Condo Living

March 4, 2025 Published by Toronto and Area Chapter - By James Russell

Condo Profile: TSCC 2478

From the Winter 2024 issue of CCI Toronto Condovoice Magazine.

PEARS

A Virtuoso of Good Governance

In days of ole the very air of Queen Street East trembled from the thunder of hooves as a half dozen magnificent equines, their muscles taut, hair glistening with sweat, hurtled like crazed demons toward the finish line to the cheers of elegantly dressed women in exquisite bonnets and men in stately, single button coats and regal top hats.

In 1993, Woodbine race track, having been renamed Greenwood Raceway in 1963, was then relocated in 1994 to 780 acre plot north of Pearson Airport and re-Christened Woodbine Racetrack. When the track and stadium were demolished, it opened up a huge swath of land, which MTCC 1272, built in 1999, claimed a portion on the northern border. Today, residents with suites on the south side of MTCC 1272 still face what was Woodbine Race Track’s finish line, now a vast panorama of townhouses.

On the Avenue
In the condominium industry, it is unusual to find a Board, much less one a mere ten years young, as finely tuned and fiscally adept as the Board of Pears on the Avenue. The architecturally stunning, twenty-one-storey community is steps from the midtown Toronto intersection of Avenue and Davenport Roads, the northern boundary of Toronto’s Annex.

First settled in the late 1700s, the Annex was once home to such Toronto literary luminaries as novelists Austin Clarke and Morley Callaghan, environmental activist David Suzuki, playwright Ann- Marie MacDonald and yes, even home to a famous TV actress who was eventually crowned Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

From the moment you step into Pears on the Avenue’s lobby, you are immediately taken by the ethereal glow of their ivory white, three-storey spiral staircase framed on one wall by two, statuesque, tortilla brown wood sculptures, and on the opposite wall, a geometric assembly of gleaming squares with elegant patterns.

Although the Pears on the Avenue’s address is 170 Avenue Road, the building’s entrance is on Pears Avenue, a short thoroughfare running west off Avenue Road.

The residents of Pears on the Avenue’s one-hundred and seventy-five suites in the high-rise and five ground-level townhouses enjoy elegant, poolside cabanas, a luxurious guest suite, a sofa-furnished theatre room and a fully-equipped gym with separate, state-of-the-art cardio and weight areas. But it is not Pears on the Avenue’s luxurious amenities that set it apart from other condominiums; it is Pears on the Avenue’s consistent history of effective management, fiscal responsiveness, and their vibrant community of residents.

“The nicest people live in this building,” says Jan Petrook, a six-year resident and one of Pears on the Avenue’s directors. Pears on the Avenue’s demographic consists of “retired, young professionals, and very few families,” according to thirtyfive- year industry veteran Sheldon Danis, their senior Property Manager, who came to Pears on the Avenue in January 2024. Pears on the Avenue’s six-member Social Committee meets periodically to discuss ideas and suggestions. Jan and the Board’s Vice President, Jack Torjman, act as liaisons and bring issues raised by the Social Committee and requests for funding to the Board. Pears on the Avenue’s yearly events, their summer BBQ and winter holiday party, are well attended. “Our last winter holiday party saw more than one hundred (residents) attend,” says Jan. An impressive turnout for a condominium community comprising many more suites. Residents generously contribute to Pears on the Avenue’s yearly toy and food drives, with the food going to the Second Harvest Food Bank and toys delivered to their local fire hall.

The corporation’s board of direcrtors consists of: Glenn Cohen, President; Jack Torjman, Vice President; Peter Krasny, Secretary; Corinne Won, Treasurer, and Jan Petrook, Director. Glenn and Jack have lived in the building since it opened and are the longest-serving Board members. The Board’s proactive management style and fiscal responsibility enabled the Board to keep their 2024 maintenance fee increase to an industry low of five percent, followed by an impressive zero percent increase in 2025. Still, year after year, and despite inflationary pressures, the Board has maintained, “a very healthy reserve fund,” says Sheldon, who adds, “We’re doing a Reserve Fund Update this year. So we’re going to look at anything we need to replace.”

Although Pears on the Avenue is a relatively new building, it still has its share of infrastructure challenges but, “We stay on top of it (the problems) and manage them,” says Jan. “We’re always doing preventative maintenance,” adds Sheldon.

Sheldon says of his initial job interview, “When I first met the Board, I had a really good feeling about them,” a reaction shared by the Board. Glenn revealed that over the years, the Board has had a few ‘mis-starts’ with previous management companies and property managers, but when asked about the Board’s relationship with Sheldon and their management company, Forest Hill Kipling he replied, “Excellent.”

