KITCHENER -- Last year was a banner year for development in Waterloo Region.

A regional report shows the total value of building permits for new construction in 2019 was $1.7 billion, up 68 per cent from the year before.

The report suggests that the launch of the LRT, population growth and a steady economy contributed to a boost in residential development, which rose 80 per cent in value from 2018.

The region says there were building permits issued for 6,196 units in the region.

Industrial permits also saw a boost last year, rising 29 per cent in value to $190 million. Commercial also jumped over 80 per cent, with $160 million in permits issued in 2019.

The only decline was in institutional development, permits for which dropped in value by 9 per cent to $46.6 million.

"We all know 2020 won't be as much due to the implications of COVID, and it's reasonable to expect that we will have increasing unemployment for a period of time, reduced development applications," said Coun. Sean Strickland on video at the region's virtual committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday.

"There's going to be all kinds of economic knock-on effects, it's going to affect Canada and certainly the Region of Waterloo."

He says it's important that the region look beyond the pandemic and call on the federal and provincial governments for a major stimulus package.

Strickland says there will be a lot of work ahead to get back to last year's levels of development.