Page 6 - Westman Business 2019

6 THE BRANDON SUN • WESTMAN BUSINESS • OCTOBER 2019

» Continued from Page 5

In September this year alone, 70 permits were is-
sued, valued at $15.3 million.
Contributing to that figure are two 15-unit apart-
ment buildings being constructed by Youth for Christ,
a new vehicle garage at Brandon Municipal Airport,
the renovation of the old Shoppers Drug Mart on
18th St. to accommodate a new PetSmart, and two
new 12-unit apartment buildings being built on Brae-
crest Drive.
The former Shoppers Drug Mart building can
now accommodate two tenants, and Colliers Canada
is looking for a neighbour to occupy the space beside
PetSmart.
According to the city, a few major projects have
represented a substantial amount of the value of proj-
ects that have happened to date this year.
Koch Fertilizer has spent $33 million on a new ad-
ministration building at its Brandon site.
The new Maryland Park School being built has
represented tens of millions of dollars coming into the
community.
Murray Fischer, the city’s acting building safety
manager, told the Sun that for residential construction
there has been a trend toward large multiplexes and
apartment buildings instead of single dwelling homes.
That explains part of the reason why there have
been fewer permits issued for more money, as these
multi-unit buildings represent a larger dollar value
than single-occupancy residential units.
“In the last two years, we’ve seen more of a trend
toward multi-family (units),” Fischer said. “I think it
has to do with the economy. We’re seeing more peo-
ple trying to take advantage of a lower-income bracket
and the need for housing in that area.”
At the end of September this year, construction
represented 211 new dwelling units in Brandon, where
there had only been 139 by September of last year.

» Continued on Page 8 Builders are aiming to have the new Holiday Inn Express on 18th Street finished by late spring. (Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun)

Construction equipment sits along Clare Avenue, adjacent to the future Gambler First Nation urban reserve. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)