Optima Condo, Toronto Condo Reviews 

I have been living here for just over 2 months now and could not be happier with the building. The security is absolutely top-notch. I have stayed and worked in other condos downtown and this one is by far the best. Not only are the guards friendly and helpful, but the whole setup of needing your FOB not only to access your floor but also to access your hallway, makes me feel very safe and secure. So far all the people I have met are fairly nice. I have had zero issues with any sort of noise whatsoever. The location has to be one of the best in the city. The view from my unit is absolutely stunning, as I can see inside the rogers center and I can also see the lake and the island. Access to get to and from the Gardiner is fast and easy. Amenities are currently under renovations but should be up and running in October, can't wait to check em out!

This condo is a typical example of a condominium that despite its age did not get worse. It is relatively well maintained for its age - if I am not mistaken it was finished somewhere around 2003-2004. My unit has a decent size and a Rogers Centre view. Very central location - can walk everywhere. No need to have a car. The area gets quite crowded though during the games. I still like it. Give it 4 stars just because of its age.

This is one of the best CityPlace condos by far. Here's why:
Security - Yes, it is tight. It has to be when you live in such a high traffic area. The Security people who work at the front desk are some of the best out there.
And - I would like to debunk the "misinformation" (read: exaggeration) below on $5 parking for guest spots. This $5 is a deposit and you get it back when you leave 24 hours after your pass is administered. People were literally spending 3+ days in visitor parking so this keeps people accountable to leave after the agreed upon time, reasonable (24 hours) so if you go over that time, you lose the deposit.
Seems fair to me.
Size of Units: We live in a unit that is just shy of 1200 sq feet (2 bed+den) - which is hard to find in the downtown core.
Great Location: Right in the heart of the action. 15 min walk to Yonge St.
Young Families/Community feel
The Board of Directors. The president is very involved - which has helped me immensely.
Amenities: Our amenities are changing - there is a realization that work needs to be done so there is a plan to make our amenity space better.
Maintenance: Very well maintained. Cleaning staff is consistent and friendly. Building Managers are also great.
The bad reviews are likely from people who didn't get their way from Security - they either didn't like the rules or wanted rules to be "amended" for them and security said no. This is why security is great here - they do protect the residents and their interests.

Love this condo. Been here 10 years. Condo fees have been the same for the past 5 years. Building is really well maintained. Great location. Great people. All around a great building.

Absolutely love this building. Stellar security, awesome views, and great amenities. Close park, shopping and grocery. Ripley's aquarium next door, so is the Skydome and CN Tower. Easy transit to union and on Spadina. Movie Theatre, Pool, Guest suite. Gym all downstairs. Lived here for many years moved out, missed it and moved back in.

Definitely. I've been an owner since 2003. The security and maintenance in this building is one of the best and it is for that reason that females as well as others feel very secure in this building. I would wish that renters such as Anonymous would move out sooner than later as they appear to think only of themselves and the needs of their friends. This building has more owner occupied suites than most others and as an owner that is a good thing as owners look after the building as they have a vested interest in it. The building is very well maintained, it is in good financial health and maintenance fees have not gone up in five years as the condominium board has made a concerted effort in making the building very energy efficient in terms of electricity, gas and water usage. All the issues brought up by Brook Wilson have been dealt with but like all claims against any developer, they are somewhat exaggerated. The smoke did permeate from one particular suite to another but it involved only one suite and that problem was rectified in the second year of the building existence..

Compared to many other units I have visited of friends, I love my building more and more. Great floorplans and since most of the units are large, we have a lot of families and grown up adults living in the building. The amenities could be better.

The security and management in this building are horrible. Take it from me, a current resident. The only good thing about this place is the size of the units. Other than that, there really isn't much keeping me here. Here's why:

- First day we move in, a security guard reveals that he's "working for the residents" but that management is here to make money off of the residents. What does this mean? They take a minimum $5 deposit for visitor parking. Why? because it makes the building a couple hundred dollars a week as a result of guests forgetting to pick up their deposit.

