“2014 is so far the year to beat.”
That’s what Battleford’s town administrator, Sheryl Ballendine, said Monday as town council members viewed the 2014 building permits report plus a report on the last 10 years worth of building permits.
The year 2014 achieved the highest-ever building permit level for Battleford, with 64 permits totalling $25,796,290.
While more than $14 million of this year’s total can be attributed to 56 residential permits, the town has also seen commercial building worth $4.3 million and industrial construction worth $7 million.
A hefty chunk of this year’s construction values are attributed to permits issued for Battleford West Place, a 24-unit apartment complex worth $5.6 million, two industrial truck storage buildings worth $90,000 and $120,000, the Leading Manufacturing Group metal tank fabrication plant worth $6.7 million and a Battlefords and District Co-op convenience store, gas bar and car wash worth $3.4 million.
The 2014 amount surpassed the previous 2010 high value by $10,410,000.
Council also reviewed a summary of building permits dating back to 2004. Including 2014’s permit values, the Town of Battleford issued almost $70 million worth of permits for new residential construction, representing 218 new homes over the last 11 years.
During the same time period, the town issued permits for new commercial construction or renovations worth $14 million.
Industrial permits totalled $8.5 million, however 2014’s value of $7 million is the only year permits were worth more than $300,000.
Looking back 11 years, in 2004 there were 30 permits in total, issued for a value of $2.6 million. Twenty-five of those were for residential projects, including nine new houses worth $1.6 million.
The following year, 2005, there were 36 permits issued for $3.5 million. A permit for the Fort Battleford visitor centre valued at $1.5 million helped bolster the total. The main bulk of the remainder was attributed to residential construction, including eight new homes.
New home construction continued to increase in 2006, with 19 new homes accounting for $3.8 million of the total of almost $4.6 million in permit values.
Building permits more than doubled in 2007, with 63 permits representing a value of $9.3 million.
Twenty-eight new homes worth $8.1 million made up most of the value. It was this year that Battle Springs properties, the town’s municipally developed subdivision south of 15th Street, became available. In June of 2007, a lottery of 40 lots came close to selling out in the first two days as a shortage of residential lots saw people looking for opportunities to build.
The year 2008 saw another 28 home building permits issued for a value of $7.6 million. A million each for residential renovations and mobile homes brought the total residential construction value to $9.8. With commercial, industrial and institutional permits, the year’s total was $10.7 million.
House starts were slightly lower in 2009, with 18 new home permits, however the value topped the previous year’s at $8 million. It was also the year residential construction began in the planned community of Battleford West, a privately developed subdivision west of Highway 4.
Permit values jumped up again in 2010 with $15.3 million in permits, including 30 new homes worth almost $11 million and a $3 million permit for an expansion to the town’s water treatment plant. The year 2010 remained the town’s record year until this year.
A total of 67 residential permits were issued in 2011, including 27 new homes worth almost $9 million, bringing the total permit value to $10.9 million.
Values continued to climb in 2012 with new commercial permits, including the new Kramer dealership, totalling $7 million. With 14 new homes worth $4.5 million, the year’s total was $13.5 million.
The year 2013 was perhaps something of a disappointment with less than half the value of the year before. Most of the value came out of 54 residential permits, including 13 new homes. Notable, however, was a $800,000 permit for the new Tim Hortons franchise.
