Construction up in Bryan-College Station

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The number of building permits issued by Bryan and College Station rose by about 600 this year over 2011, indicating that construction activity is increasing locally.

New developments, such as the Scott & White Hospital in College Station and the Pendleton Place Apartments in Bryan, create new venues for the community and more tax dollars for the cities. The permits  — which include new commercial and residential construction — are how the cities approve the developments.

The City of Bryan was just shy of having issued 4,000 permits for 2012 through the month of November. That figure includes home-improvement projects and demolitions.

In 2011, there were 3,700. The increased amount of construction has resulted in $115 million in permit values within the city, an approximate $35 million increase from 2011.

While College Station has increased its number of permits, Bob Cowell, the city’s executive director for planning and development, expects the permit values to remain about the same.

There were about 1,200 permits with $228 million in permit values in 2011 and 1,500 for $204 million in permit values in 2012. Those figures only include what Cowell described as building permits.

There were 382 single-family residential permits worth $51 million in 2011 compared to 514 single-family residential permits worth $72 million in 2012.