25 BASEBALL PLACE CONDO | RIVERSIDE SQUARE CONDOS

A genuinely major milestone in Toronto's Port Lands transformation just landed, and it's happening right next to South Riverdale. Here's what's new and what it means if you own — or are considering buying — at Riverside Square.

What Just Happened

On July 24, 2026, additional waterfront parkland opened on Ookwemin Minising, the new island created by the Port Lands Flood Protection project — a milestone marking one of North America's most ambitious waterfront transformations reaching a genuine completion point. The project protects 290 hectares of Toronto's central eastern waterfront from flooding and unlocks the island for future rezoning and mixed-use neighbourhood development.

What Ookwemin Minising Actually Is

The project channelled the Don River through a newly constructed river valley to meet the lake at a naturalized mouth, creating an entirely new island in the process. Biidaasige Park, the public green space on the island, now spans more than 50 acres, with an additional 10 acres set to open later in 2026 — home to over 5,000 trees, 77,000 shrubs, and roughly two million herbaceous plants, along with trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, off-leash dog parks, and a landing area for non-motorized watercraft.

Why This Matters Beyond Just "A New Park"

This isn't simply a park opening — it's the unlocking of a major new development zone directly adjacent to South Riverdale. At full build-out, Ookwemin Minising is projected to house more than 15,000 residents and nearly 3,000 jobs, with an additional $975 million in tri-government funding announced to accelerate housing and destination development on the island and along the waterfront at Quayside.

What This Means If You Own at Riverside Square

This directly supports the neighbourhood momentum we've already seen reflected in South Riverdale's recent condo value gains. A newly unlocked, publicly-funded development zone with this much investment behind it tends to support surrounding property values over the medium and long term — not as an overnight effect, but as a structural tailwind for the broader area.

More amenity, not more competing supply — yet. The immediate impact is a genuine lifestyle upgrade: significant new parkland within easy reach, well before the housing development phase actually adds competing inventory to the immediate resale market.

What This Means If You're Considering Buying

Buying into a neighbourhood just as a major adjacent development zone unlocks is often exactly the kind of timing that rewards patient, longer-term buyers — you're getting in before the surrounding transformation is fully priced in, similar to how we've discussed the Ontario Line's Leslieville Station construction playing out on a similar multi-year timeline.

What to Watch Going Forward

• The remaining 10 acres of Biidaasige Park, expected to open later in 2026

• Housing development announcements on Ookwemin Minising itself, as the tri-government funding translates into actual project approvals

• Continued Quayside waterfront development, which is advancing alongside this project

The Bottom Line

The Port Lands Flood Protection project reaching this milestone is a genuinely significant, well-funded, long-term positive for South Riverdale and the broader area around Riverside Square — new public parkland now, with a major development zone unlocking for the years ahead.

Want to know how this and other neighbourhood developments factor into current Riverside Square pricing? Reach out to our team for a current market conversation.

South Riverdale's mix of walkability, community feel, and easy downtown access makes Riverside Square a consistently popular choice for renters — but knowing what to expect before you apply makes the whole process faster and less stressful.

What Makes Riverside Square Appealing to Renters

Across the community's five buildings — 15, 25, 30, and 45 Baseball Place, plus 665 Queen Street East — renters get access to resort-style amenities, 24-hour concierge service, and a genuinely walkable neighbourhood without downtown-core rent pricing. The mix of unit types across the buildings also means there's real flexibility, from efficient one-bedrooms to larger family-sized layouts.

What You'll Need to Apply

A typical rental application at Riverside Square — as with most professionally managed GTA buildings — will ask for:

• Government-issued photo ID

• Proof of income, typically recent pay stubs or an employment letter; self-employed applicants should have recent Notices of Assessment or bank statements ready

• A completed rental application, including current and previous address history and consent for a credit check

• Previous landlord references, where applicable

Having these ready before you start touring units genuinely speeds up the process — in a building this popular, a complete application submitted quickly is a real advantage over a strong applicant who's still gathering documents.

