The City of Victoria and developer Townline are going back and forth on plans to build the tallest building on the Island.
Townline Director of Development Justin Filuk points out they already have a permit to build a 24 storeys condo tower on Herald Street near Blanshard, but they want a height variance bump to 29-floors because they feel a taller, skinnier building would better fit the site.
A newly released concept drawing of "Hudson Place One" shows a contemporary look with glass and garden space at higher levels, but also design elements similar to other buildings Townline has recently built as part of their Hudson District development. "The external grid, or ladder, or some people refer to it as an exoskeleton, is essentially a geometric pattern that we mimicked... off the architectural elements of the Hudson Building," says Filuk.
They're already tweaking the design based on initial feedback, "we've had some discussions about treatments to the upper storeys of the building and setbacks - stepping the building back to make it appear more vertical."
Filuk expects the approval process to take 4 or 5 months. Whether or not they get the extra height, they're hoping to start construction early next year.