Solid growth returned to Cochrane in 2021 after hitting its lowest level in about five years, and it's expected to continue into 2022.

Cochrane saw the number of permits pulled for new dwellings hit 606, exactly double the 303 of 2020. 

The construction value of all building permits totalled $211.7 million, up by $131.3 million, with increases coming across the board.

All forms of housing increased, with single-family dwellings with or without garages leading the way by climbing to $95 million, $50 million more than last year. Multi-family/condominium rose $15.5 million and duplexes with or without garages increased by $13 million.

There's been new home construction across town, but particularly in Heartland and Rivercrest.

In each of the last three years, Cochrane saw fewer than 400 dwellings constructed, and you have to go back to 2015 when permits were issued for 847 units to beat 2021.

The value of commercial construction jumped from $2.19 million in 2020 to $41.2 million, in a year in which we saw construction begin on the new protective services building and transit hub/innovation centre.

Renovations continue their upward trend of 2020, growing by another $2.5 million to $8.5 million

Drew Hyndman, Cochrane's executive director of development and infrastructure, says the town didn't experience a lot of growth in 2020 due to COVID and uncertainty in the economy. It prepared its 2021 budget anticipating a similar year.

"Overall, it certainly far surpassed our expectations for 2021," says Hyndman.

Exactly what impact these numbers will have upon the 2022 budget will be better known when the supplementary assessment calculations are presented to town council early this year.

Hyndman believes the pandemic has changed how people decided where to live because of high breed work situations. More people are working remotely or required to travel to the office less often.

"There's an opportunity for people to live anywhere if they're able to work anywhere as well. Cochrane is certainly a desirable location because of its proximity to the mountains and the character of the community. It's naturally drawing people to this area."

It's not just Calgarians, either. People are being drawn from across the nation because of the setting and comparatively lower housing costs when compared to major centres like Toronto and Vancouver or deeper into the mountains, like Canmore.

Hyndman believes all of this is being aided by the direction set by town council in its Cochrane Community Vision adopted in November 2019. He believes it positions the community for a promising future.

It's been aided by the town addressing traffic issues in conjunction with the province.

"Council is committed to addressing connectivity and with the investment of the province, I anticipate we'll continue to see a pretty healthy growth rate into 2022."

He says 2022 will see construction continue on the town's Hwy. 1A upgrade and the province starts the Hwy. 22-1A interchange project. It's also a year in which the new Transit Hub/Innovation Centre and Cochrane Crossing are expected to be completed. As well, work will continue on the new protective service building.

He believes the proposed regional rail connection between Calgary and Banff could lead to even further investment in Cochrane. Should it proceed, it's expected to be operational by 2026.

2022 will also be the year we start to see the first phase of development begin in the new Greystone subdivision.

Growth of this magnitude, especially working within COVID restrictions, has seen the planning department use ingenuity to help keep construction on the move, he says.

Hyndman draws particular attention to the diligent efforts of the town's in-house safety code team of four. In 2020, they completed 5,894 inspections. That grew to 6,800 in 2021.

"They're a small team that does some fantastic work for the town and really don't often get the recognition  that they deserve for the fantastic work that they provide and their excellent customer service."

He says one more member will be added in 2022.

The town's planning department already has a full plate of major projects slated for 2022. Hyndman says they will be presenting the new land-use bylaw to council early in the year and anticipate its adoption sometime in the spring.

They're completing a growth study that will examine growth rate, best practices and, probably most importantly, determine if they have the correct distribution of land zonings to capitalize on the future vision for the community.

Work will also continue on the pressing water licensing issue.

In 2023, they'll be updating the municipal development plan to also reflect the community vision.

"We've got a lot of work to do to get there, but we're excited about the future and we've got a great team helping support us. We're just looking forward to engaging with the community and working on these projects."