By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster’s number of new homes and commercial buildings continued to post strong showings through the first nine months of the year, and is nearly on par with last year’s high numbers.

City Council members reviewed the Alabaster Fire Department’s Planning and Safety Division report through the end of September during its Oct. 15 meeting.

The AFD issued permits for three new homes in September for projects valued at a total of about $1.3 million. Those three homes brought the city’s year-to-date number at the end of September to 52 new home permits for projects valued at a total of about $16.4 million.

In comparison, the city had issued 64 new home permits for projects valued at a total of about $18.3 million through the first nine months of 2017.

Alabaster’s number of residential addition and remodel permits is higher than last year’s number, but the value of the projects is down slightly compared with last year.

Through the end of September, Alabaster had issued 247 residential addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $3 million. Through the first nine months of 2017, the city had issued 210 such permits for projects valued at a total of about $3.5 million.

On the commercial side of the equation, the city matched its number of new buildings from last year at 13, but the value of those buildings was $7.8 million compared to $8.3 million during the first nine months of last year.

Commercial addition and remodel permits continued to be up significantly in value from 2017.

Through Sept. 30, the Planning and Safety Division had issued 30 commercial addition or remodel permits for projects valued at a total of about $13.5 million. During the same time period last year, the city had issued 32 such permits for projects valued at a total of about $4 million.