Area building activity up in June

BusinessFort SmithNews on the Wire

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) July 7, 2010 9:27 am 63 views 

Building activity in the region was up in June, with the value of permits issued in Fort Smith up more than 45%.

A $3.822 million permit for work at Carnall Elementary School and a $3.4 million permit for construction of Floyd Traylor Honda at 3200 South Zero helped push total Fort Smith permit values to $17.364 million in June. The total is a up 45.1% over the $11.966 million in June 2009.

However, permit values in Fort Smith are down almost $20 million for the first half of 2010. For the first six months of 2010, building permit values in Fort Smith total $62.816 million, down 24.1% from the $82.783 million during the same period of 2009. One of the reasons for the difference is a $12 million expansion at Gerber Foods’ Fort Smith plant permitted in 2009.

Impressive gains continue in the new home construction sector. Fort Smith issued 24 permits with a total value of $5.159 million in June, up 122% over June 2009. June marked four months of year-over-year gains in the number and value of new home construction in Fort Smith.
• May 2010: $4.789 million compared to $1.716 million in May 2009
• April 2010: $4.51 million compared to $4.49 million in April 2009
• March 2010: $5.976 million compared to $2.02 million in March 2009

GREENWOOD, VAN BUREN
Greenwood permits were up 181% thanks to an unusually slow June 2009.

The city issued 5 permits with a total value of $1.264 million, up over the $450,012 on 6 permits issued in June 2009. Two multi-family permits valued at $1.2 million helped boost Greenwood’s June report.

Van Buren issued permits valued at $1.536 million in June, down 4% compared to the $1.602 million issued in June 2009. Residential construction permit values in Van Buren fell from $1.574 million in June 2009 to $1.158 million in June 2010.

Van Buren is likely to have a respectable 2010 permit total thanks to a $13.587 million permit issued for King Elementary School. During April, Van Buren officials issued permits valued at $13.965 million, compared to $1.501 million in April 2009.