Building permit values surged in Red Deer last month, with the city approving $21.4 million in construction. That marked a nearly 20 per cent increase over the $17.9 million worth of permits issued in July 2013.
The residential sector remains strong, with building permits for nearly $11 million in work authorized last month, up from $8.8 million a year earlier.
Permits in the industrial category added $7.6 million to the July total, as compared with $6.5 million for the same period in 2013. Commercial projects contributed $2.8 million, up from $2.5 million; and permits for public buildings was constant at about $20,000.
Among the biggest projects approved by the city last month was $4.2 million for an industrial building and $1.1 million for a fabrication shop being built by Phoenix Construction Inc. for Copp’s Services Inc. at 129 Queens Dr. in Queens Business Park; $2.2 million for a cardlock station being developed by Chandos Construction Ltd. for Central Alberta Co-op at 200 Queens Dr. in the same subdivision; and $1.8 million for the new McDonald’s restaurant being constructed by Kor Alta Construction Ltd. at 16 Conway St. in Clearview Market Square.
Despite the year-over-year increase in building permit values for July, the cumulative total for this year to the end of July was $99.9 million — a figure that’s one-third less than the $150 million in construction authorized for the same seven-month period in 2013. However, residential construction is tracking ahead of last year’s tally — at $68.7 million as compared with $62.4 million.