Vernon construction starts down in 2020

Building starts in Vernon dropped over 18 per cent last year from 2019 to $103.5 million.

There were significant fluctuations in building permit activity during the early stages of the pandemic. From May 1 to December 31, building permits recovered and were only down 1.4 per cent.

The overall decrease in permit value was largely attributed to a decrease in new multi-family construction where the building permit value fell by $23.6 million.

A total of 370 building permits were issued in 2020, just one fewer than 2019.