For the fourth straight year, the City of North Bay topped previous years with another all-time record for building permits.
The value of permits issued by the city in 2009 hit a record of $92 million, which bested the 2008 record of $84.4 million. Institutional permits topped $25 million, commercial starts were more than $19 million and industrial building was close to $6 million. In 2006, the record was initially set at $72 million followed by $77.6 million in 2007.
Though city permits are not a total indicator of construction activity in a given year, there's no denying North Bay has yet to plateau.
There were sod-turnings and ribbon-cuttings on social housing projects, a new Shoppers Drug Mart and medical centre, a university-college library and an expanded Goodyear Tire facility.
A new $45-million municipal water treatment plant on Trout Lake is finished and should be in operation this spring.
What's most astounding is the city recorded 78 single-family homes that were built for a total of $38 million.
"In the depths of a recession, that's quite a turnaround," boasts North Bay mayor Vic Fedeli.
Jerry Knox, the City of North Bay's managing director of community services, said the municipality's "Open for Business" attitude has changed the culture at city hall. The result is the volume of construction witnessed so far and the “almost daily” developers' inquiries.
“We've been very fortunate given the fact we have a very diversified economy.
"Many (companies) are world exporters particularly in the mining sector and we've been fortunate enough to weather (the recession) reasonably well. We've had some pain but fortunately not enough as some other areas.”
To accommodate anticipated residential growth, the municipality has installed and planned new infrastructure for the city's north end for the immediate and long-term future.
The city spent $8 million to upgrade and expand water and sewer systems in the Airport Hill area, next to Jack Garland Airport. Water pressure issues and limited capacity was restraining further subdivision in the north-east corner of the city.
Knox said the water tower will allow for a "few hundred" residential lots for proposed subdivisions on Carmichael Drive plus on the extension to Pierce Street.
On the Lakeview Drive, high-priced homes with million-dollar views continue to go up on the escarpment, better known as Airport Hill. Many were approved by the city years before and it's unlikely any more subdivisions will be green-lighted given the municipality's desire to protect the hill from further development.
Knox said the remainder of the home construction will be done in such a fashion to blend in with the greenery but the remainder of the escarpment will be essentially untouched.
Another water tower is slated for a relatively undeveloped space near Nipissing University and Canadore College.
An environmental assessment is taking place to determine the location for the tower. With new buildings going up on the combined campus, the nearby North Bay Regional Health Centre nearing completion, and the projected housing demand, the Cedar Heights area is a desirable greenfield place to expand the city's residential base.
“We know that our future, as far as long-term growth over the next 25 to 30 years, is north of the city and towards the airport,” said Knox.
Some small subdivisions and pockets of growth will infill areas of the city, Knox added, but in revising the North Bay's official plan, the Cedar Heights area behind the escarpment could accommodate at many as 5,000 new homes over the next quarter century.
In studying the city's current and future demographics over the span, about 170 new units will be needed every year to keep up with demand.
Knox said North Bay's population of 54,000 has grown modestly, but the city is approaching their growth plans with blue sky optimism.
"We need young people to come into the community because we know demographically there's going to be a labour market need."
The new hospital will need more than 300 staff through attrition and new jobs over the next few years and the city is banking on many of those retirees staying in North Bay.
The city also setting aside space for new homes for manufacturing with a $30- to $40-million airport industrial park.
The city plans to lay out the proposed 800-acre industrial park like an actual subdivision design. It will be serviced in phases with lot sizes flexible enough to accommodate individual business needs.
The park will be combination of airside access (abutting the apron) for aviation-related companies and ground-side for general industry.
With North Bay having a limited supply of industrial space, Knox suspects many local companies would consider relocating and expanding their shop space much like what happened at the city's Gateway Industrial Park.
www.city.north-bay.on.ca
