By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The new home building market in Alabaster has seen a sharp increase so far this year compared with last year’s numbers, according to information recently released by the city’s Fire Department.

Through the end of March, the department’s planning and safety division, which was formed recently after the City Council rolled the city’s Building Safety Department under the control of the Fire Department, the city had issued 21 new home building permits.

The 21 new homes were valued at a total of more than $5.2 million. By comparison, the city had issued 14 new home building permits through the first three months of 2015 for homes valued at about $3.6 million.

“With the 21 new home permits in so far this year, we are up 50 percent from last year when we only had 14,” said Ward 7 Councilman Tommy Ryals. “The home values are in the 200,000 to 300,000 range, which is good for all of us.”

The 21 new home permits already issued this year are approaching the year-end total of 30 new home permits the city issued in 2011.

Residential addition and remodel permit numbers are down compared with last year, but the value of the projects has seen a sharp increase.

Through the end of March, the city had issued 45 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of $841,584. In 2015, the city had issued 56 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of $429,455.

The commercial sector is continuing to see a decline from last year, however.

At the end of March, Alabaster had issued permits for three new commercial buildings valued at a total of about $4.3 million. By comparison, the first three months of last year saw seven new commercial buildings valued at a total of about $11.6 million.

Commercial addition and remodel permits also are down from last year.

Through March, the city had issued 16 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at $28,081, compared with the 25 such permits for projects valued at more than $1.6 million during the same time period last year.