Saugeen Shores town staff presented the 2020 Building Report to Committee of Whole on Monday, March 8th, reporting a construction value of $84 million for the year. The total includes residential, commercial, institutional, agricultural, and other new builds as well as renovations, additions and demolitions.
“These numbers show that Saugeen Shores continues to be the fastest growing community in our region,” says Mayor Luke Charbonneau. “The building industry was hit hard this past year due to the pandemic but, despite the challenges, we’ve seen significant construction and development. People want to invest in Saugeen Shores.”
According to Bruce County planning, Saugeen Shores hosts approximately 55 per cent of the County’s population and continues to grow due to its natural attributes, including the beaches and Natural Heritage Features, its relative proximity to larger population centres and as a centre of population for staff affiliated to Bruce Power nuclear facility..
The Hemson consulting report (2018) indicated that the population growth over the 2018-2031 period is expected to increase by 60% above the 2016 forecast from 2,791 people to 4,456 people.
Again, according to the Hemson report, in the 2020 to 2029 growth period, 1,705 units are expected to be developed or approximately 171 units per year, on average. Full build-out of approved residential developments is assumed to be completed by the year 2041. The second time period includes growth between 2030 to build-out (2041). Approximately 2,116 units are expected to be constructed between 2030 and 2041, or 176 units per year on average. Between 2020 and 2041, subdivision developments are anticipated to yield a total of 3,958 units (assuming a 2019 base unit count of 8,150). In comparison, the projected growth from 2020 to 2031, plus the anticipated build-out projection for the 2031-2041 period is anticipated to yield an increase of 3,779 units.
COVID-19 challenges in 2020 included a Provincial hold on the issuance of permits followed by supply chain issues in the construction industry. Despite this however, Saugeen Shores reported adding 125 new single-family homes. Following a record breaking year for construction value in 2019, the Town did see a drop in annual numbers. However, 2020’s total was well above the five-year average of $76 million. Looking forward based on current inquiries, it is anticipated that 2021 will also be a strong year for construction in Saugeen Shores.
