City Council & Committee of the Whole Meeting Agendas

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Information Items Item #: 11.b.

Regular Council Meeting

Building and Development Permit Summary - June 2009 - Hales

Date:	08/17/2009
Presenter:	Paul Hanlan	Submitted By:	Planning & Infrastructure
Department:	Planning & Infrastructure

Information

Recommendation

That the June 2009 Building and Development Permit Summary be accepted as information.

Purpose

To keep Council informed regarding building and development trends in the community.

Background

Building Permits
June 2009 saw a decreased level of activity from the previous month with a total of 62 permits worth $2.6 million which was down from 83 permits worth $9.1 million in May 2009. Levels of activity however are around the same level as June 2008 and up from the first four months of 2009. Over 80% of the activity was in the form of residential improvements or alterations.

Overall the first half of 2009 has seen a lower level of building permit activity compared with the same period in 2008 (297 permits worth $28.5 million versus 341 permits worth $47 million). This discrepancy is largely accounted for through a decline in housing starts. The first half of 2009 has seen a moderate increase in residential improvements and alterations over 2008 which helps to offset the decline in housing starts. Levels of commercial, industrial, and institutional activity were also higher in 2008 which contributes to the discrepancy in permit values.

Housing Starts
Housing starts in June 2009 were down from May 2009 (9 starts versus 35 starts). All of the starts this month were single-family homes. June 2008 was only moderately higher with 14 housing starts. Overall housing starts are down in the first half of 2009 compared with 2008 (74 single-family and 9 semi-detached starts versus 99 single-family and 35 semi-detached starts). The proportion of semi-detached units is down from 26% in 2008 to 12% in 2009.

Development Permit Activity
Development permit activity remained steady in June 2009 with 89 permits compared with 90 in May 2009. The primary discrepancy between the development and building permit activity in June 2009 was in new residential construction; the development permits showed double the number of permits in this category. Development permits in June 2009 were up slightly compared with June 2008. Overall however development permits are down in the first half of 2009 compared with the first half of 2008 (293 permits compared with 353). As with the building permits, this is largely accounted for through a decline in new residential construction.

General Conclusions
June 2009 maintained a steady level of permit activity despite the decline in housing starts. The overall decline in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008 is to be expected considering the economic slowdown and the high-levels of residential construction in previous years.

Options

That the June 2009 Building and Development Permit Summary be accepted as information.

Impacts/Consultation

N/A

Implementation/Communication

N/A

Core Strategies

N/A

Fiscal Impact

Attachments

Building Permit Summary - June 2009

Building Permit Graphs - June 2009

Development Permit Summary - June 2009

Development Permit and Business License Graphs - June 2009

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