Permit Activity in Vancouver on the Rise

The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIA) reports an increase of single-family residential, multi-family residential, and commercial permits in the City of Vancouver. Construction is poised to help the City of Vancouver, and greater Clark County, recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to March 2021 Building Permit Report released by the City of Vancouver, single-family residence permits increased 41%, largely due to the following developments: 5th Plain Creek Station, Boulder Ridge, Four Seasons South PUD, Homan Short Plat. Multi-family residential permits increased by 43%, due to Four Seasons Apartments II and Sunlight Townhomes projects.

Both increases are a positive development for housing affordability in the City of Vancouver. Avaly Scarpelli, Executive Director of the BIA said, “Builders and developers are focusing their efforts on meeting the demand of the homebuyers in Vancouver and quite frankly Clark County. We know that we have a housing supply problem and until the industry can somewhat alleviate that problem, housing prices will continue to soar, thus limiting the affordability of housing. Our members care about the community and unfortunately, they’re working to overcome many barriers that impact affordability; rising building material costs, new energy code standards, shortage of skilled tradespeople, and limited availability of land supply.”

Lastly, commercial permits saw an 80% increase due to public and private large-scale projects such as Burton Elementary School, CTC 687, 4th Plain Business Park Industrial Building, CTC 688, and new Horizons Dental, totaling $20.46 million worth of work. Scarpelli continues, “The BIA encourages the community to support future school bonds. When we invest in our children, Southwest Washington becomes an even more desirable place to live and raise a family.”