Dip In Building Permits No Cause for Alarm
Prince George, B.C. – As of the end of February, the value of building permits for the first two months of this year, was well below the same period in the previous 2 years.
The latest stats indicate that as of the end of February, there were 37 permits valued at $5,394,592. That is well short of the first two months of 2015, when there had been 61 permits valued at $13,029,076, and in 2014, there were 49 permits valued at $20,120,624.
Not to worry, says Development Services Manager Ian Wells, “We anticipate a big increase. There are two projects we’re working on that should be approved in the next few weeks that will be in the $35 million dollar range (total)”
One of those projects is the Riverbend Seniors Housing project at Victoria and 20th, the other is the Inland-Kenworth facility planned for Boundary Road. Wells says it doesn’t end there “There are a couple of other major projects we’re working on as well”. Wells says he expects to see an increase in commercial and light industrial permits this year.
Comments
If the city are not busy handing out permits they should have more time to chase up on permits where building work is stalled and making the city look like an eye sore – the supposed hotel next to the library comes to mind…..
You mean the foundation for the PAC…
PG has a bad reputation as a place where projects first get stalled and then often die. The various hotel projects around town are but one obvious example.
Good to see the Inland Kenworth facility getting going on Boundry Road.
Wonder what else is going in, in that area.
Of course we will now have an empty building where Kenworth was located.
@Opinion250. Can you guys dig into whatever is happening with the stalled hotel project downtown? It just seems like Clint Dahl is up to something…he keeps making announcements and nothing happens. If anything, he creates an eyesore out of areas (the hotel beside the library, the bush he cleared out near Visions, etc) and the areas are left to decay. Further, the downtown condos (another Dahl project) behind Commonwealth Health were supposed to be under construction as of December 2015…to date nothing has even happened at that site. What is going on?
Exactly! Where is the 100k man from the City telling us what is up with these projects. Something is up…
Wasn’t the uptick in building permits in 2015 due to builders getting permits before the added regulations to residential buildings adding to new home buying costs?
Wonder if the homes being completed now under the old regulations got their prices jacked up anyhow.
Developers of all kinds know exactly what this city is, and what ‘Development Services’ is all about – closed for business, period.
The staff in that department go out of their way to obstruct, postpone, delay, deny, etc. every legitimate project that crosses their petty bureaucratic desks. Mayor and Council should know what’s occurring under Mr. Wells’ watch – it’s never been this bad, and the Building Permit statistics reflect that.
I think the City see’s development permits as a cash cow. Perhaps its time that they seriously considered reducing these costs along with a lot of other costs at City Hall.
It is not the responsibility of local business, and taxpayers, to continue to pay these high costs, so that employee’s at the City (especially management) can continue to live the life style of their dreams.
I find it very troubling that our city will go after the little people when their properties become an eyesore. When people such as Clint Dahl and others with money and influence create and leave a mess behind, the powers behind city hall, seem to become a meek and silent bunch of wimps. Come on now, will someone at city hall please take a stand and get the citizens of our community the answers to what is happening with these projects?
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