By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster issued more new home building permits in the first seven months of 2014 than it has for the past several years, but the number is still much lower than it was in the early and mid-2000s.

During an Aug. 18 City Council meeting, Ward 7 Councilman Tommy Ryals said the city issued seven new home building permits in July, bringing the city’s year-to-date total to 43 at the end of July.

In comparison, the city had issued a total of 33 new home building permits during the same time period in 2013, Ryals said.

“The good news is we are on track to have the highest number of new homes since this time in 2008,” Ryals said. “The bad news is that it’s still not that good.”

From Jan. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2013, the city issued a total of 61 hew home building permits.

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.