Tyler, East Texas cities see building boom

TYLER – Business is booming for many cities across East Texas. Cranes in Tyler are working on the Smith County jail, Fair parking garage and Tyler Junior College nursing building.

The Tyler Junior College plans to build a new dorm facility near the completed nursing building, and plan to start work on an energy center on their West Tyler Campus. Both the Tyler Junior College and downtown Tyler projects have completion dates this year.

Information from the City of Tyler shows there’s a bit of building boom going on in the city. In 2013, there were 64 new commercial building permits issued, a 20 percent increase from 2012.

The growth not only applies to Tyler, but to the East Texas region, including Longview and Kilgore, according to Tom Mullins with the Tyler Economic Development Corporation.

He said he expects the growth in 2014 to meet or exceed last year’s numbers.