Park City's construction industry starts 2013 with a sharp drop
Park City | February 8, 2013
Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD
Park City in January issued building permits worth a combined $690,004, a sharp drop from the previous January as well as the figure in December, the Building Department said.
The Building Department reported it issued 55 permits in January, up from December and the previous January. The permits, though, were not nearly as valuable as those issued in the other months, signaling a slow start to the year for one of Park City's key sectors.
In January 2012, permits worth a little more than $2.3 million combined were issued. The December figure, meanwhile, sat at a little more than $4 million, a robust month for the construction industry since the recession.
The Building Department said nearly all of the dollar value of the permits issued in January was amassed through alterations and additions to residential properties. The department in January did not issue a permit for new construction projects like houses, duplexes and commercial buildings.
The department indicated it issued two permits that reached six figures — a permit valued at $180,000 for a remodel at 260 Main St. and a $120,000 permit for a remodel at 3366 Crestline Drive.
The number of electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits was mixed when compared to December and the previous January. The department's daily inspection load — 99.62 — was up from the 66.11 daily average in December but down from the 109.25 average per day recorded in January 2012.
It is difficult to project how the construction industry will fare in 2013. It seems unlikely the industry will return to the record-breaking years prior to the recession. The recession struck at a time when the industry in Park City was expected to slow anyway as the number of large development parcels dwindled.
The industry in 2012 posted $63.4 million in value, somewhat of a comeback year. The figure, though, did not approach the $100 million-plus years in the time before the recession.
The Park City Police Department last week received a series of complaints about parties, otherwise loud people or similar sorts of problems. The reports were logged as the summer-tourism season became busier in the days after the 4th of July.
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