- There's nowhere enough visitor parking. 12 spots, which are always full. Your friends will always have trouble finding a place to park.

- You need a buzzer for everything. Including having to go down to receive every single person that visits you at the building. Security won't let people up even if you call down and let them know.

- Bicycle parking is horrible. There's a rack behind the lobby and my sister had to park her bike there overnight because we were doing a 50k the next morning. The security said we had to ask building management for permission to park there until 6am (it was 11pm and we'd just be there overnight leaving at 6am). Because we didn't ask they'd have the right to cut the chains off our bike. Really?? Because we're parking there for 7 hours! Yes, he said there's no guarantee our bike would remain there in the morning.

- Constantly new guards. They'll see you carrying a million things and will never open the door for you.

One useless rule after the other. Everyone in this building is on a power trip and it's like they do everything to inconvenience the residents. I highly recommend you think twice about moving into this building.

I love the negative comments about the security! The security is the best - This is the one and only building in the downtown core that has NEVER had any police interaction in over 10 years.

Why? The security doesn't allow unknown visitors, all residents live secure in the knowledge that there will be no one lurking in the corridors or the elevator.

Tough luck if you have to go to the lobby to fetch your your pizza.

As for parking, not a single condo in Toronto has enough visitors parking for all at all times. The tickets and the deposit are in place so that security can make sure that the visitors parking is utilized to the best. For the record, there are VERY FEW deposits forgotten at the front desk. At times of overflow, there are 660 additional spaces in public parking garage next door.

The ban on overnight bicycle parking in the courtyard is a liability issue. There are many, many public bicycle rings along the sidewalk.

The management and the board of directors are superb and work hard to keep the place in good maintenance for all who live here.

This is the first one built in the area, and maybe one of the best condo buildings one could ever hope to live in. Many residents also like the activities of the social committees, with occasional parties and regular organized play time for the kids.

We sold our unit in Optima late last year and I can only say good things about this building. My husband and I are familiar with most of the city place condos and many other buildings in the area, this one is fantastic. As a person who owned and lived in the building for several years I think I can clarify the issues mentioned by the first reviewer. Firstly, there are no glass issues. There is a lawsuit resulting from some leaks that occurred years ago in one wing of the building. Those issues are resolved and the damages are paid for. The lawsuit is just sorting out the financials with Concord. Secondly, we never had an issue with wind or noise. We were on the north side of the building, maybe location makes a difference? Or maybe it was just a windy day. This building has an active board, a very healthy reserve fund and phenomenal management (new last year, I wouldn't have said that about the previous management.) They started to redo all the interior decor last fall. It is solid, quiet, and the construction is of higher quality than the newer concord buildings. There are fewer renters and more owner-residents than other CP buildings as well. I actually feel good about having sold our condo to another couple who I'm sure will enjoy the building and location immensely. UPDATE: @Brook Wilson Sorry, this site doesn't seem to let me respond directly.... Anyway, I think the important thing to owners is the building's ability to deal with the kind of issues cited in that article. The damage at Optima is fixed and paid for already; the lawsuit is only attempting to recoup the cost of those repairs. The healthy reserve fund I mentioned above was able to cover those costs as well as other regular issues (pool maintenance, fountain maintenance, etc.), without necessitating large increases in condo fees. I can't recall off the top of my head what the condo fees are, but they have not gone up more than average each year and are very reasonable. Major repairs can be required in any building at any time, but with proper management of property and funds the impact to owners is mitigated. That was my experience with this building. I attended the AGM each year and felt very confident that the board was planning for the near and distant future of the building.

This is one of the first Cityplace condos. I went to view a unit in this building due to its great location next to the Skydome. The unit itself was one of the nicest I've seen on my hunt as it was completely upgraded inside. Now for the bad, the building has window/glass issues, to the point where you can almost hear the wind coming into the unit I was in. See the article posted by the CBC