Construction activity in the RPGA Planning District is off to a strong start this year.

Susan Stein, general manager of the RPGA says the area continues to see strong growth in the housing market, and commercial construction is up from last year.

"For Altona, we have 23 building permits this year valued at $3.2 million. Last year there were 32 building permits valued at about $6.8 million, so that's down for the first quarter but still on track for the rest of the year."

A total of eight commercial building permits have been issued in the RPGA Planning District in 2021.Altona has registered 22 housing starts to the end of March which includes 2 single-family homes and 20 multi-family units.

Two commercial permits with a value of $195,000 have been issued so far this year compared to 1 permit last year valued at $4.7 million.

Construction in Rhineland Municipality has taken off through the first quarter of this year.

A total of 32 building permits valued at $8.4 million have been issued to the end of March. That compares to 7 permits worth $1.4 million for the first three months of last year.

Stein anticipates this kind of strong growth will continue into the rest of the year.

"We're seeing a lot of interest in sub-divisions, in rural living properties and in bigger market gardening type of yards, so I think we'll see a lot of growth still to come."

So far this year there have been a total of 9 housing starts in Rhineland Municipality compared to zero last year. Seven of those housing starts are single-family homes and 2 are multi-family.

Meanwhile, a total of 6 commercial permits valued at $3.7 million have been issued in the municipality this year which is well above last year's pace.

Stein says the area continues to enjoy steady population growth which is driving demand for multi-family homes and more affordable homes.