Victoria Buzz: Popular Esquimalt café and liquor store move into new 198-unit rental development

After three years of construction, a new rental development in Esquimalt, The Gateway, is now complete.

Before the development was built, the property at 856 Esquimalt Road was occupied by The Cambie Esquimalt, a dive bar and music venue.

The Cambie closed in 2016 after operating for nearly 157 years on the site. Soon after it closed, Cask & Keg liquor store completed a massive renovation and moved into the space.

However, the Cask & Keg closed down in 2022 for a reported 18 months while The Gateway’s construction got underway.

The project ended up taking three years to complete, but now that The Gateway is complete, Cask & Keg is reopening and will be joined by another popular business in the development’s commercial space.

In addition to the liquor store, The Gateway’s developers have announced that a satellite location of Esquimalt Roasting Company (locally known as ERC) will open in the building this October.

The two, six-storey buildings that comprise The Gateway development boasts 198 rental units, ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Occupancy for the first building will begin in September, whereas the second tower won’t have occupancy until November.

“Esquimalt is a community that is growing quickly, and we felt it was a good opportunity to expand,” said Greg Sherwell, owner of ERC and resident of Esquimalt.

“This location is going to have a significant impact on the community; it will bring a lot more residents and will really help Esquimalt launch itself into [the] next period of its existence. It’s quite remarkable.”

The Gateway cost $102 million to build, and in addition to its retail spaces, the building also provides residents with a kids play area, a gym, a 5,000 square foot rooftop amenity space that features a BBQ area, gas fire pits, an outdoor sauna and full indoor kitchen entertainment lounge.