New construction permits for single-family homes in St. Tammany Parish for the month of April were up 80 percent compared to April 2012. Last month's number are the highest for any month since March of 2008, and the highest for any April since 2007, parish officials said. In April of this year, the parish issued 99 permits for single-family...
New construction permits for single-family homes in St. Tammany Parish for the month of April were up 80 percent compared to April 2012. Last month's number are the highest for any month since March of 2008, and the highest for any April since 2007, parish officials said.
St. Tammany Parish government complex on Koop Drive north of Mandeville. In April of this year, the parish issued 99 permits for single-family home construction, compared to 55 in 2012. Through April of this year, 313 permits were been issued. For all of 2012, 736 permits were issued to build single family homes.
Parish statistics show that since 1999, the highest number of single family permits issue in any one year was in 2004 when 2,920 were given out.
Commercial construction permits for April of this year were up 160 percent from April of 2012 and are currently at a three-year high. The parish gave out 42 permits last month compared to 16 in April of 2012. The commercial permits for last month were up 50 percent from March, when 28 were issued, according to parish statistics.
The parish has issued 105 commercial permits through April of this year. For all of 2012, the parish issued 246. In 2005, St. Tammany issued 561 permits for commercial construction, the highest since 1999, the start of the parish's statistical chart.
Parish officials say the latest numbers are strong evidence that economic activity in St. Tammany is on the rise and that the parish has moved beyond the sluggish national economy and other challenges.
"We have been working to increase economic growth in the parish and these numbers indicate we are on the right path," Parish President Pat Brister said.
While St. Tammany will continue to support and encourage growth, Brister said the parish must also continue to protect the natural environment that is a vital component of the quality of life residents have come to expect.
She said the permit numbers show that developers and investors have confidence in the future and direction of the parish's economic development climate. "After several hurricanes, an oil spill, an enormous fish kill, and the national economy faltering, St. Tammany has turned a corner on recovery," Brister said.
Economic development has been a main focus of the Brister administration and major part of its second year agenda.
"The quality of our workforce, our quality of life, our strategic location, and much more make this parish the perfect place for entrepreneurs to start, relocate or expand their businesses," Brister said. "When businesses are looking to grow, St. Tammany is the fertile ground where they can succeed."