MAPPING VICTORIA - Colwood

Beachlands

Master Plan Info

134-acre master-planned oceanfront community in the Victoria suburb of Colwood
2,850 new homes - condos, townhomes & custom single-family lots as well as dining and retail
To be built out over 15 years, will be home to approximately 4,000 people
Over 50 acres of parkland and 1.4 km of shoreline
Cafés, plazas, and trail networks connecting five coastal neighbourhoods
Beachlands Boulevard envisioned as a mixed-use high street leading from the entrance to the waterfront plaza

Phases One:

Origin - two six-storey condominium buildings and 16 three-bedroom townhomes for a total of 181 homes

Developer

Seacliff Properties and Reliance Properties
Developer Project Website

Architect

Context

Located on a former oceanside gravel pit this development was originally known as Royal Beach in early planning
Adjacent to the master planned Royal Bay community also largely built on the former gravel pit

Status

January 2026 - Beachlands Experience sale centre is open, will later be converted to dining or retail
Work in underway on Phase One - Origin

Media and Images

June 1, 2025 Times Colonist story on the Beachlands development

All Architectural Renderings © OMB

Location

Developer's Beachlands Location Webpage and Origins Location Page

Historical Context

For an excellent historical overview of the area check out Grant Keedie's April 28, 2020 article. He details the geological, indigenous, European explorer and industrial history of the land now known as Royal Bay.

"Twenty one thousand years ago a glacier that advanced from the north into Saanich Inlet melted away into a large fresh water lake. The lake burst through to the south sending millions of tons of sands and gravels across the landscape creating what is known as the Colwood Delta."

The Times Colonist reports "it was once the largest aggregate mine in Canada, supplying sand and gravel for the construction of thousands of homes in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria for more than a century." Mining began in the 1890's and then on a large scale from 1909 by the Producers Rock and Gravel Company. The 100 year lease expired in 2009 and the operation closed ahead of this date in 2007.

The 2004 Geology and Aggregate Production of the Colwood Delta report by the British Columbia Geological Survey notes:

"The Colwood Delta, which is arguably Victoria's most significant geological feature, has played an important role in the development not only of Victoria, but also Vancouver and Seattle."

2007 - source

1915 - source

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