By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The numbers in Alabaster’s first housing market report for 2017 seem to indicate a continuing rise, as several categories are up compared to the same time period from last year.

The Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division recently issued its first report of 2017, outlining the residential and commercial building permits the city issued in January.

In the residential sector, the city issued seven new home building permits for projects valued at a total of about $1.54 million. The number and valuation was up slightly over last year, as the city issued six permits for projects valued at a total of about $1.4 million in January 2016.

The strong new home showing in January of this year bodes well for the city’s home-building market, which has seen a steady increase every year since taking a plunge during the 2008 global financial crisis.

The biggest increase over last year came in the residential and remodel category, where the Planning and Safety Division issued a total of 23 permits for projects valued at a total of $695,022. Through the first month of 2016, the city had issued a total of 13 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of $197,722.

In the commercial sector, the city issued one new commercial building permit in January for a project valued at $745,099. In comparison, the city had not issued any new commercial building permits through the end of January 2016.

Alabaster’s new commercial building market has varied over the last several years. After peaking at 76 in 2013, the city saw six in 2014, nine in 2015 and 13 last year.

The only area to come in lower than last year was the commercial addition and remodel category. Through the end of January this year, the city had issued two such permits for projects valued at a total of $189,790, compared to six permits for projects valued at a total of $197,722.