How did Alabaster’s housing, commercial markets end 2017?

Published 11:24 am Wednesday, January 31, 2018

 

By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The city’s new home building market took a slight step backward during 2017, while Alabaster’s commercial building market saw a significant surge, according to data recently released by the Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division.

The Alabaster City Council reviewed the 2017 year-end data during a recent meeting, and said the Planning and Safety Division recently wrapped up a “very busy” year.

In December 2017, the city issued two new home building permits for projects valued at a total of $742,896. The two December permits brought the city’s year-end total to 75 new home permits for projects valued at a total of about $22.2 million, compared to 100 such permits for projects valued at a total of about $25 million in 2016.

While the new home building market was down, the home renovation and remodel sector was up compared to 2016.

At the end of 2017, the city had issued 266 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $4.9 million. In comparison, the city issued 233 such permits in 2016 for projects valued at a total of about $3.7 million.

In 2017, Alabaster’s commercial building market saw a significant spike compared with the previous year.

Last year, the city issued permits for 19 new commercial buildings for projects valued at a total of nearly $10.6 million. By comparison, the city issued 13 such permits in 2016 for projects valued at a total of about $5.5 million.

While the number of commercial renovation permits was down in 2017 compared to the previous year, the value of those projects was up.

In 2017, Alabaster issued a total of 38 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $4.6 million, compared to 52 permits in 2016 for projects valued at about $3.9 million.