665 Queen Street East – Leslieville & South Riverdale Condos at Riverside Square

Of the five buildings that make up Riverside Square, 665 Queen Street E stands apart in one clear way: it's the only one built around heritage character rather than a purpose-built modern tower. Here's a closer look at what that actually means for buyers.

What Makes 665 Queen Different

Located at the gateway to the Riverside Square community, 665 Queen St E is part of the Streetcar Developments vision for transforming Queen East into a live-work-play corridor — blending contemporary architecture and open layouts with the neighbourhood's existing character, rather than replacing it outright. Modern glass façades and integrated ground-floor retail sit alongside a streetscape that still reads as genuinely Riverside, not a transplanted downtown tower.

The Location Advantage

Sitting right where South Riverdale meets Leslieville, 665 Queen puts residents within easy reach of both neighbourhoods' retail and dining strips, plus fast access to the downtown core. It's a meaningfully different day-to-day feel than the Baseball Place towers set slightly further into the neighbourhood — more directly embedded in Queen Street East's retail energy.

Who 665 Queen Tends to Suit Best

• Buyers who want neighbourhood character over a purpose-built amenity tower. If part of Riverside Square's appeal is the East End's identity rather than a generic amenity package, this building leans further into that character than the newer Baseball Place towers.

• Renters and buyers prioritizing walkability to Queen East's retail strip. The building's position puts daily errands and dining options within an easy walk in a way that's slightly more immediate than the Baseball Place addresses.

• Investors targeting tenants drawn specifically to Leslieville's identity. The building's positioning at the Leslieville gateway can be a genuine draw for tenants who specifically want that neighbourhood association.

How It Compares to the Baseball Place Towers

Where 15, 25, 30, and 45 Baseball Place each offer a variation on purpose-built modern tower living, 665 Queen's heritage-integrated design is a genuinely different product within the same broader community. Neither is objectively better — it comes down to whether you're drawn to Riverside Square for its modern amenity package or for its integration with the East End's existing character.

What to Check Before Buying or Renting Here

• Confirm current unit mix and availability directly — heritage-integrated buildings sometimes have a different range of layouts than purpose-built towers, given the constraints of working with existing structure.

• Ask about retail tenant mix at street level, since that's a bigger part of this building's identity than it is for the other four addresses in the community.

• Review the Status Certificate carefully, as with any condo purchase — heritage-integrated buildings can carry different maintenance considerations than a fully new-build tower.

The Bottom Line

665 Queen Street E offers a genuinely distinct option within the Riverside Square community — heritage character and Queen East integration rather than a standard modern tower. For the right buyer, that distinction is exactly the draw.

Want current availability and pricing at 665 Queen Street E? Reach out to our team for building-specific details.

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.