Residential construction activity remains high heading into the spring, according to new figures released this week by the City of Medicine Hat's planning department.--News Photo Collin Gallant
Residential construction in Medicine Hat is off to its best start in five years, according to figures posted this week by the city’s planning department.
Over all categories, the department issued permits for 81 projects in April attached to estimated budgets of $16.9 million. For the first four months of the year the grand total is $30.5 million, a mark beaten only in 2018 when a $10-million apartment complex was approved that spring.
In the recent month, six more new home permits were issued, bringing the total for 2021 to 16 single-family dwellings. That’s the most to this point of the year since 2017, but with a 30-per-cent jump in average value.
City administrators assign budget estimates based largely on square footage, not the actual cost of construction materials and labour.
Values are also up for multi-family housing projects which rose above previous year levels with new duplex, tri-plex and apartment spending for the month.
Two new duplex permits in April brings the 2021 total to eight projects which combined values with townhouse building is about $5 million budget.
Other substantial renovations continued their upward trend as well – 22 garages permitted through the first four months is double previous years going back to 2016. The comparison is similar for general renovation permits. Another 45 permits last month adds to a 177 for the year and $2.7 million in combined value.
Six institutional class new construction or renovation projects processed in the month were worth $10.1 million, the result of grant funding for city projects from other levels of government and pandemic stimulus programs.
Private sector commercial renovations were up as well, with 12 projects at $1.9 million. That brings the year-to-date total to $4.7 million.
