New detached homes across Ontario are growing in size, just not in the Sarnia area.
According to a new report from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the average square footage of a new build in Sarnia, since 2017, is about three per cent smaller than units built in the 1990s -- 2,011 square feet, down from 2,081 square feet.
During the same period, detached homes across all of Ontario grew by about 25 per cent, from approximately 2,000 square feet in the mid-90s to around 2,500 square feet in 2022.
MPAC VP and Chief Valuation and Standards Officer Greg Martino said Sarnia and the surrounding area hasn't seen the same degree of change partly because they're smaller communities.
"While [they're] an attractive option to many homeowners because of relative affordability, in relation to other parts of Ontario, we haven't seen the same degree of growth in these areas."
In Lambton Shores, detached homes have grown from 1,716 square feet to 1,847 square feet over the past 25 years, an increase of about eight per cent.
Martino said over the next little while, it'll be interesting to see whether or not there is any change in terms of consumer preferences and behaviour compared to the last couple of years.
"Obviously, we saw through the pandemic there has been somewhat of a move in southern Ontario from large urban centres to smaller communities, with property owners and potential owners looking to get more value for their money in what would be deemed to be relative affordable communities."
Martino said they would still consider Sarnia and Lambton Shores as relatively affordable ground level residential home communities. He said any development that has occurred to support growth has been geared more towards that sort of construction.
"And I think that speaks to the availability and affordability of the land use permissions within those communities, as well as continued consumer preference for some additional space -- backyards, ease of access to parks and leisure activities -- and I think that's what's driving the style of development within those communities."
Martino said it's still too early to tell how the province's third dwelling proposal will impact Sarnia-Lambton and the rest of Ontario.
"But certainly, it's something that we as the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation will be keeping an eye on to ensure that we're accurately reflecting what's going on in terms of changes within various markets in Ontario."
MPAC said condo development in the area has tapered off in recent years, so they don’t have information to share at this time.
For the full report, Condos getting smaller, detached homes getting bigger, click here.