Welland is riding a building boom that saw a record-number of housing units constructed in 2019.

A total of 472 dwelling units went up in the city last year, according to officials — a big jump from the 401 constructed in 2018 and more than doubling the 198 built in 2017.

It's "the most number of new housing units constructed in Welland of all time," said the city's CAO Gary Long.

Statistics provided by the city also show a steady rise in the construction value of building permits, topping out at $130,340,523.85 in 2019.

And Long said he doesn't expect that trend to slow down anytime soon, stating in a media release that population forecasts for city and wider Niagara region have them continuing to see "significant residential growth" over the next 20 years.

Welland is currently home to about 52,293 people, according to the 2016 census. That number is expected to grow by another 18,630 by 2041, says the city.

"This growth in new housing units is bringing new residents to our community, supporting our local economy, and creating jobs in the skilled trades and construction industry," added Welland Mayor Frank Campion.

One of those new residents is Sophie Campbell.

The French teacher who moved to Niagara from Quebec five years ago, but said she and her partner found homes in St. Catharines too expensive, so they settled down in Welland.

It's a decision she doesn't regret.

"Our home has almost doubled in value in the past three years," said Campbell, explaining their property value rose from about $230,000 to $450,000.

Campbell also pointed to the climate and number of jobs available in the area as factors in her decision to move.

Lifestyle, affordability drawing new residents

Those are just two of the reasons Mark Basciano says people are being drawn the Niagara in droves.

The president of Mountainview Homes said the region is a beautiful place to live and unlike other cities such as Mississauga or Burlington, buying a new home is still affordable.

"Welland has really had a surge, or a little bit of a boom if you will. Particularly in the last three years," he said, noting his company built 180-200 of those 472 new units in the city last year.

A total of 472 dwelling units were built in Welland last year, according to the city, an all-time record. (Seth Wenig/The Associated Press)

Basciano said his company has been hiring new people pretty well every year to keep up with demand and make sure they have enough staff to take on new projects.

City is 'open-for-business' says builder

One other reason Welland is seeing such an explosion of growth is officials that are committed to cutting red tape around building permits, he explained, describing the city as "one of the more open-for business [places] when it comes to getting permits."

That reputation of being "business-minded" is something Long says the city has been working hard on.

"We don't cut corners, we don't offer favours, we have standards, policies and procedures," he said. But Welland also has a development team that meets weekly to identify priority projects and make sure they work with builder timelines.

Long said that work gives the city a "competitive edge" that pairs well with the fact that unlike the GTA most of a person's paycheque doesn't go to accommodation.

"You can move to Welland and get a nice house and have a nice lifestyle and have some money left over to do other things you like to do," he said, adding that's what will help the city grown for years to come.

"We're really excited about the development we're seeing and we're anticipating another busy year of development here in Welland."