Record breaking building activity in West Kelowna

The number and value of building permits issued in 2016 in West Kelowna is an all-time high.

“To say we were extremely busy in 2016 is putting it mildly, and so far in 2017 we are not seeing any signs of a slowdown,” said Nancy Henderson, the city’s General Manager of Development Services in a news release. “In fact, I would say we may be looking at another record breaking year based on the interest we are seeing for larger scale multiple family projects, something we haven’t seen a lot of since 2008,”

Last year, 649 building permits were issued totaling $116.3 million in construction values.

That’s up considerably from the 507 permits in 2015 worth $63 million.

With an estimated population of 35,000, the city says West Kelowna is the fastest growing community in the central Okanagan.

“Judging from our growing population, we believe we will see continued development in not only residential development but also in the commercial and industrial sectors as well.” said Henderson. “The City has numerous rezoning and subdivision applications underway that will ensure a supply of a variety of housing types to support our community’s growth.”