At a towering 29 storeys and 84 metres high, TownlineB次元官网网址檚 Hudson Place 1 building would be the tallest in the city.
The proposed $100-million project would be the first to climb higher than VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 current maximum residential building height of 74 metres.
That is, if Victoria council approves the companyB次元官网网址檚 application for a height variance for the building, one of two new structures planned for the bordered by Herald, Blanshard and Fisgard streets.
While the increased height would extend the cityB次元官网网址檚 upper limits on buildings, Justin Filuk, TownlineB次元官网网址檚 director of development, hopes the projectB次元官网网址檚 design enhance the cityB次元官网网址檚 skylines.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e heard people say they donB次元官网网址檛 want Victoria to turn into a metropolis like Vancouver or Seattle,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚 think that is a legitimate concern B次元官网网址� Victoria is still a small, intimate community.B次元官网网址�
Mayor Lisa Helps echoes those concerns but is also looking down the road at .
B次元官网网址淧eople are attracted to Victoria because of its human-scale feeling; we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 want buildings that interrupt (that),B次元官网网址� she said.
The official community plan preserves the small-scale of Old Town, Helps added, while modernizing New Town, an active development area east of Douglas Street.
B次元官网网址淰ictoria will not become a city of skyscrapers.B次元官网网址�
For Filuk, the project isnB次元官网网址檛 about building further upwards, but rather about good design, livability and creating a good experience for residents, pedestrians and people who work in the neighbourhood.
B次元官网网址淸Being the tallest] could last conceivably for a year or two, and then it goes away. Our legacy is that weB次元官网网址檙e building out; we invested in what was previously a blighted, underdeveloped area and weB次元官网网址檝e turned that into a vibrant community,B次元官网网址� he said.
Creating that pleasant pedestrian experience, according to Filuk, includes adding mid-block connections between Fisgard and Herald streets, a lower-level plaza, a water feature, lighting and street furniture.
The design for Hudson Place 1 is contemporary, with walls of glass, terraces and greenery on higher levels, and geometric grid patterns mimicking the facade of the old HudsonB次元官网网址檚 Bay building, which Townline transformed into suites and opened in 2012.
Inside, residents will find such amenities as a fitness centre, yoga studio, a guest suite for visitors, a business centre with meeting rooms, a common kitchen and lounge and hobby rooms.
Pre-sales for one, two and three-bedroom condos is expected to start soon.
Construction is projected to begin next spring. For more information, visit townline.ca.
lauren.boothby
