The Town of Saugeen Shores says the building permits and construction value reached in 2021 has set a new all-time high.
During a Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 24, the 2021 Building Report was brought forward and showed 526 permits were approved and a total construction value of $154 million.
This surpasses the previous record set in 2019 when they reached $120 million and beat the five-year average of $106 million.
Residential, commercial, agricultural, and other new builds as well as renovations, additions, and demolitions were included in the 2021 total.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says Saugeen Shores is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada.
“Record high construction value and building permit numbers reported in 2021 tell us that people want to live in our community. Council is focused on leveraging this growth to increase housing affordability and improve quality of life in our Town,” says Charbonneau.
The town adds despite the challenges raised by the pandemic including supply chain issues, the community was able to see over 200 new single-family homes in 2021, beating the previous record of 132.
The town says they have worked with builders to encourage new forms of development over the last number of years and with new lands now ready to build on, there are several new areas for developments in Saugeen Shores.
“The high volume of building permits means more housing supply in Saugeen Shores, including rental units,” says the town. “Higher density apartments, town homes, and duplexes can help improve affordability and provide more options than the single-detached units that currently dominate the market.”
In recent years the town has received larger commercial projects and they have been working with developers to negotiate items which promote affordable and accessible buildings.
The town says it is expected 2022 will be another strong year for commercial construction.