Biloxi has issued an average of nearly $4 million in construction permits a week over the past several years, and this week stands to be a milestone, according to figures issued by the city’s Community Development Department.
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“This week alone we’ve issued $15 million in construction projects, which includes permits for apartment complexes on Motsie Road and on Woolmarket Road,” Community Development Director Jerry Creel said.
“Considering the national economic outlook these days, the fact is, when you look at the overall figures for the past several years and what we’re seeing this year, we’re very fortunate.”
The numbers reflect total valuation of all construction permits – residential and commercial – and the figures are generally conservative. Said Creel: “We usually run into cases where contractors will try to keep the valuation low in hopes of keeping the permit cost low.”
Creel admitted that the $422 million in permits issued in 2007, double any of the past six years, was buoyed by construction at the Margaritaville resort on Point Cadet. “But,” he added, “we also issued permits for two apartment complexes that year – Landmark Apartments and McDonnell Avenue Apartments – and 2007 is the year we saw the surge in growth at the Cedar-Popp’s corridor in north Biloxi.”
For the current year, through October, the city’s Community Development Department has issued construction permits valued at $195.8 million, or $16.3 million a month and $3.76 million a week.
Added Creel: “The real story in Biloxi is that you can see some type of construction taking place in nearly all areas of the city. It’s not concentrated in one particular area.”
Recreation activities in the offing
The City of Biloxi has a trio of recreational activities taking place this weekend:
—A Thanksgiving Dance for ages 6 to 12 takes place Friday evening at the Donal M. Snyder Sr. Community Center on Pass Road.
—The City of Biloxi Parks and Recreation Department will hold registration for the Biloxi Youth Basketball on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Snyder center.
—And the 25th annual Mayor’s Cup Run through takes place in downtown Biloxi Saturday at 9 a.m.
For details on each of these events,
click here.
