By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham saw an increase in its number of new homes and businesses in 2012 compared to the previous few years, city officials said after receiving the year-end permit numbers.

In 2012, Pelham issued 78 new home building permits, which was up from 64 in 2011 and 55 in 2010.

Although the numbers are on the rise, they are still a far cry from the number of new homes built in the city before the recession hit several years ago. City officials previously said between 500-700 new homes were built in Pelham per year before the recession began.

The majority of the new home building permits in 2012 were issued in the Ballantrae subdivision, which is near Pelham’s eastern city limits.

Developers began constructing homes in a few new sections of the subdivision in 2012. The Ballantrae master plan calls for about 8,000 new homes in total.

Pelham also issued three new commercial building permits in 2012, which was up from one commercial permit in 2011.

Last year, the city issued new commercial building permits to a new warehouse, the new Blue Rain car wash on U.S. 31 and the new cooling tower currently under construction at the Colonial Pipeline tank farm off Shelby County 52.

The new cooling tower marks a $15 million investment by Colonial Pipeline, and will allow the company to increase capacity in the gasoline mainline running through Pelham, Colonial Pipeline Director of Communications Steve Baker said previously.

The cooling tower is scheduled to be completed in mid-2013, Baker said.