The Board credits Sheldon for recognizing and providing a solution to their ongoing problem of ‘phantom flushing’, which, as Sheldon explains, “Is where the toilet tank refills itself similar to flushing it, or in other cases rippling water in the bowl. These are both signs of leakage. The gasket we replaced sits between the bottom of the flush valve and the tank. Replacing the rubber gasket solved all known toilet leaks.” The successful gasket replacement project was completed in October and subsequently, Pears on the Avenue’s water consumption has decreased dramatically. While the corporation was trending approximately ten thousand dollars a month in water usage, their November bill was approximately seven thousand, a savings of three thousand dollars. The Board and management expect their December bill to reflect similar savings.

Pears on the Avenue’s contract staff consists of two full-time weekday cleaners, two weekend cleaners and long-serving, live-out Superintendant. Three full-time staff, Riza, Mohammed and Executive Concierge Jacob, do double duty as security and concierges - one overnight and two during the day. “When people come to our building, to say wash the window or the (other) trades, they all remark about how fabulous our concierge/security team is. They say that they are the best they’ve ever seen in any building,” says Glenn.

Pears on the Avenue’s recent capital projects include: replacing carpets in the common areas and hallways in 2024, switching to energy-saving LEDs throughout the building, replacing lobby and sitting room furniture, and extensive repairs in 2018 to the P1 level of their garage as the surface was prematurely degrading. “We were told that the surface met the building code, but because there was so much use in that area, the developer should have put in a more robust surface. So much earlier than anyone had anticipated, we had to have that whole area cut out and replaced. That was a $200,000 job and a huge hit to our Reserve Fund, but the good news is that we were able to absorb it, and now our Reserve Fund is very healthy,” says Glenn.

In 2024, the Board hired a company to seal the make up air ductwork preventing air loss, maximizing the performance of their gas-fed system. “Enbridge felt so strongly about our project that they doubled our incentive,” says Sheldon. A company checks each suite’s HVAC unit to ensure they operate at peak efficiency. Pears on the Avenue’s comprehensive maintenance program also includes cleaning each suite’s dryer system, from the rear of the dryer through the ceiling lint trap and continuing to the building’s façade, extra steps rarely performed in condominium buildings, but proactive maintenance crucial to fire safety.

Pears on the Avenue’s demineralization of their water system, completed in 2023, substantially reduced the build-up of residue, the white calcification that clings to shower heads, faucets and pipes. Glenn explains, “The system avoids mineralization and mineral residue and it avoids mineral deposits from attaching to the insides of the pipes, ultimately causing pinhole leaks.” Any condominium building with copper water pipes knows that pinhole leaks result in expensive and invasive repairs. “It (the demineralization system) will hopefully extend the life of our pipes and components. It’s a huge savings in our Reserve Fund,” adds Glenn.

It was Pears on the Avenue’s previous property manager who suggested that the Board install an air release valve, a device that reduces air bubbles in the water system. However, the Board did not proceed with the project as they were not satisfied with either the contractor’s proposal or the current valve technology. Shortly after Sheldon took over the management reins, he shared with the Board that the science had improved and suggested a different contractor, one recommended by Forest Hill Kipling. The air release valve was installed in July 2024 and has since resulted in at least a fifteen percent reduction in Pears on the Avenue’s water usage.

In 2018, well before most GTA condominium Boards began responding to the City’s eZoning Bylaw 569-2013, Pears on the Avenue’s Board had the foresight to install the electrical infrastructure to support sixty EV charging stations on their three parking levels. Rebates and government grants mitigated the substantial cost. “When someone (an owner) comes and wants an EV charger, they just pay their share of the installation, fill out the application paperwork, and the Board gives them the OK,” says Sheldon, who points out that it is a very user-friendly process.

Several years ago, when Pears on the Avenue’s Board committed to reducing their energy consumption, they not only retrofitted the entire building with LED bulbs but interestingly, “We ended up disconnecting some of the lights in the lobby ceiling (because the lobby was too brightly lit),” said Glenn.

The Board has several other capitalintensive projects on the horizon, but Pears on the Avenue’s real capital is that sense of community treasured by the Board, management and residents. Glenn summed it up when he said, “It’s an excellent place to live. 100% of the people are respectful and friendly. I think it’s a great community.”

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James Russell, Newsletters et Cetera