In his report to council during Monday’s regular meeting, Burek gave the year-end development figures for 2014. Four new single detached dwellings were built, but the 2013 figure for new construction was two.
“We actually did a bit better,” he says, adding that the figures seem low “probably because the last few years have been slower than they were in the last decade. It’s a function of the economy. We’re not at the same numbers as we were 10 years ago.”
Construction values for the town increased substantially in 2014, jumping from $4.5 million in 2013 to $11 million in 2014. But Burek points out that this is due to Vida Cannabis, which is converting the old Clairtone Sound Corporation building on Acadia Avenue into a facility for producing hydroponic, pharmaceutical-grade medical marijuana.
“There’s $8 million worth of value there, so it sticks out,” he says. “It was far and away the largest construction project in Stellarton last year.”
With that figure taken out, the construction values were in line with previous years.
Permit revenue for the town was $22,000 in 2014, with $15,000 of that from Vida Cannabis. In 2013 permit revenue was just under $10,000.
