July was another strong month for construction activity in Windsor.

Permit values again—for the fifth month in a row—surpassed the $40-million mark. Driving the strong performance was the residential sector, which recorded $28 million worth of activity. The City of Windsor issued 182 permits for residential construction for the month.

Also recording strong activity was work in the government and institutional sector, where the city issued $12.6 million worth of permits. One permit issued in the sector was for $9 million—for renovation work at the Walkerville Collegiate Institute on Richmond Street. Activity in the industrial sector ($2.3 million) and the commercial sector ($859,000) was much lower.

The $44.1 million worth of permits issued for the month was almost on par with the value of permits issued in June, and significantly higher than the $29 million worth of permits issued by the city in July 2020. The city issued fewer permits (218) this year than it did in July 2020 (290).

In addition to the permit issued for work at the Walkerville school, the city issued five other permits worth more than $1 million. One, for $6.9 million, was issued to repair fire damage to the Westcourt Place building on Goyeau Street. The building was damaged by fire in November 2019, displacing hundreds of residents and commercial tenants.

The city issued a further permit for $5.8 million for work on the Raymond Desmarais Manor on Riverside Drive East. The scope of work calls for exterior alterations to the building. Another permit worth $4.5 million was issued for the construction of a 32-unit building on Grand Marais Road East, while another was issued for $2.2 million for work on a commercial building on Rhodes Drive.

July’s strong permit totals helped advance the total value of permits issued for the year to date past the figure recorded for the first seven months of 2020. The city has issued nearly $249.6 million and 1,473 permits so far this year compared to $240.8 million and 1,725 permits through the same period in 2020.

Featured image: Westcourt Place. (Westcourt Place)