What goes up must come down and that includes the three-year building boom experienced in Brantford that brought record-breaking construction activity to the city.
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While there were signs the surge was over during the fourth quarter of 2023, Brantford’s first quarter statistics this year show construction projects plummeting, largely due to housing.
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“We knew it wasn’t going to go forever,” said the city’s chief building official, Andy McMahon on Friday.
“The big difference is in residential permits and we’re seeing that right across the province, largely due to the cost of supplies and interest rates.”
In 2023, the first three months of the year generated 414 building permits for construction projects valued at $163.1 million.
In the first quarter of this year, those numbers dropped to 184 permits with a construction value of just $36.5 million.
And, while a single big industrial or commercial project can vastly skew the numbers, the drop in construction so far this year is largely due to a drastic slowing of housing starts.
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There were 318 permits for single-family homes, townhouses and secondary units on existing homes in the first quarter of 2023. This year that number dropped to 47.
During the first three months of 2023 there were just seven permits issued for single-family homes, compared to 135 issued during the same time-frame last year.
There are obvious signs of success in area businesses though: several operations are expanding, adding new space to existing plants.
The biggest permit issued in the first quarter was to Uniqpol, a deli at 21 Middleton St. that will more than double the size of the store’s operation, which includes an extensive food processing area.
McMahon said the plans call for adding an 1,100-square-meter, two-storey addition to the 23-year-old business in work that’s expected to cost around $8.2 million.
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Grissin Bon, a breadstick-maker on Roy Boulevard, is continuing to expand after landing in Brantford about a decade ago. It was issued a permit for a $1.8-million project that will only encompass the site servicing and foundation work for a 2,500-square-meter warehouse addition to a plant that’s already about 5,500 square meters.
Koolatron is also planning a big addition to its manufacturing facility on Catharine Avenue after being given a permit for $3.4 million in construction value.
And Mott Manufacturing was given a permit for $1 million in work for an addition to its Hardy Road plant.
A project worth about $4 million will add office space for paramedics on Savannah Oaks Drive at a site owned by Grandbridge Energy.
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Housing wasn’t completely left off the list.
A permit was issued for a new $3 million, three-storey townhouse at 78 Dundas St. and a two-part “accessory dwelling unit” on Sydenham Street valued at $554,000.
Such units – these are homes with garages below — are part of a move to help increase housing by allowing up to three units on any municipal housing property.
Permits were also issued for several new single-detached homes on Parkside Drive, King George Road, Golfdale Road, Mount Pleasant Street and Charles Street.
Work is ramping up at the site of a new Costco warehouse at the Lynden Park Mall.
McMahon said work continues on the sewers and infrastructure at the property but a plan calls for the building work, starting with joggings, to begin on May 31.
“I believe it’s on track for a planned November opening.”
While the first quarter of construction was anything but stellar, McMahon said the city has enjoyed the peak and will see it peak again.
“Our industrial and commercial sectors are doing fine and April already was looking better for residential projects. There are some high-rises in the works.”
@EXPSGamble
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