A rise in the value of building permits is a good sign of the times, said members of city council Monday night.
According to the March summary presented at Monday night's meeting, the year-to-date value of building permits for 2015 is more than $24 million, which Coun. Albert Koehler calculated as an overall 68 per cent increase over the same point in time in 2013.
"In a very subtle and quiet way, something is happening. Those are great numbers," said Koehler.
In March, there were nine new single family dwelling building permits issued, worth more than $3 million, as well as $2.3 million worth of improvements inside the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, $3.6 million for the Prince George Native Friendship Centre's Ketso Yoh youth shelter and $1.3 million for a 10-unit row housing development.
"I think from what we're seeing in the building permits - they don't lie, those are the numbers - that we are moving in the right direction and there, in fact, is more to come," said Mayor Lyn Hall. "There is a real reason to be very positive about what's going on in this community when it comes to development."
Another step forward for development was also made Monday night as council approved third reading of a zoning and official community plan amendment to allow light industrial development at the intersection of Highway 97 and Boundary Road.
The land is supposed to be home to a new Inland-Kenworth headquarters with the remainder of the developable 13 hectares set for other commercial uses.
Coun. Brian Skakun said the city has been talking about the benefits of Boundary Road for some time.
"Boundary Road in this area will be the biggest economic driver in community for years and decades to come and now that we've got an anchor right at that corner, this is a huge huge opportunity to tell the province and Canada and further developers we have affordable light industrial land that's fully serviced - lots are ready to go, we're ready for business," he said.
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