By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The city’s number of new homes through the first half of 2017 is lagging behind the same time period last year, while the commercial and addition and remodel sectors are surging, according to data from the Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division.

Alabaster City Council members reviewed the report during a July 24 meeting.

In June, the Planning and Safety Division issued three new home permits for projects valued at a total of $911,485, bringing the year-to-date total of new homes to 35 for projects valued a total of about $9 million.

By comparison, the city had issued 57 new home permits for projects valued at a total of about $14.1 million through the first six months of 2016.

Year-end new home numbers totaled 57 in 2012, 61 in 2013, 77 in 2014, 100 in 2015 and 85 last year.

Alabaster’s residential addition and remodel permits have seen a spike since last year.

Through the end of June, the Planning and Safety Division had issued a total of 142 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $2.2 million. During the same time period last year, the city had issued 99 such permits for projects valued at a total of about $1.9 million.

In the first six months of 2017, Alabaster had issued more residential addition or remodel permits than it did in all year in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

In the commercial sector, Alabaster had issued a total of eight new building permits for projects valued at a total of about $4 million. By comparison, the city had issued seven such permits during the same time period of 2016 for projects valued at a total of about $4.4 million.

The city has seen a significant increase in the scope of its commercial addition and remodel permits since last year.

At the end of June, the city had issued 22 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $2 million. During the same time period last year, Alabaster had issued 29 such permits for projects valued at a total of $906,833.