Residential building permits in Welland on pace to doubling in 2021 compared to last year

The Grand Canal Retirement Residence is nearing completion along the east bank of the Welland Recreational Canal. JULIE JOCSAK / TORSTAR

By Kris Dubé
Courtesy of The Tribune

A projection made last year by city planning staff that the number of residential building permits given in Welland in 2021 would be double the amount from 2020 is on its way to becoming an accurate forecast.

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.

The city added a record of more than $200 million in building permit construction value for the year.

In 2021, the city is projecting about $288 million in construction value related to residential builds, said director of planning and development services Grant Munday.

To date, this year, 347 building permits have been approved and with “a reach of other projects coming down the pipeline,” that number is expected to surpass 1,000 fully-approved units by the end of 2021, said Munday.

Over the next two decades, the city’s population of about 54,000 is expected to climb nearly a third, adding 18,640 residents, according to projections from city hall.

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, said Munday.

Four high-density projects, two on Niagara Street and one each at South Pelham and Webber roads and on Prince Charles Drive, are major drivers in the anticipated year-end numbers, he said.