By: Darron Kloster
April 30, 2026
The developer behind the massive Gateway project on Esquimalt Road says the 198-unit rental building is nearly fully occupied, just a few months after its completion.
The $102-million, two-building complex — each six storeys — is 98 per cent filled, Steve Forrest, chief operating officer of Vancouver-based PC Urban, said Thursday at a ribbon-cutting with local officials and contractors.
“Rentals are so powerful right now in terms of demand,” said Forrest. “We are seeing people come from all over. There’s been a short supply of rental and people want a safe, secure and a nice place to live, and we’re providing that.”
The complex at 856 Esquimalt Rd. is on the former site of the Cambie Pub and the Cask & Keg liquor store. The liquor store is now part of the ground-level retail, along with the Esquimalt Roasting Company and coffee shop.
Forrest said 16 per cent of the new residents are military members based at CFB Esquimalt, and another four per cent are health-care workers coming from the U.S.
In front of The Gateway is an installation by artist Carey Newman that pays homage to the Lekwungen People. The circular sculpture is called kipini’sta, meaning “to go around many times.”
Forrest said PC Urban acquired the property in 2021 and had initial plans for an 11-storey concrete strata tower, but later pivoted to a rental project, working with Esquimalt council to refine it.
The plans were approved in the spring of 2023.
The development includes one- to three-bedroom rental units, with a kids’ play area, gym and a 5,000-square- foot rooftop amenity space with a barbecue area, an outdoor sauna and an indoor entertainment lounge with a kitchen.
Mayor Barb Desjardins said the complex is part of the neighbourhood’s ongoing revitalization, and provides a gateway to the township’s West Bay Village and Town Centre.
“Rentals are valued and we are short of those, and this is a real gathering place with proximity to the water, parks, schools and transportation,” said Desjardins.
Desjardins said the site on Esquimalt Road has a long history of hosting gatherings, most notably as pubs, including the Esquimalt Inn.
But there was another brief use that was quite unusual.
Starting in 1860, the Halfway House — which was halfway between downtown Victoria and the Six Mile Pub in View Royal — gained some fame when camels destined for the Cariboo gold fields were kept in paddocks behind the pub.
The camels arrived in Esquimalt via San Francisco and were trotted up and down Old Esquimalt Road to be barged to the mainland.
