Sudbury records robust construction activity in 2020
The latest building permit data released by the City of Sudbury show that construction is in good health.
Indeed, 2020 closed with a total construction value of more than $322 million—a jump of more than 15 percent over the previous year. This was despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic played havoc with city administration as well as some actual construction-site work. City Council deemed building inspections and the issuing of building permits to be essential services, but supply chain interruptions, material price increases and new construction protocols from the Ministry of Labour presented further challenges.
Even better news: the first five months of 2021 have showed further growth. City data shows $116.4 million worth of permits have been issued for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial projects through May 31. That is compared to $94.5 million for the first five months of 2020. The city has also received 193 planning applications to date.
“This global pandemic has had a significant impact on every area of our economy, and that includes development and construction. As a municipality, it has meant changing how we do business to make it easier for key projects to keep moving in this changing landscape,” said Mayor Brian Bigger. “The building activity numbers we saw in 2020 spoke volumes about the resilience of our community, investor confidence in the local market, and our focus on economic vitality and growth. It’s very encouraging to see those strong numbers continuing in 2021.”
Sudbury’s residential construction sector recorded about a third ($107.1 million) of the total permit values in 2020. Builders created 436 residential units (78 percent more than in 2019). The sector’s highlight was a 137-unit retirement residence valued at $17 million.
Through May 31 of this year, Sudbury has issued permits for 139 units with a value of $40.1 million, compared to 76 units worth $13.1 million during the same period last year.
Sudbury’s commercial sector also maintained healthy numbers in 2020, in terms of both new construction and renovations. Permit values totaled $49.9 million, an increase of 15 percent increase over 2019. For the year to date in 2021, commercial permits are valued at $12.2 million—compared to $19.5 million for the first five months of 2020.
Work in the city’s institutional sector rebounded significantly last year, largely thanks to construction of a 256-bed Extendicare facility in the city’s south end. The project was valued at $54 million. Permits for new industrial construction and renovations were valued at $105.4 million in 2020, an increase of more than 74 percent increase over 2019. As of May 31, construction values in the sector sit just ahead of last year’s total, at $21.5 million versus $20.1.
The industrial sector was the only one in the city to record a decrease in 2020. Despite a number of major projects in the mining sector last year, including construction of three new buildings at the Glencore Smelter, the value of new construction and renovations permits came in at $60.5 million compared to $94.3 million in 2019. The total value of industrial permits to date is $39.5 million, compared to $32.6 million for the same timeframe in 2020.
In addition to enacting a number of changes to make it easier for builders to work with the city on permit planning and applications—including a new electronic-only application process—Sudbury has also launched the online Development Dashboard for tracking development activity in the city from 2017 to present.
The dashboard includes data for the residential, industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, including number and type of permits issued, value of permits by sector and overall, number of residential units created, gross square footage of ICI development, and project details of all 2021 permits issued by quarter.
Featured image: HEIN builds the Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury. (City of Greater Sudbury)