What to Check Before You Sign

• Confirm which building and unit type actually fits your budget. Maintenance-fee-adjacent costs like utilities and parking can vary by building — ask specifically rather than assuming all five buildings are priced identically.

• Ask about parking and locker availability separately. These aren't guaranteed with every unit and are worth confirming before you commit.

• Understand the lease term and any renewal terms upfront, including how rent increases would be communicated for future renewal periods.

• Walk the unit at a time of day that matches your actual schedule, if possible — natural light and noise levels can differ meaningfully by exposure and floor.

What Landlords Renting Out a Riverside Square Unit Should Know

If you own a unit here and are the one doing the leasing rather than the applying, thorough tenant screening matters just as much in a desirable building as anywhere else — a high-demand building attracts a large applicant pool, which makes disciplined screening more valuable, not less.

The Bottom Line

Riverside Square remains one of South Riverdale's most in-demand rental communities, and that demand rewards renters who come prepared with a complete application and landlords who screen thoroughly rather than rushing to fill a vacancy.

Looking for a current rental unit at Riverside Square, or a landlord looking to lease yours? Reach out to our team — we can help match the right unit to the right tenant.

The transit project that's been talked about for years is now visibly under construction just steps from Riverside Square — and it recently got a new name to go with the progress.

What's Actually Happening Right Now

The station formerly known as "Riverside-Leslieville" has officially been renamed Leslieville Station, part of a broader Ontario Line renaming announced alongside news that tunnelling had officially begun on the line. The station will sit above Queen Street East between Broadview and Carlaw — an easy walk from Riverside Square.

Construction has moved past early site preparation and utility relocation into deep foundation work. The station's supporting piers are under construction now, with the station's above-ground superstructure work expected to begin in late 2027. The province has not committed to a specific opening year, currently citing only a general "2030s" timeline for full Ontario Line completion.

Why This Station Specifically Matters for Riverside Square

Leslieville Station is projected to bring roughly 9,500-10,000 residents within a 10-minute walk once complete — a meaningful density and transit-access shift for the immediate South Riverdale area. For a multi-building community like Riverside Square, sitting well within that walk radius, this is exactly the kind of long-term transit investment that has historically supported property values in comparable Toronto neighbourhoods over time.

The station will also connect to existing streetcar routes, and current plans call for maintaining streetcar service throughout construction — meaning residents shouldn't expect to lose transit access during the build, even with some rerouting possible at points.

What This Means If You Own at Riverside Square

This is a long-term value driver, not a near-term one. With completion still years away and no confirmed opening date, don't expect this to move your unit's price in the next year or two. What it does support is the neighbourhood momentum we've already seen reflected in recent condo value data for South Riverdale — transit investment of this scale is exactly the kind of fundamental that supports gradual, sustained appreciation over a multi-year hold.

Construction impacts are real but temporary. Nearby residents should expect ongoing construction noise, some sidewalk and lane closures around Queen Street East, and truck traffic during active building phases — worth being upfront about with tenants or buyers touring the area during this period.

What This Means If You're Considering Buying

Buying ahead of a confirmed transit station completion is a genuinely reasonable long-term strategy — you're often able to buy before pricing fully reflects the eventual transit premium. The trade-off is patience: with the province's vague "2030s" completion window, this isn't a short-term catalyst play.

Why This Also Matters Beyond Riverside Square

This same Ontario Line corridor runs directly through the broader East End — meaning neighbourhoods like Leslieville and Riverdale are seeing the same construction activity and will benefit from the same long-term transit access once the line opens, making this a shared story across the wider East End real estate market, not just Riverside Square specifically.

The Bottom Line

Leslieville Station's construction is real, visible, and progressing — and its long-term implications for Riverside Square and the broader South Riverdale area are genuinely positive, even though the payoff is measured in years rather than months. For current owners, it's one more reason to think about this community as a long-term hold; for prospective buyers, it's a fundamental worth weighing alongside current pricing.

Want to know how this and other neighbourhood developments factor into current Riverside Square pricing? Reach out to our team for a current market conversation.