Building activity on Gabriola lower in 2023 than previous years

Rachelle Stein-Wotten

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder

How does building permit activity compare over the last few years on Gabriola?

In 2023 there were 52 building permits issued in Electoral Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, DeCourcy), according to Regional District of Nanaimo activity reports. Of those, 22 were for new construction, which includes single family dwellings, accessory buildings, commercial and other categories.

That’s a decrease from 2022 when the RDN issued 82 building permits for Area B. New construction accounted for 46 of those.

In 2021, there were 83 permits issued in Area B, 35 of which were for new construction.

For the first month of 2024, there were five permits issued for Area B, three for new construction. Sixteen permits were issued across the seven RDN electoral areas in January.

As of mid-February, building permit wait times in the RDN are approximately 10 weeks.

That’s down from July 2023 when they were up to 16 weeks.