Best construction year ever

Photo: Contributed

The numbers don't lie – construction was booming in Lake Country this past year.

According to figures just released by the municipality, 2015 was the busiest construction year since Lake Country incorporated, 20 years ago.

Construction investment of $68 million was 36 per cent higher than in 2014.

While residential construction at neighbourhoods like LakeStone and The Lakes pushed a lot of the activity, new commercial investment in the community also increased. 

With the long-awaited Lake Country Town Centre developing, and other projects coming to fruition, Lake Country is adding more commercial options and is emerging as a hotbed of investment in the region.    

As the fastest-growing community in B.C., Lake Country is no stranger to rapid growth.

“It’s great to see the local economy thriving and the level of investment that is happening in our community,” said Mayor James Baker.

“To keep up with the rapid pace, we’re working hard at our infrastructure renewal program and recently invested in adding to our building inspections team.”

"With a large proportion of our land base being protected farmland and lakes, council is strategically using the additional tax base brought by growth to fund amenities that make the community more livable," said director of community services Mark Koch.

Koch points to such investments as the recently purchased Okanagan rail corridor and parks and recreation master plan process, which are geared toward providing amenities for residents.   

With a high volume of development applications already in stream for 2016, the increased level of building permit values appears to be sustainable; and with increased business confidence and the proactive approach that council and staff are taking to encourage new starts in the community, this year will likely continue to see similar growth, he says.