By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The city is on track to having its strongest housing market in several years through the first five months of the year, while its commercial sector is lagging behind last year’s numbers.

The Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division recently released its number of residential and commercial building permits through the end of May, confirming strong growth in the city’s number of new homes.

In May, the city issued 17 new home building permits for homes valued at a total of more than $4.1 million. The May numbers brought the city’s year-to-date total of new home building permits to 47 for homes valued at a total of about $11.5 million.

In comparison, the city had issued 33 new home building permits through the first five months of 2015 for homes valued at a total of about $8.7 million.

So far this year, the city has issued a fewer number of residential addition and remodel permits compared with the same time period last year, but this year’s projects are higher in value.

Through May 31, the city had issued 82 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at about $1.8 million, compared to 104 permits through the first five months of 2015 for projects valued at a total of $12.6 million.

Alabaster issued a total of 100 new home building permits in 2015, 77 in 2014, 61 in 2013, 57 in 2012 and 30 in 2011.

The city’s number and valuation of new commercial buildings and commercial renovations have decreased from last year.

Through the first five months of this year, the city issued four new commercial building permits for projects valued at a total of about $4.3 million. During the same timeframe last year, the city had issued eight new commercial building permits for projects valued at about $12.6 million.

At the end of May, Alabaster had issued 25 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at $671,583. Last year, the city had issued 39 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at more than $3 million.