Business View Civil and Municipal | April/May 2022

92 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 foresees its growth to continue to rise at an even greater rate than it is already. Munday reports, “The current census and building permit data have shown that we are growing faster that anticipated. The census indicated we added almost 1200 new dwelling units in five years and our 2021 building permit data shows we have 759 new dwelling unit starts, which would not be reflected in the census. With the growth we’ve had from the last census, we can tell by our current permit volumes that we will have even more significant growth in the next five years. In the last two years, we did almost more units than we did the previous five years in total. We know that many of those units are unoccupied, so in the next five years, we will see that population growth we’ve had in the past five years probably doubled.” In addition to its attractive business landscape, Welland’s natural landscape and recreational opportunities are also a draw to the city. Set Your best choice for Commercial, Residential & Municipal projects. SERVING NIAGARA FOR OVER 40 YEARS 905-684-1447 www.oharaexcavating.com 71 Berryman Ave, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 0A2 Welland.” With all the growth in new business has come a growth in population and housing. The city’s population grew from 52,293 in 2016 to 55,750 in 2021 and is set to take off in the next 20 years, predicted to eclipse 80,000 residents. “Companies see this area as a critical growth area for their business,” Munday says. “We have lots of interest and lots of land available for employment development and industrial development and residential growth, as well. If you get more industrial growth, you get more housing.” The city’s mayor and council recently approved more than 9,000 new housing units for the city. And this is only just the beginning. Welland