Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy is optimistic the city will see more growth and progress on developments in 2023.
Boddy points to the city’s year-to-date construction values being up over 2021 as a highlight from the past year and says there’s a lot of activity ongoing to look forward to.
A November 2022 development update to the community services committee pegged total construction value in Owen Sound for the first 11 months of the year at $42.5-million, up from $34.2-million during the same period in 2021.
The city also provided over $457,000 in development charge exemptions through the end of November as part of the construction of 93 units. Owen Sound has exempted purpose-built rental units from development charges since 2019.
Boddy expects the city’s planning staff will remain busy with several projects at various stages of the development process. He mentions SkyDev’s 712-unit apartment complex proposal at the former RCA property at East Bayshore Road and 32nd Street East, Hansa Financial’s 224 apartment units planned for the former BCK property on 1st Avenue West and the 830-unit mixed-use subdivision by Flato on the south side of 8th Street East as a few developments that should see further progress in 2023.
None of those projects have broken ground yet.
“Flato has started to sell lots for their development up by the hospital,” Boddy says. “Lots of that will be going on.”
First and foremost in the New Year, Boddy says the focus in the city will be on the major event scheduled to run Jan. 18-21 — Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.
“It’s going to be one heck of a fun celebration of our national sport and telling your own community hockey story in late January. So that’s the first really big thing,” Boddy explains.
He also mentions working with other municipal neighbours in northern Grey County to take advantage of the potential industry that will be in the area from TC Energy’s proposed pumped storage project at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford.
Looking back at 2022, Boddy says housing and opiate issues are among the ongoing challenges facing Owen Sound that will require attention moving forward.