Midland issues $107M in building permits in one week

MIDLAND – A number of major construction projects completed the approval process at the same time, helping the city of Midland issue $107.5 million in building permits during the week of June 17, 2013.

“It was a good week,” said Steve Thorpe, city building official. He said approval for final plans allowed construction to begin on the projects.

Among the permits issued:

• W.E. Bellows received a $57.8 million permit to begin construction of Pioneer Natural Resources’ new office building at 3617 N. Big Spring St.
• CF Jordan Construction received a $15 million permit for two new office buildings totaling 110,000 sf in Fasken Oil & Ranch’s Vineyard development at 6301 Holiday Hill Rd.
• The city issued a $14.8 million permit to Schlumberger for construction at 7220 W. I-20 and a $6 million permit for a new Candlewood Suites at 110 W. Longview Ave.
• MW Builders of Texas took out a $5.8 million permit to renovate a building at 3510 N. A St. for Midland Shared Spaces.
• Kent Oil received a $2 million permit to build a new Kent Kwik at 1709 Rankin Hwy.
• Aztec A-1 Storage received a $1.3 million permit for new storage units at 1219 S. Midland Dr.

He expects this week to be another big week for his department.

“We just talked with Chevron,” he said about permits for the company’s $100 million campus west of the Scharbauer Sports Complex.

Thorpe said the city doesn’t keep track of weekly totals so he wasn’t certain if last week’s $107 million was a record. He said that through the end of May, the city had issued $178 million in building permits, compared to $157 million during the same period last year.

Application fees cover his department’s operating expenses, and any excess is turned over to the city’s general revenue fund.

“So in a roundabout way we’re helping lower the tax burden,” Thorpe said.