By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster Department of Building Safety has seen tangible evidence of an improving economy throughout the first five months of 2015, as the valuation of new home and commercial building permits have doubled from the same period in 2014.

While reviewing the Department of Building Safety’s year-to-date report during a June 22 meeting, Ward 7 City Councilman Tommy Ryals said the growth in the two sectors continued through May, contributing to one of the strongest home and commercial building years Alabaster has seen since the nationwide economic downturn hit in 2007.

In May, Alabaster issued 12 new home building permits, bringing the year-to-date total to 35 new homes. The 35 new homes are valued at a total of nearly $9 million.

In comparison, the city had issued a total of 27 new home building permits valued at about $6.5 million through the first five months of 2014.

While the Department of Building Safety did not issue any new commercial building permits in May, it had issued eight new commercial building permits valued at more than $12.6 million through the end of April.

Through the first five months of 2014, the city had issued a total of two new commercial building permits valued at $905,330.

This year has also seen a significant increase in the city’s numbers of residential and commercial addition and remodel permits.

So far this year, the Department of Building Safety had issued 106 residential addition and remodel permits valued at $848,918, and had issued 39 commercial addition and remodel permits valued at more than $3 million.

In comparison, the city issued 37 residential addition and remodel permits valued at $612,046, and had issued 12 commercial addition and remodel permits valued at $2.7 million through May 2014.

In total, the Department of Building Safety had issued 618 total permits at the end of May valued at more than $26 million. At the end of May last year, the department had issued 366 total permits valued at $11.1 million.