Growing at a 21% pace, Lucan-Biddulph looks to find the right balance

When Matt Glavin and his brother Ben needed a place to move their family business, it didn't take long for them to land on Lucan, Ont. 

Started in 1978 by their father Jack, Glavin Coating & Refinishing Ltd. puts protective coatings on steel structures and vehicles with customers all over southern Ontario. They worked on London's Blackfriars Bridge and this year will have pieces of the Adelaide Street CP Rail underpass and the Victoria Bridge in their shop. 

When their office near Zurich, Ont., burned down, the company built a 19,000 square foot facility in a new industrial park in the municipality of Lucan-Biddulph.

"The land was available, the price was good and the small town atmosphere really helped," said Matt Glavin, whose company has 15 employees. "Industrial and residential, Lucan is growing by leaps and bounds. It's a nice little community." 

Based on the recent pace of growth, Lucan might not stay little for long. 

It added just under 1,000 residents between 2016 and 2021, enough for a 21 per cent growth rate, giving it one of the fastest growth rates in the county and good for 21st spot on this list.

The numbers are skewed by the fact that Lucan-Biddulph's jump started with only 4,700 residents, but the growth rate in numbers released earlier this year was a pleasant surprise to Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson.

"It was shocking to see it at 21 per cent," she said. "And I mean, the number is based on a per-capita basis. So you have to keep your numbers in perspective. But a 21 per cent increase in our growth is shocking. That's for sure." 

She points out that Lucan's growth didn't happen by accident, or overnight. 

Back in 2004, the town created a three-year "holiday" on development charges  (the fees developers pay municipalities for new developments to help pay for growth). It was a way to encourage growth. It worked.

"At the time, it was a bold move," said Burghardt-Jesson. "But in the end, you can see how that has really paid off for our community."

Much of the growth is being driven by new subdivisions of single-homes in areas just outside the downtown. 

Michael Bosveld is the broker-owner of Nu-Vista Realty. He's been busy selling lots in the Olde Glover Village subdivision. Phase 4 four of the subdivision — 36 lots in total — sold out in four months.

Homes in Phase 4 were priced the $900,000 range and about half the buyers came from outside the London area, many from the Greater Toronto Area. The 56 homes in what will be the development's fifth phrase will be on the market in a few weeks. Those will start at a little over $1 million.