It’s tough to pinpoint an exact number of residential units that will receive building permits in 2021, but the year will be “similar or higher in terms of growth” compared to 2020, says the City of Welland’s interim director of development and building services.
In early January, the city announced 2020 was the “best year ever” when it came to homes and apartments being built in the city, with construction starting on 519 units throughout the year.
This year is expected to be another good one.
“We’ll be the same, or better,” said Grant Munday.
Some projects that will see a lot of progress this year include more than 150 units in two phases of the Waterway Commons being built between McCabe and Sauer avenues by Centennial Homes.
Close to 100 units in a third phase behind Diamond Trail Public School are expected to get started this year, complementing 62 underway or completed.
This development is moving ahead nicely and it “seems they’ve been selling everything before they even start,” said Munday.
“That’s an area, this year, we expect to see growth continue,” he added.
So far, there are at least 495 dwelling units that will be started in 2021, according to figures provided by Munday encompassing some of the larger projects.
Empire Homes’ proposed Dain East subdivision, south of Townline Tunnel Road, could “possibly” see construction start this year on about 1,400 homes, said Munday, adding it’s more probable this will occur in early 2022.
The nearby Dain West project, by the same developer, and of similar scope on the former John Deere lands, is about “two or three years off” from a shovel entering the ground due to approvals and environmental studies related to brownfields needing to be completed first. This development also needs to go through the official plan and rezoning processes.
The Central Village development near the Hunters Pointe subdivision is moving forward, which includes 112 units.
Sparrow Meadows Phase 7, near South Pelham and Webber roads, will boast 94 units when completed, likely in 2022, said Munday.
In the same area, the Westwoods on the Creek development has plans for 98 units.
A 50-unit affordable housing complex on King Street next to The Hope Centre is on pace to be finished by spring, said Munday.
A $20-million, 98-unit apartment building on Lancaster Drive near Seaway Mall is under construction and will likely be completed in 2022, he said.
The city calculates its residential data with “start” dates, and not when units are ready for occupancy. This is due to different types of projects taking longer than others.
“An apartment might take three months, but a highrise building might take two years before you see occupancy,” said Munday, adding subdivisions often take two or three years to start building after all necessary approvals are given.
An additional 1,000 units have been approved by council for the former Hunters Pointe golf course, but an appeal has been filed with LPAT by the original subdivision’s residents association.
The city has also cleared land in northwest Welland between Niagara College and the Welland-Pelham border, making room for more than 2,770 homes.
Regional council has approved an urban boundary expansion for the area, but still needs to endorse a secondary plan until ground can be broken. Once this happens, applications for subdivisions will start being received by the city, Munday said.
“Major development won’t happen there for two to three years,” he said, adding the municipality has been eyeing residential growth for that area since 2006.
The Grand Canal Retirement Residence and its 130 beds should be ready this year behind Welland Community Wellness Complex, said Munday.
Welland High Gardens’ second phase will see 43 townhouse condos built soon, ahead of a multi-storey apartment in a third phase that the city has not received site plan applications for yet. Its first phase involves 17 townhouses on Denistoun Street near West Main Street.
By the end of 2020, Welland had hit a new residential development record of 519 units for the year, following previous single-year records of 474 units in 2019 and 401 units built in 2018.
Over the next two decades, the city’s population of about 54,000 is expected to climb nearly one-third, adding 18,640 residents, according to projections from city hall.
This would put the total number of people living in Welland to about 72,000.
In a five-year forecast initiated in 2016, it was anticipated 1,454 new homes would be erected by the end of 2021 since then — but a figure of 1,724 was reached by the time 2020 concluded, Munday said last month.
