The Hudson district in downtown Victoria may be the latest to get in on the rapidly expanding craft beer industry.
Townline, which developed the Hudson, Hudson Mews and is in the midst of building Hudson Walk, will be holding a public meeting early next month to gauge the neighbourhood’s interest in having a brewpub or brewer take up space in either the Hudson building, Hudson Walk when completed or a future project in the area.
“The application has not been made yet. We are waiting for the public meeting, but if we’re successful and the public supports it, we will apply to amend the zoning,” said Chris Colbeck, Townline’s vice-president of sales and marketing.
If approved, Townline would be able to include breweries, brewpubs and distilleries within the Hudson district.
The company is considering spots either within the existing Hudson building, as a complement to the Victoria Public Market, Hudson Walk, which is currently under construction, or Hudson Place, the final piece of the district which is still in the planning stages.
The neighbourhood was notified last week of Townline’s intentions.
Colbeck said the idea makes perfect sense for a development that has an established public market and is growing rapidly.
“And there’s been this surge in the number of brewpubs and microbreweries, we see it as a growing trend,” he said. “And we definitely see it as complementary either at the Victoria Public Market or in one of the retail spaces in Hudson Walk Phase 1 or Phase 2.”
Victoria, like much of B.C., has seen an explosion of craft-beer activity and now boasts six craft brewers and soon will have six craft brewpubs.
Recently, the Downtown Victoria Business Association sponsored the production of a Craft Beer Map, highlighting both the brewers and taphouses around the region.
Ken Kelly, general manager of the DVBA, said a brewpub at the Hudson sounds like a perfect fit.
“Brewpubs are taking off right now, and a brewpub is something with reasonable hours that won’t have a negative impact on the residents that are there now or there in the future,” he said. “And anything that would make the Hudson more appealing to greater numbers of people is good news.”
Kelly said the Hudson district has brought renewed interest and activity to what had been a fringe area of the downtown between Fisgard Street and Caledonia Avenue. “Undeniably, the Hudson has provided stabilization and it is going to be a strong hub along with [office development] 1515 Douglas and Hudson Walk,” he said. “So it means both night time and day time demand for a brewpub.”
Where a brewer might set up shop within one of the developments in the district, however, is still up for debate.
Colbeck said it’s too early to tell. However, he did note there has been an offer from a potential tenant for the 4,900 square feet of space in the Hudson that used to house Smoken Bones. The BBQ restaurant closed in 2014 after two years.
Colbeck said he couldn’t name the tenant nor could he confirm if it was a brewer.
He also said it would come down to the negotiation with a potential tenant to determine if Townline would build out a pub or leave that to the tenant.
There is retail space that will be available in the new Hudson Walk development.
That project offers 3,000 square feet with access off Herald Street in Phase 1, along with 170 units of rental housing, most of them in a 16-storey tower. The date for completion of that project is fall next year.
Hudson Mews, a 120-unit rental tower near the corner of Blanshard and Fisgard, has one 3,000 square foot space for commercial use left, while the Hudson, apart from the Smoken Bones site, has only some small spaces within the Public Market available.
The public meeting will be held Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Victoria Public Market.
