Building boom keeps breaking records

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Brantford continues to smash building records in the city with a first quarter that hit $187 million in projects this year.

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“We’ve been extremely busy,” said chief building official Andy McMahon.

“We’re definitely on pace for another great year – more than likely another record year of construction values.”

With the first three months of the year – which are traditionally not the strongest for construction – bringing in 406 permits, the city is off to a record fast start.

In 2022, there were 1,508 permits issued by the end of the year with a record-breaking construction value of $472 million.

The number of monthly permits in the first three months were 92, 156, and 158.

The value of the permits for each month was $24 million, $81 million and $82 million.

Leading the projects was the official permits issued for a Costco warehouse and Costco gas bar at the Lynden Park Mall. The two permits totalled $35 million.

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The land has been graded and sites measured off at the Western end, near the old tourism centre for the gas bar, and at the east end of the mall property near Woodyatt Drive, for the warehouse. The area in between the two projects will be parking.

In February, Mitsui High-Tec received a $25-million permit for a third expansion to its growing business. Once open, the 117,000-square-foot building will increase the number of employees from 100 to 300.

As always, housing was a major component of the permits issued in the first quarter: permits went out for 135 new single-detached homes and 134 new townhouses with a total value of $96 million.

The new housing is mainly off Shellard’s Lane by Empire Communities, Losani Homes and ShellBrant Developments, along with some homes off Hardy Road in an area developed by LIV.

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Brantford also issued 47 permits for “accessory unit dwellings” — basement apartments and units built over garages.

“We’re definitely seeing an uptick in that kind of housing and it’s what we need,” said McMahon.

He noted that most municipalities now allow up to three units on a property.

Almost $10 million in construction work is approved at the Brantford General Hospital. Of that, $1.2 million in work is for a new CT suite, approved in January, and $9.5 million is an extensive renovation to the existing emergency department.

The city issued a $2-million permit for the new long-term care home, which will include a retirement home component and a memory care unit on Lynden Road. That project is just site-servicing and foundation work with the bulk of the permit yet to come.

A new industrial building at 19 Fen Ridge also received a site-servicing and foundation permit valued at $1.9 million. The new building is going up on speculation, built by Metrus Construction.

A $400,000 permit was also issued to complete work on a full-service restaurant on Lynden Road.

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