Origin, the first condominium phase at The Beachlands in Greater Victoria, presents an opportunity for a “true waterfront, beachfront site” amid pent-up demand for this type of housing according to the CEO of developer Reliance Properties.

Under construction in the community of Colwood, Origin is comprised of two six-storey condo buildings with a total of 164 units, plus 16 three-bedroom townhomes. The condos will range from one to three bedrooms.

Prices across Origin will range from under $500,000 to $1.2 million.

“We know that there's a really diverse demand for Beachlands,” Jon Stovell, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Reliance Properties, said in an interview with RENX Homes. “We wanted to bring on a bit of everything.”

Reliance has forged a joint venture with fellow Vancouver firm Seacliff Properties to develop The Beachlands, formerly known as Royal Beach. A master-planned community of 2,850 housing units plus commercial and retail space,

The Beachlands is a major, multi-phased development which will be spread across 134 acres.

A project that has been in the works for years, with approval granted by Colwood Council in 2023, the aptly named Origin kicks off sales for housing at The Beachlands. Even with an uncertain economy, sales have been strong, Stovell said, driven by the years-long anticipation.

Housing at Origin

Of the condos, a little under half will be one-bedroom units and the remainder a mix of two- and three-bedroom units.

The one-bedroom units will be over 600 square feet; two-bedroom units approximately 800 square feet; three-bedroom units between 900 to 1,000 square feet.

Prices for the one-bedroom units will start from the high-$400,000s up to the low-$500,000s. The two-bedroom units are expected to be priced in the low-$700,000s to high-$800,000s. The largest condo units will be in the $900,000 range.

As for the townhomes, the sizes will range from 1,200 to 1,300 square feet, with prices varying from just under $1 million to $1.2 million.

The biggest amenity for Origin is the ample park space, Stovell said, where residents will be able to enjoy a large central courtyard for recreation. There will also be a gym, a co-working area and a shared roof deck for the condo residents.

Demand for a unit in Origin has come largely from the immediate community “who are wanting to upgrade” or “essentially downsizing in the same community,” Stovell said. Homebuyers from outside of British Columbia are also taking an interest.

“We’re getting a lot of people from out of the province who want to move west, and perhaps they're in pre-retirement, and identifying a retirement community,” he noted.

An interesting dynamic that has emerged from the sales is intergenerational purchases. Some buyers are children purchasing a unit for their elderly parents so they will be closer. The reverse is also happening, where parents are buying a unit for their children for the same reason.

For the first release of approximately 80 condo units, almost 40 per cent are sold. Approximately half of the townhomes have been sold, Stovell said.

Construction of Origin is scheduled to finish by April 2027.

Origin and The Beachlands stand out because of modern West Coast architecture that contrasts the “pseudo-heritage” aesthetic of its neighbours, Stovell said.

‘Very happy’ with sales

The project comes as the Victoria housing market has taken a downturn, with sales on the decline. The Victoria Real Estate Board said 525 properties were sold this August, a drop of 3.7 per cent from August 2024 and 22.8 per cent from July 2025.

The condo market was particularly affected, with sales falling 16 per cent from August 2024. On the upside, single-family homes sales increased by 6.3 per cent in the same period.

“We’re very happy with our sales to date given the context,” Stovell said. The attributes of The Beachlands such as its waterfront are one reason why it has continued to sell units, he believes. Another is pent-up demand that has accumulated over the past couple of years.

“People have been watching it for over a decade . . . we’re providing good value and reasonable purchase prices to our buyers.”

Reliance and Seacliff are planning for a 15-year build-out of The Beachlands. The partners have laid the groundwork for the next phase of over 100 multifamily units and 30 townhomes, and will continue to sell the 111 single-family lots in the project.

As for other Reliance projects, the developer is working on Capital Iron Lands in Victoria and is partnering with Germain Hotels to convert an office building at 1111 West Hastings St. in Vancouver into an 180-room boutique hotel.