Construction Value Down but Population Up in Airdrie

There have been better years for construction in Airdrie. In 2016 there was growth in the industry with plenty of permits issued for residential and commercial construction, however the dollar value associated with all those permits fell by $16 million from $71 million registered in 2015 to $55 million in new construction permits last year.

There were some bright spots despite the decline in permit values, such as the new commercial development in Midtown – a $1.9 million commercial strip mall.  There was also a new $25 million shopping plaza that broke ground in the Airdrie neighbourhood of Coopers Crossing.  Also on the books are two brand new schools in the Airdrie communities of Windsong and another in Heron’s Crossing.

Residential construction was steady in 2016 with 1,010 permits granted by the City, a decline of 7.15% over 2015 when more than 1,400 permits were issued for new housing units. Breaking that down, 433 were for single-family homes, 395 were for attached units and 182 were for apartment units. In terms of decreased value, there was a $95 million difference between last year and the year before with $203 million in residential permits issued in 2016.

A representative from the City of Airdrie office told the Airdrie Echo that the drop in permit values was significant in 2016 with detached units taking the hit.  Multi-family developments fared the best last year, most notably because of their lower price point over single-family homes.

The City of Airdrie is still doing well according to officials because of growth in the commercial sector with business growth recorded in 2016.

There were nearly 3,800 business licenses issued last year, a small increase of 5.7% over the previous year.  Contained in that figure were licences for 96 new commercial premises and 381 businesses based at home.  As a result, 512 jobs were created in the City last year.

Kent Rupert of economic development at the City said that when the economy is down, people tend to start their own businesses and make their own way. In discussions with some of Airdrie’s various enterprises, Rupert said companies that diversify often do better and in his opinion, he believes some businesses are starting to look for people again.  In a survey conducted by the City last year, 75% of respondents commented that business either grew or remained the same in 2016.

People are Still Moving In, Still Buying Homes

Despite a ho-hum year, Aidrie has maintained its reputation as being one of the fastest growing centres in the country.

Recent census figures released by the Federal Government show that the City has increased in population by 42.3%, growing from 43,271 in 2011 to 61,581 in 2016.  This puts Airdrie at a solid third in the nation when measured against other communities that are part of a Central Metropolitan Area.  The second-place holder is Cochrane.  In Alberta, as a whole, the average reported growth is 11.6%.

City officials were pleased with the census results and say that from an economic point of view, the huge growth spurt over the last five years is very positive.  The more people that move in, the more they buy things, the more they contribute to Airdrie industry and use Airdrie amenities which contributes to the construction of more amenities, and so on.

The City keeps tracks of resident population as well, and figures that in 2016 the population grew by 5.37% even in a down year.  That translates into 8-and-a-half people a day.  The City’s figures and the federal census numbers are in line with each other.   

Census figures are used to predict future population growth when planning neighbourhoods, roadways and municipal infrastructure.