By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The housing and commercial building markets in Alabaster slowed slightly in the first month of 2018 compared to January 2017, according to data recently released by the Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division.

City Council members reviewed the report for January during a Feb. 26 meeting.

The Planning and Safety Division issued three permits for new homes during the first month of this year for projects valued at a total of $988,178, compared to seven such permits in January 2017 for projects valued at a total of about $1.5 million.

There also were fewer residential addition and remodel permits issued through the end of January compared to the previous year.

The city issued 12 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of $134,001 in January of this year compared to 23 such permits last January for projects valued at a total of $695,022.

In the commercial sector, the city issued the same number of new building permits this January as it did last January, but the scope of the project was down.

This January, the city issued one permit for a new commercial building valued at $535,360, and issued one new commercial building permit last January for a project valued at $745,099.

Commercial addition and remodel projects were up in number and value this January compared to last January, according to the report.

At the end of January 2018, the city had issued four commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of $293,488, compared to two such permits last January for projects valued at a total of $189,790.

Alabaster is coming off its strongest commercial building year in several years, and appears to be on track to match the numbers this year, according to the early data.