Construction slowed in the first quarter of the year for Brant County, but building residential units is still keeping the industry busy.
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During the first three months of the year, the county issued 125 permits for about $26.2 million in construction projects.
That was a dip from the first quarter of 2023 when there were 163 permits with construction value of almost $30 million but Brant’s chief building official, Richard Weidhaas, says this year is beginning to even out as it proceeds.
“I was reviewing the April numbers and, when you add them in, the numbers are pretty similar,” Weidhaas said.
Last year was Brant County’s third biggest construction year overall.
So far, there’s been “nothing big” during 2024, Weidhaas said but the industrial and commercial sectors are still percolating along with smaller projects.
And, while most of the province has been affected by rising building costs and interest rates that slow the purchase of new homes, the season for housing starts is just beginning.
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“We haven’t had a new phase of a subdivision open year this year.”
Brant aims to create about 300 new housing units each year. At the end of April, Weidhaas said the housing starts were 66.
Residential projects made up the bulk of the permits in the first three months of 2024.
Construction worth $10.8 million was approved in January, $8.5 million in February and $7 million in March for single-family homes and ‘other’ residential, which can encompass second and third units on a property, additions and renovations
One of the biggest projects was undertaken on Grand River Street North in Paris where a building owned by Northern Rudder Holdings got a permit in January for $551,000 worth of main floor and foundation work and then a second permit to create five two-storey apartments on the second and third floors.
Another large project was a $2.3-million poultry barn on Golf Links Road.
Business has slowed even more in the City of Brantford where the first quarter saw projects worth $35.5 million, down drastically from the first quarter of 2023 when permits worth $163.1 million in construction work were issued.
Weidhaas predicts Brant will eventually have a “normal” year.
“We definitely have projects in the queue that will bring in more residential units. I’m optimistic for the second quarter.”
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