Construction approved in Burnaby has exceeded $1.06 billion this year, according to a report to council, despite physical distancing restrictions spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first 10 months of construction marks one of the busiest construction years on record, already exceeding the year-end values of approved building permits in 2015 to 2017, which ranged from $819.5 million to $1.05 billion.
But this year’s construction values are spread out over fewer overall projects – 851 building permits have been approved this year so far. That compares to 933 in the first 10 months of 2019, which totalled $1.08 billion; 1,317 in the same time frame in 2018 (totalling $1.39 billion); and 1,448 in 2017 (totalling $835.9 million).
About three-quarters of the permits issued were for alterations or repairs on existing buildings, with 195 permits issued for new buildings. That includes 136 new single-family houses, 21 two-family buildings, 22 multi-family, 13 commercial and three industrial.
In October alone, the city issued 96 building permits totalling $24 million, including 11 for new buildings (totalling $7 million) and 85 for alterations or repairs (totalling $17 million).
The new buildings are expected to add eight homes, including six single-family homes and two duplex units. By comparison, building permits issued throughout the year so far are expected to add a total of 3,206 units.
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