By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Alabaster leaders are continuing to see a rise in the city’s number of new house and commercial renovation permits after the markets hit a slump during the late 2000s.

Through the end of March, Alabaster had issued a total of 13 new home building permits for the year: One in January, 10 in February and two in March.

The new home permits were on par with the city’s number from 2013, according to Alabaster Department of Building Safety numbers. From Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2013, the city issued a total of 61 hew home building permits.

Alabaster City Manager George Henry said the average home value so far this year has been about $260,000 apiece, marking an increase over previous years.

“We’ve picked up a good bit this year,” Henry said during an April 24 phone interview, noting the city has also issued multiple new home building permits in April.

The city issued a total of 59 new home permits in 2012, 30 permits in 2011 and 29 in 2010. Alabaster’s number of residential housing permits took a nosedive after the nationwide economic downturn hit in 2008. Alabaster went from a high of 354 new housing permits in 2004 before ending the year with 100 in 2008 and 48 in 2009.

Through March, Alabaster had not issued any new commercial building permits. Most of the city’s newest businesses, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and new buildings along the city’s Medical Mile, were issued permits in 2013, Henry said.

Last year, Alabaster issued a total of six new commercial building permits, compared to seven in 2012 and five in 2011.

The city’s number of commercial addition and remodel permits is holding steady over previous years. Through March 31, Alabaster had issued five commercial renovation and addition permits for the year for projects valued at a total of about $1.1 million.

Last year, the city issued a total of 49 commercial addition and renovation permits, and issued 50 and 51 in 2012 and 2011, respectively.