2020 building permits boast $19.5M in valuation
By:
Keeley Meier, staff writer
Keeley Meier/BV Journal
Building inspector Paul Clarke cites self-storage construction or expansions, such as Town & Country’s, to be some of Brandon’s bigger construction projects in 2021, for which permits were issued in 2020.
2020 may have been a tough year in many respects, but for the number of building permits issued in Brandon, it was a banner year compared to the previous two years.
“I think we had a spectacular construction year,” said Paul Clarke, Brandon’s building official and code enforcement officer.
A total of 506 building permits were issued in 2020, boasting a valuation of $19,577,056. This figure is up from 375 permits issued in 2019, which sported a valuation of $12,166,739.
By the numbers
Fifty-four commercial building permits were issued in Brandon for a total of over $8 million, and 50 residential permits totaling $8.5 million were granted. This included 49 single-family residential permits and one 4-plex permit, which is a slight increase over the 44 commercial and 36 residential permits that were issued in 2019. The valuation totals for 2019 for commercial and residential permits were $3.96 million and $6.1 million, respectively.
“Brandon is a growing community; we’ve got a population that’s increasing every year, and that leads to more residential [permits],” Clarke said.
In terms of the increased valuation of commercial building permits for 2020, Clarke cites some of the bigger construction projects such as the city’s multiple industrial parks, the I-90 Plaza, 9th Street Storage and Olson Contractors Storage Lot, to name just a few.
“To me, it’s a healthy, economic construction community,” Clarke said. “We welcome builders—like from Sioux Falls who want to come into Brandon. And we’ve adopted the same codes [Sioux Falls] has.”
No garage permits were applied for or given out this year, which is down from the three issued last year, and no raze permits were requested—also down from the single permit issued the year prior.
There were 71 permits issued for additions and remodels—the valuation of which comes to around $1.2 million. In 2019, 50 addition and remodel permits came in at a total of $887,000.
Permits for decks, patios, sheds, fences, concrete pads, re-shingling, re-siding, pools and signs totaled 331. The combined valuation reached $1.6 million. This number also increased from 2019, which totaled 241 permits at a valuation of $1.2 million.
“We’re not going to be a stagnant community because Sioux Falls is such a booster for [us],” Clarke said. “We’re always open for business and to entertain new projects.”
