Building permits highest in past decade
New Prague saw its best year in building permits in more than a decade, especially concerning single family home permits. In 2017 single family construction permits reached 56, nearly double of the 33 issued in 2016. The city also had 175 total housing units for the year, which is the highest total since the city built 307 housing units in 2003.
Planning Director Ken Ondich presented the information at the New Prague City Council's Tuesday, Jan. 16, meeting. The value of the constructed new single family home permits in 2017 increased by approximately $4,614,123 from 2016.
The average value of those new homes increased from $187,002 in 2016 to $192,593 in 2017. New Prague had a total 411 permits issued for 2017, up from 264 in 2016. That included 28 townhome permits, 42 commercial/industrial permits and 182 miscellaneous permits for decks, re-roofing, residing, garages, additions, alterations and other projects. Plus 91 multi-family (renter occupied) permits, which is for the new senior apartment complex being built along 10th Avenue SE, estimated to be completed late this year or early in 2019. The total for all those permits is $35,155,922.
The city had 42 commercial/industrial units issued in 2017, with a value of $1,687,144. While that was an increase of the 19 permits issued in 2016, the value dropped by $341,066. Accounting for the drop was that projects in 2016 included work at the New Prague Middle School and the Central Education Campus and renovations at the hospital of Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague.