Development projects throughout Blaine

Blaine saw a booming year for housing development in 2022.

There was more than enough to keep city staff busy, from the announcement of the proposed Semiahmoo Highlands development that will bring up to 480 residential units to construction of The Ridge at Harbor Hills.

The city received $376,000 in revenue from building permit fees in 2022, which is $100,000 more than 2021 and $200,000 more than 2020. Construction was valued at nearly $45.6 million last year.

The city permitted nearly three times as many residential building permits as its annual average over the past decade, at over 150 permits in 2022, said Stacie Pratschner, director of the city’s Community Development Services Department (CDS). Development of The Ridge at Harbor Hills significantly brought up the number of permits, which the city uses to gauge the number of new housing units being built.

“It was quite a change from the averages we’ve seen for about a 10-year period,” Pratschner said. The closest the city’s