Building permits and construction value in the Town of Saugeen Shores reached an all-time high in 2021 with 526 permits approved and a total construction value of $154 million. This surpassed the Town’s previous record of $120 million achieved in 2019 and is well above the five-year average of $106 million. The 2021 total includes all facets of construction including residential, commercial, agricultural, and other new builds as well as renovations, additions, and demolitions.
Results from 2021 were presented to the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, January 24th, as part of the 2021 Building Report.
“Saugeen Shores is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada,” said Luke Charbonneau, Saugeen Shores Mayor. “Record high construction value and building permit numbers reported in 2021 tell us that people want to live in our community. Council is focused on leveraging this growth to increase housing affordability and improve quality of life in our Town.”
Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic and resulting supply chain issues, Saugeen Shores added 207 new single-family homes in 2021, surpassing the previous record of 132.
Over the past several years, the Town has worked with builders to encourage new forms of development. With new lands now serviced and ready to build, there are many new areas for growth in Saugeen Shores. With the high demand for new homes in all forms and the availability of building lots, it is expected that 2022 will be another strong year for residential housing.
The high volume of building permits means more housing supply in Saugeen Shores, including rental units. It is the expectation that higher density units, such as apartments, townhomes, and duplexes may help to improve affordability and provide more options than the single-detached homes that currently dominate the market.
The Town has also been working with developers to negotiate terms to promote affordability and accessibility, including developments that would include a percentage of affordable rental units, units with three and four bedrooms and features such as accessible entrances and amenities as well as support for the development of alternative forms or single-family houses.
The Town has also received larger commercial projects in recent years and it is expected that 2022 will be another strong year for commercial construction.
