By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster’s housing market is continuing the steady improvement it has seen over the past few years, thanks in large part to a surge of new home building permits issued in the city in April.

The Alabaster Department of Building Safety issued 10 new home building permits in April, accounting for nearly half of the 24 new home building permits issued in the city from January-April.

Through April, the city had issued five more new home building permits than it had during the same time period in 2014.

The valuation of the homes also saw a surge, as the 19 home permits issued during the first four months of 2014 were valued at $4.4 million. In comparison, the 24 new home permits issued so far this year are valued at $6.4 million.

April also added to the city’s strong 2015 commercial sector growth, as the Department of Building Safety issued one new commercial building permit for a project valued at more than $1 million.

Through the end of April, the city had issued a total of eight new commercial building permits valued at nearly $12.7 million. Through April 2014, the city had only issued two new commercial building permits valued at $905,330.

The number of residential addition and remodel permits have also seen a rise since last year. Through April, Alabaster had issued 83 residential addition or remodel permits valued at $680,301, compared to 25 permits valued at $487,116 through the first four months of 2014.

Alabaster has issued more commercial addition and renovation permits this year than it had last year, but the permits are valued slightly less.

At the end of April, the city had issued 33 commercial renovation permits valued at $1.8 million, compared to 11 permits valued at $2.1 million through April 2014.

In total, the Department of Building Safety had issued 498 total permits at the end of April valued at more than $22 million. At the end of April last year, the department had issued 287 total permits valued at $8.3 million.