There was a lot of construction going on in Lake Country last year.
Building permit values in 2012 were once again at the 2005 level and exceeded 2011 by $4 million.
Since incorporation in 1995 the District of Lake Country has had an average building permit value of just over $26 million per year. However, 2012 showed a permit value of close to $33.3 million, with the value of single-family dwellings making up $27.3 million of that total.
"Property values are remaining stable according to the B.C. property assessments," said Mark Koch, director of planning and development.
"Lake Country had the smallest decrease in the value of the average residential home among all Okanagan jurisdictions, and only Peachland and Lumby residential home values showed an increase."
As part of recent restructuring, the district changed its application process and approval timelines for new development permits.
Staff can now approve some development applications without the lengthy process of going back and forth to development permit committee or council meetings.
“The streamlined process balances the need to move development permit applications forward in a timely manner with the importance of life safety and environmental protection,” said Koch.
“During the last quarter of the year, we saw many applications processed in as little as three weeks instead of the regular 12 weeks, and that definitely had a positive impact on our building statistics in Lake Country.”
Koch says the current increased level of building permit values appears to be sustainable, and council and staff are hoping to see new construction starts in 2013.