Penhold's overall building permit totals in 2014 have dwarfed last year's numbers with a 100 per cent increase over the same period and the boom is not finished yet.
In a report tabled on Oct. 27 at the Town of Penhold's regular council meeting, Rick Binnendyk, Penhold's chief administrative officer, noted the value of this year's total permits to date was $28,602,290 compared to $14,072,400 in 2013.
“The explosive growth of Penhold is a combination of a number of variables,” said Binnendyk. “We have the new commercial highway area with grocery, food services, a dentist and a pharmacy, a great recreational facility in the multiplex, and the new state-of-the-art Penhold Crossing Secondary High School.”
Binnendyk added the variety of lot sizes at lower prices, and housing options from multi-family and single-family homes, are making Penhold an attractive option for families looking for a community to call home.
Laebon Homes Ltd. and Melcor Developments are building subdivisions within Penhold, which will offer upwards of 100 lots initially with more to come. A new lift station is being built on the Melcor quarter to service the expected population growth.
As of the last census, the population of Penhold was 2,842, indicating a growth of nearly eight per cent per annum, or 370 more than the 2012 numbers with no change in sight for future growth.
Of those numbers, Dennis Cooper, mayor of Penhold, said, “We (Penhold) are their first choice for relocation with all of the services we are now able to offer. I have been told that this is a great place to raise a family and that means what we are doing is working.”
