Area permit values up 23.2% in October

A $2.7 million project by OG&E and a $2.2 million permit for Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant helped push the October value of Fort Smith building permits up more than 55%.

The value of permits issued during October in Fort Smith, Greenwood and Van Buren totaled $16.656 million, up 23.2% compared to October 2010. For the first 10 months of 2011, the value of building permits in the three cities total $181.299 million, up almost 80% compared to the $101.179 million in the 2010 period.

FORT SMITH
Building permit values in Fort Smith during October totaled $12.707 million, up 55.2% compared to October 2010.

In addition to the OG&E work (2900 N. 54th St.) and Buffalo Wild Wing (6550 Rogers Ave.), housing permits helped push permit values higher. The city issued 22 new home permits valued at $4.954 million, up from 11 permits valued at $2.73 million in October 2010.

During the first 10 months of 2011, permit values in Fort Smith totaled $160.768 million, more than double the $69.816 million in the 2010 period.

In 2010, Fort Smith officials issued permits valued at $114.77 million, compared to $138.946 million in 2009.

GREENWOOD
October permits issued in Greenwood totaled $1.368 million, down more than 68% compared to the $4.362 million in October 2010.

The October 2010 report included $2.083 million in new residential permits, compared to $715,920 comparable permits in October.

For the first 10 months of 2011, permit totals in Greenwood reached $7.335 million, down 30.5% compared to the same period of 2010.

Greenwood officials in 2010 issued permits valued at $18.258 million, up 21.6% over the $15.008 million in all of 2009.

VAN BUREN
Van Buren issued $2.16 million in new residential permits to boost October permit totals to $2.581 million, up considerably over the $969,500 during October 2010.

Permit totals in Van Buren for the first 10 months of 2011 were $13.196 million, down 57.6% compared to the 2010 period.

Van Buren officials issued building permits valued at $21.33 million in 2010, up 116% compared to all of 2009. The bulk of the 2010 permit value came from the $13.587 million permit for construction of the new King Elementary. Without the King permit, permit values would have declined 21.5% in 2010 compared to 2009.