By Cheryl Jahn

January Building Permits Spike

Mar 6, 2018 | 2:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — It’s shaping up to be another busy year for builders.
In the month of January along, 32 building permits were issued with a value of $7 million. That’s an increase from last year when 19 permits were issued in the month of January, valued at $1.8 million, and 2016 when 13 permits were issued for $2 million.
“January is an interesting predictor for us because it’s not traditionally in the middle of our building season,” says Mayor Lyn Hall. “So it is a real strong indicator for us and what we prepare for in 2018.”
The Lion’s Share of the permits is for single-family dwellings. That’s eight permits this past January, worth $4.2 million, compared to 2 permits in January of 2017, valued at $515,000 and 4 permits issued in 2016, worth $1.2 million.
Housing is traditionally a bellwether for the health of the economy, but Al Idiens says there may be a couple of factors that temper the enthusiasm for the numbers.
“One is the cost of building permits, housing permits, was set to rise at the beginning of the year. Many of these applications would have been made in December before the costs go up.”
Also, the cost of ensuring snow loads is on the rise, come the new year. Counter to that, though, is the lack of existing housing stock, which will prompt new home construction.