By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster fared slightly better in its number of new homes built in 2011 than it did in 2010, but the numbers are still a fraction of what they were three years ago, said Alabaster Ward 7 Councilman Tommy Ryals.

The city issued 30 new home building permits in 2011, which was one more than the previous year. However, the permit numbers are a far cry from the 268 home permits the city issued five years ago, Ryals said.

“Back then, we had to try to limit our growth. Now, the economy is doing it for us,” Ryals said. “But hopefully it will start going up from now on.”

Alabaster also issued 56 new commercial building permits in 2011, which was up from 41 last year. In 2007, the city issued 125 commercial building permits.

Ryals said 2011’s new homes weren’t concentrated in one area of the city.

“The developers are just trying to fill out their subdivisions,” Ryals said, noting many of the city’s newer subdivisions were not completed before the nation’s real estate crash a few years ago.