County permit values increase
Ferris work tops Spokane’s list
Kootenai County and Spokane County both saw bumps in total building permit values for 2011.
Spokane County’s total permit value grew the fastest, rising from $185 million in 2010 to $245 million in 2011.
Kootenai County enjoyed a modest increase, up from $154.3 million to $159.5 million in total permit values in 2011. Modest gains were seen in Kootenai County both for residential and commercial permits, according to data aggregator Construction Monitor.
Unlike Kootenai and Spokane counties, the city of Spokane saw a drop in permit values, from $252 million to $236 million in 2011.
The city’s new construction category took a major dip, from $153.9 million to $115.3 million in 2011.
The single largest permit issued by the city in 2011 was for the $29 million modernization at Ferris High School. In 2010 the largest permit for the city was $84 million for the city-county wastewater treatment facility.
According to Construction Monitor, the city of Spokane saw a drop in single-family home permits issued, from 165 in 2010 to 155 in 2011. The total value of those new home permits, however, came to roughly the same year over year; 2010’s home permits were $35.8 million, and 2011’s were $35.3 million.
But for apartments and condos, 2011 was a year of increased activity in the city. In 2010 the city issued just one apartment or condo permit, valued at $455,000. In 2011 that number surged to 12 permits with a total value of $39 million. Those 12 apartment complex permits accounted for 433 housing units, according to the city of Spokane’s permit records.
The largest single value permit in 2011 was issued by Spokane County, for the $42.7 million Caterpillar production facility on the West Plains.
Cheney and Liberty Lake also reported total permit value gains, while Deer Park’s total fell, according to Construction Monitor.
Their totals were:
• Cheney: $41.5 million in 2010; $45.5 million in 2011.
• Liberty Lake: $22.1 million in 2010; $27 million in 2011.
• Deer Park: $7.1 million in 2010; $4.5 million in 2011.