City thriving with year-over-year jump in building permits, business licenses
By Kyra Hoggan
City beautification and marketing efforts appear to be bearing fruit, as per business license and building permit reports submitted to city council, according to city councillor Kevin Chernoff.
Chernoff said a substantial increase over last year’s numbers in both licenses and permits indicates the city is successfully attracting new businesses while, at the same time, encouraging residents to further invest in their properties and community.
“At this time last year, we had issued eight building permits for work totaling $65,510,” he said. “This year, we’ve issued 12 permits for work valued at $105,053. That’s a significant jump.
“For new business licenses, we have (year-to-date) 647, for a total revenue of 78,402.50, as compared to this time last year, when we had only issued 622 for a value of $75,648.50.”
He said this just the beginning of return-on-investment for taxpayers who paid for things like Sculpture Walk, the Millennium ponds, city branding and more.
“We’ve gotten lots of positive feedback, and not only within the community – we’re seeing really national exposure,” he said, using as examples Castlegar’s huge wins in the International Communities in Bloom competition this year, being named one of the top eight growth communities in B.C. by Re/Max, and Castlegar’s new distinction as Sculpture Capital of Canada.
“This is the kind of thing that encourages people to move here, and businesses to open here. That, in turn, means a healthier, more diverse economy,” he said. “And a thriving community like that is an upward spiral – it encourages residents to invest more in their community, which makes it even more appealing, which encourages greater investment …”
