By Patrick Yeagle
More people remodeled buildings in Springfield at the start of this year compared with last January, according to data from the City of Springfield.
While new construction of both residential and commercial buildings fall slightly this January over the same time last year, the decline was far outpaced by the increase in remodels.
A summary report released by the city's Building and Zoning Department on Feb. 7 showed the total number of permits for new construction, remodeling, additions and other projects totaled 130 in January, compared with 106 in January 2016. Only one new home construction permit was issued this January, and no new commercial projects were approved. Last January saw two new residential permits and two new commercial construction permits.
The data appear to show that while more remodeling projects were approved this January over last, the projects tended to be smaller in scale. Revenue for the 130 permits issued in January 2017 totaled $17,493, an average of about $135 per permit. That's a large decrease from the $91,065 generated in January 2016 for only 106 permits, an average of $851 per permit. Combining all permit types - including building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition and more - January 2017 saw 433 permits issued for a total of $67,369 in revenue. By comparision, January 2016 saw only 20 more permits at 453, but revenue for those permits was $128,182 - nearly twice the January 2107 total.
Contact Patrick Yeagle at patrick@springfieldbusinessjournal.com.
