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PITTSBURG —
There’s good news in the local economy.
Based on data shared at last week’s Pittsburg City Commission meeting, the number of total building permits have reached a five-year high, with valuation of those permits also reaching a five-year high.
The data cover the five years from 2008-2012. The number of building permits in 2012 were the highest since 2008, when the city had 552 building permits. That amounts to nearly a 43 percent jump.
Furthermore, the valuation for those building permits amount to nearly $26 million ($25.931 million). That’s well above the highest valuation in the last five years, and the only time in five years that the total valuation has been more than $20 million.
“A lot of that had to do with some rather large commercial remodel projects that came up. That includes Masonite and Jake’s Fireworks. That’s why we spiked in valuation the way we did,” said Andy Huyett, city buildings officer.
Masonite expanded, and Jake’s Fireworks made renovations to the Superior Industries building. But they were not alone.
Vietti’s Body Shop constructed a new building along Fourth Street. Red Giant Oil put up new oil tanks. Crawford County Health Department completed an expansion.
Perhaps the biggest project in 2012 was the beginning of the new surgery center at Via Christi Hospital.
Although the building permits have increased, Huyett said there’s no reason to believe they will go down so quickly. First of all, Atkinson Industries will have an expansion in 2013, and the Community Health Center-Southeast Kansas construction will also go down in 2013 books.
Unfortunately, the major construction projects at Pittsburg State (Center for the Arts, Event Center, Overman Student Center renovation) will not count on the valuation. State-owned property does not count for the city.
“A lot of these had the possibility on the drawing board, and they’d been talked about for a lot of years,” Huyett said. “When funds were available to do that, they started. Some had private donations with benefactors, too.”
But the spike in building permits and valuation don’t all come from commercial properties.
There was a mild increase in single family housing units from the last two years, as well as a five-year high in valuation.
Duplexes also saw their best year in five years by valuation, and multi-family housing units also hit nearly $3.4 million in valuation.
The largest spike in building permits, a 200-permit increase over the next highest year, was in the “other buildings and structures” category.
“It was basically a year for maintenance-type items that you have to pull permits on. That includes garages and other buildings,” Huyett said.
There’s good news in the local economy.
Based on data shared at last week’s Pittsburg City Commission meeting, the number of total building permits have reached a five-year high, with valuation of those permits also reaching a five-year high.
The data cover the five years from 2008-2012. The number of building permits in 2012 were the highest since 2008, when the city had 552 building permits. That amounts to nearly a 43 percent jump.
Furthermore, the valuation for those building permits amount to nearly $26 million ($25.931 million). That’s well above the highest valuation in the last five years, and the only time in five years that the total valuation has been more than $20 million.
“A lot of that had to do with some rather large commercial remodel projects that came up. That includes Masonite and Jake’s Fireworks. That’s why we spiked in valuation the way we did,” said Andy Huyett, city buildings officer.
Masonite expanded, and Jake’s Fireworks made renovations to the Superior Industries building. But they were not alone.
Vietti’s Body Shop constructed a new building along Fourth Street. Red Giant Oil put up new oil tanks. Crawford County Health Department completed an expansion.
Perhaps the biggest project in 2012 was the beginning of the new surgery center at Via Christi Hospital.
Although the building permits have increased, Huyett said there’s no reason to believe they will go down so quickly. First of all, Atkinson Industries will have an expansion in 2013, and the Community Health Center-Southeast Kansas construction will also go down in 2013 books.
Unfortunately, the major construction projects at Pittsburg State (Center for the Arts, Event Center, Overman Student Center renovation) will not count on the valuation. State-owned property does not count for the city.
“A lot of these had the possibility on the drawing board, and they’d been talked about for a lot of years,” Huyett said. “When funds were available to do that, they started. Some had private donations with benefactors, too.”
But the spike in building permits and valuation don’t all come from commercial properties.
There was a mild increase in single family housing units from the last two years, as well as a five-year high in valuation.
Duplexes also saw their best year in five years by valuation, and multi-family housing units also hit nearly $3.4 million in valuation.
The largest spike in building permits, a 200-permit increase over the next highest year, was in the “other buildings and structures” category.
“It was basically a year for maintenance-type items that you have to pull permits on. That includes garages and other buildings,” Huyett said.
