Clear Spirit Condos, Toronto Condo Reviews 

I've lived here for 4 years in two different units. Yes, there are pros and cons of the building, but overall I've had a fantastic experience here. Pros 1) Location - some seem hesitant to live in the Distillery District, but (in my experience) it is fantastic. Being so close to downtown without being surrounded by large buildings is unique, and a major benefit in my book 2) Transit - the King St Distillery loop is right here. It's the first/last stop on the line, which means you'll always get a seat for your commute, and you're 10 mins from the subway if headed downtown 3) Building size - for the size of the building, there is a relatively small number of units. The building does not feel crowded at all. 4) Amenities - the gym is on the smaller side, but rarely crowded. The steam room and sauna is a nice touch, but where the building shines is in the pool and BBQ area. I've seen many pool decks in condo buildings in the city, and the unobstructed skyline view of Toronto puts this one up there with the best in the city, no doubt. 5) Concierge - having a concierge desk is a huge plus and they keep packages/deliveries for convenient online shopping/grocery delivery. 6) Cleanliness - the building is spotless in its common areas and cleaned every day. Cons 1) Noise - Although dependent on where you are located in the building, it can definitely be noisy. Any units facing South or East will hear the train and the garbage trucks in the morning. The train you will get used to over time (I don't really notice it anymore), but if you sleep in past 8 am you will hear the banging of the garbage truck in the morning. There is also the Gardiner, which during the revitalization project was so loud for residents at night that the city needed to re-plan the project, but fortunately, the construction has moved to other areas (for now). 2) Elevator - the elevator does go down on occasion, and more than once when one goes down, one of the others follows. The three elevator system works well, but when you lose one it is noticeable. The elevator maintenance company seemingly never has the parts for repair, so when there is a problem it usually persists for a couple of days.

I have been living at Clear Spirit since January 2013. As of October 2013, construction is still ongoing, with many of the hallways and corridors unfinished. Additionally, construction has been an ongoing noise issue for the duration of my 9 months as a tenant. Combined with the the sounds of the GO tracks & the near-constant presence of municipal construction (which occurs during the night, when trains do not run), there is rarely a quiet moment.

When I moved in, many of my appliances did not work. Since then, I have had developers in my suite several times to address wiring malfunctions. This has been ongoing over the course the entirety of my lease.

The amenities suites have just recently opened (end of September), and they are quite limited: small, outdoor swimming pool; limited exercise equipment & weights. To add to this, the developers have placed all amenities overtop of residential suites. As a result, there have been many noise complaints about usage of the weight room. Unfortunately, none of the residents that I have seen have been abusing the weights, so I'm wary that these complaints occur as a result of normal, everyday use. If that's the case, I have low expectations about the future of the amenities.

Lastly, while the neighbourhood can be nice, it's not as nice as you would expect. Visiting the distillery can be fun, but if your neighbourhood is a 24/7 tourist destination, it can get a little crowded and hectic at times.

When I moved in on a 1-year lease. The condo was still under construction but they were allowing people to occupy. A year later there were still no amenities available.

The elevators are fast to move between floors but very slow to open/close doors. There are only 3 for the entire building and so you can end up waiting for a while, especially when one is "on service" or down.

The building entrance (and even Distillery Lane itself) is difficult to find for first-timers, so if you have guests you'll want to provide good directions.

During the dayS there was constant background noise of construction due to the Don Lands development for the Pan Am Games. At night, there can be noise from the GO tracks which sit about 75-100 m from the base of the building's south face.

The units themselves are good, and balconies are spacious if your unit comes with one.