Following the success of Hudson Mews, a purpose-built luxury rental building completed in 2014, and the Victoria Public Market at the Hudson, comes Hudson Walk, another exciting condo-style rental project by Townline. Currently under construction and completed in two phases, Hudson Walk One will include 178 rental units and about 3,000 square feet of street-level retail slated for completion this summer, according to Justin Filuk, Townline’s Development Manager. Hudson Walk Two, will complement this by adding another 106 rental units to the sought-after Hudson District neighbourhood, completing around March 2017.

With Victoria’s rental vacancy rates hovering at or below one per cent, Chris Colbeck, Townline’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, says the rental units at Hudson Mews were fully leased within three months.

“It was the first purpose-built concrete rental building to come to the area in 30 years,” Colbeck says. “It attracted a great demographic of students and young professionals wanting to work and play where they live. The building also attracted snowbirds and empty nesters looking for the convenience of being downtown in a newer condo-style building and lifestyle it affords.”

Colbeck expects Hudson Walk One to be equally popular—for both residential and commercial tenants. “We’re getting a lot of queries from businesses interested in the new neighbourhood we are creating,” he says. “And we expect that there will be a lot more excitement once we officially open.”

Townline anticipates the leasing of this building to begin around May 1, with prospective tenants able to tour both the Hudson Walk One Sales Centre and a furnished display suite. Units at Hudson Walk One will range in size from 450-square foot junior one-bedrooms to 1,200-square foot two-bedroom townhomes. “The building will include a fully-equipped fitness room, as well as a functional amenity lounge, both with free Wi-Fi and cable,” Filuk says. “The amenity lounge will have a couch, a kitchenette and a games table, available for residents to book for private parties.”

Hudson Walk Two features a common area park space between the two buildings that “will be complete with outdoor seating and a Wi-Fi hotspot,” Filuk says. “We also have plans to include a secured dog run for our residents with pets.”

Hudson offers amenities similar to condos—in-suite laundry, luxurious finishes, amenity spaces —Filuk says the desire for greater flexibility motivates some people to choose renting over buying. “It’s especially popular amongst students attending college or university or with those working on short term government contracts, in health care or at the naval base,” he added. “They get to live in a brand new building with all the conveniences they could want, right downtown, without having to make a long term buying commitment.”

Ample bike storage and some car parking will be available, but Colbeck anticipates that most residents will choose to walk or bike to work rather than have a car given the Hudson District’s convenient downtown location. “When you live in the Hudson District, you are choosing to live in the heart of downtown Victoria,” Colbeck says. “Residents can literally walk across to the Victoria Public Market to pick up groceries or just down the block to access everything else they might need, from restaurants and coffee shops to banking and yoga. It’s all here, plus they are perfectly situated for accessing transit and enjoying all of Victoria’s hotspots, attractions and scenic waterfront.”