roti and nine ... (0.65 km away)

Katsura

A boisterous theatre of teppanyaki draws in groups for acrobatics around the grill, while an ... (1.82 km away)

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Commuting

King and Bay:: 10.6 km
401 and 400:: 14.4 km
Gardiner and 427:: 21.7 km
Subways:: Don Mills Station 4.0 km; Leslie Station 4.1 km; Bessarion Station 4.4 km