Plodding along

The coolest spot when homebuilding is hot

Belleville is cooking. Quinte West, too. Prince Edward County not so much.

Belleville issued permits for 33 more new single detached homes in the first six months of 2016 than the same period last year—a 63-per-cent jump in new home starts. Quinte West, too, has seen a robust new home construction market with 76 new single detached permits issued for the first six months of 2016—16 more than the same period in 2015.

Prince Edward County, meanwhile, continues to lag the regional homebuilding markets, issuing just 48 new home permits in the first six months of 2016, up just four new homes compared to the same period last year.

New homebuilding in the County tends pick up as the year goes on. For example, by the end of June last year the building department had issued 44 new home permits but managed to pick up the pace through the rest of the year, issuing a total of 99 new home building permits in 2015. This, however, was still behind Quinte West’s 123 new home starts and Belleville’s 129.

Only a decade ago, the County attracted new homebuilding at a rate equal to or better than its neighbours. But since the municipality adopted heavy development and connection charges in 2008, new homebuilding has lagged in the County.

Solid improvement in seasonal homes and building additions helped to drive the total number of permits issued in the first six months of 2016, but the average work value declined by seven per cent compared to the same period last year.

Currently, a group of developers is meeting with County officials and elected representatives to examine the County’s building processes and fees to determine what might be done to attract new residential homebuilding. The Development Framework Subcommittee is scheduled to meet next on Thursday morning at the Edward Building in Picton.