Construction activity in Steinbach during the first quarter of 2020 has lagged behind last year.

In the first three months of this year, there have been 12 single-family housing starts and a total permit value of just over $3.2M. Over the same period in 2019, the city issued $7.4M in building permits with 32 housing starts including a 22-suite apartment block.

Read more: Steinbach On Par With 2018 For Building Activity

Mayor Earl Funk says even though last year’s first-quarter numbers were better than this year, they still only made up a small percentage of overall permits pulled in 2019. He notes there is still lots of time in 2020.

"Last year was a slow year too and July of last year is when it really started to ramp up and from there it just mushroomed. There is still hope yet for this year to move forward. Still looking forward to good numbers."

Funk notes these first-quarter numbers represent all construction in Steinbach during January, February, and March. With public health restrictions due to COVID-19 only being implemented in mid-March, they don’t believe the pandemic is reflected in the slow start to the year and they are hopeful spring and summer weather will bring more action.

"We are still having public hearings for multi-family projects. We are opening up new developments and new roads so I am looking forward to a very good summer. There will be a lot of lots up for grabs that will be on the market for this spring."