The COVID-19 pandemic didn't have a significant chilling effect on the construction industry in the city.
According to a report going before city council on Monday, the City of Prince George saw a less than two per cent drop in the value of building permits issued in 2020 compared to 2019's record year.
In 2020 the city issued a total of 532 permits with a combined value of $219.02 million, compared to 611 permits worth $223.45 million in 2019 and 515 permits worth $186.66 million in 2018.
“Council is extremely pleased and impressed to see these important economic indicators for Prince George are continuing at near record levels even through the pandemic, which has had such a negative impact for the economy,” Mayor Lyn Hall said in a press release. “We are very pleased and thankful that investors, businesses, and developers are continuing to recognize the potential of our city. Certainly, the city is always more than willing and eager to work with investors and developers.”
The top-five biggest projects approved in 2020 included the new downtown pool ($35 million), a four-storey apartment building with parkade on Glen Shee Road ($14 million), Primex Properties' new commercial building on George Street ($9 million), a four-storey, 75-unit apartment building on Recplace Drive ($5.9 million), and the Elizabeth Fry Society's three-storey social housing project on 14th Avenue ($5.6 million).
