SUNDRE – According to municipal data that tracks the amount of building permits issued annually, the town has since 2017 experienced a fluctuating but otherwise steady growing number of projects.
“The past five years has been growth,” mayor Richard Warnock said during a Feb. 1 phone interview.
The data, which has been updated to reflect 2022 year-end numbers and was recently accepted as information presented to council among departmental reports, shows anywhere between upward of 30 to 40 building permits have been issued annually since 2017, amounting to construction values ranging around $2 million to $3 million with the notable exception of $12.5 million in 2018 when Candre Cannabis began to build its facility that was officially opened the following year.
Building permits issued in a given year – especially for larger commercial or industrial projects – do not necessarily automatically mean the project was completed that same year.
“We know that prior to 2017, it was really very slow in Sundre,” said Warnock. “There was a period there that very little was happening.”
The situation eventually started to turn around a little bit with more activity and expressions of interest from potential developers, he said.
The mayor cited the new Candre cannabis growing operation as well as the Esso and McDonald’s as bigger-value builds that substantially contributed to the municipality’s tax base.
“But it’s all the others that come along,” he added. “The garages, the remodifications – the building permits are not just brand new structures. I feel that there is moderate increase in activity that puts together a positive image for Sundre going forward.”
And while the pandemic might have brought with it numerous hurdles, the public health crisis wasn’t enough to completely derail activity, he said.
“We know that through COVID, things were tougher,” he said.
Nevertheless, there were still numerous building permits issued in amounts comparable to previous years; albeit more in favour of garage additions and modifications than brand new residential, commercial, or industrial builds.
The mayor also contested the federal government’s most recently released census information from 2021 that indicated a slight decline in Sundre’s population since the last census in 2016. He disagreed, expressing skepticism about the level of voluntary participation in the census program amid the pandemic.
Although Warnock isn’t convinced Sundre’s population declined as indicated by the census, he also added he does not believe there was a big increase either, but rather that the status quo held steady at about 2,700.
“I want to see more,” he said, adding administration with the support of council continues pursuing efforts to promote Sundre.
Describing as an indication of stagnation an annual average of for example only a handful of building permits being issued by the municipality, Warnock expressed optimism about maintaining and even exceeding the annual average ball park of 40 building permits.
“What I would like to see, is the trend continue,” he said.
“I know we don’t see a lot of new homes built in Sundre, but we still see them,” he said, adding a new apartment building would also be a welcome addition in the struggle to introduce more rental options in the local housing market.
Asked about the status of such a project that had been pitched a few years ago on the south side of Main Avenue behind Original T’s, the mayor said market factors far beyond either the municipality or the developer’s ability to influence threw a wrench into the proverbial gears.
New regulations that paved the way to allow for the construction of four-storey, wood-only structures had prompted the developer to propose an apartment building with a commercial space housed by a structure made completely from lumber, he said.
However, the project was ill fated and stopped – at least for the time being – as a result of the sudden surge in the price of wood, he said.
“When the price of wood doubled or tripled, it made it feasibly impossible for them to build it and make money,” he said. “They put it on hold and it’s just sort of sitting there.”
While the price of wood has decreased since the considerable spike, the cost still exceeds original estimates, he added.
“Right now, it’s just a stalled project,” he said.
But there are other potentially promising projects still on the books, he said.
“The development of homes is a need for us,” he said, hopeful that the proposed Brookeside Phase III project to develop a new residential area starts coming to fruition sooner than later.
“When a developer starts putting together some activity, other developers say, ‘Hey, what’s going on there?’” he said.
In 2017, 28 permits – comprised of all but one residential – were issued, representing a construction value of more than $2.3 million.
In 2018, 27 permits – of which 22 were residential as well as two industrial building starts – were issued, representing a construction value of $12.5 million.
In 2019, the number of permits issued went up to 33 – including 25 residential as well as a commercial building and two industrial building starts – representing an accumulative value of almost $3.8 million.
In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the amount of permits issued increased again up to 41, which included 29 residential permits comprised largely of renovations and additions but also two duplex/semi-detached homes, as well as three commercial building starts and seven renovations or additions. The total construction value of all permits issued that year was almost $3.7 million.
In 2021, the number of permits approved declined slightly to 38. At 29, most were again residential projects including a two-storey, bungalow and mobile home builds as well as plenty of renovations and accessory buildings, with the overall total including all categories representing a value of nearly $1.7 million.
And last year, a total of 34 permits representing a value of close to $1.94 million were issued. They included 26 residential permits – including four duplex/semi-detached at $950,000 and two mobile homes at $600,000 – that at $1.8 million made up the bulk of the overall amount in 2022.
