Building permits in March nearly double in value when compared to last year

March was a good month for the Portage Planning District, as both the number of permits and value is on the rise.

According to the Portage la Prairie Planning District's combined building report, the total dollar amount for the year-to-date in March was $13,288,000. In 2022, the amount at that point in the year was only $6,329,000. This is largely due to a new institutional permit, which is valued at $10,296,000. Chair of the City Planning & Economic Development Committee Preston Meier says this is for the new hospital being built in the city.

The number of permits sits at 41 as opposed to the 36 the city had last year at this time.

The month of March, specifically, saw one new multi-family permit and three repairs in the residential category. Three repairs were also done in the commercial category. In the miscellaneous category, there was one permit regarding plumbing, one involving moving, and one mobile sign permit for a total of ten.

Councillors Preston Meier (left) and Ryan Espey.

Councillor Ryan Espey says there's a different project that he's excited about, but it was just after the deadline for March.

"There is a significant one that just came out recently," explains Espey. "It actually was just after the last report, and that is the multi-family that is happening on Lorne Avenue. You'll see the construction fencing has gone up and the permit has been taken out to complete that project."

Before the multi-family permit, it was just an empty lot, so Espey is glad to see the space be used in such a positive way. He expects that the number of permits should increase even more with summer approaching.

"Normally this is the time of year now that we'll start to see a pickup in permits," mentions Espey. "This is because most of the builds, obviously, will happen when the ground starts to thaw, so we should. See an increase in residences, whether they're single or multifamily starting very soon."