Windsor permit totals approach normal in February
After starting 2021 on slow note in January, construction activity in Windsor returned to close-to-typical levels in February.
Permits issued for the month totalled about $16.5 million, which was lower than the $19.5 million issued for the same month last year, and down from the $25.1 million worth of permits issued in January.
The city issued 133 permits for the month, of which 117 (for a total of $9.6 million) were issued for work in the residential sector. The remaining 16 permits were split between the commercial sector (11 permits worth a combined $3.8 million), the industrial sector (three permits, $2.9 million), and the government and institutional sector (two permits, $170,000).
Compared with February 2020, the residential and government and institutional sectors saw significant declines. Residential permitting dropped by $5 million year over year, while the value of government and institutional permits dropped by nearly $3.6 million. Activity in the industrial sector, meanwhile, rose by $2.8 million, and activity in the commercial sector jumped by $2.6 million.
The City of Windsor issued two large-value permits for the month. The first, worth $2.75 million, was for construction of a 27,000-square-foot, one-storey addition to the H. Beck Machinery manufacturing facility on Deziel Drive.
The other, worth $2.72 million, was for construction of a Chick-Fil-A fast-food restaurant on Howard Avenue next to Devonshire Mall. Construction of the building got the go-ahead from Windsor council in December of 2019, but was not without controversy. Several community groups came forward at the time to sway the council vote.
The fast food chain has been a lightning rod for criticism in recent years after CEO Dan Cathy made his views on LGBTQ issues public.
Heading into the 2019 vote, Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens said the political views of the company’s founder had no bearing on council’s decision to approve the project.
“For people who are protesting who don’t like Chick-Fil-A or their corporate principles, don’t eat there," he told CTV News at the time. "It’s quite simple. Don’t support them, don’t spend your money there and they’ll get the message quite clearly.”
Compared with the first two months of 2020, permit totals are down nearly $16 million. The city issued more than $57 million in 2020, and $41.6 million for the year to date in 2021. Increases of $2 million in the residential sector, and more than $8 million industrial construction this year have been more than offset by a hard-hit government and institutional sector. Permit totals there are more than $26 million lower than in 2020.