New single-family construction in the City of Yakima rose by more than 50 percent last year. That is among building permit statistics for the City in 2018 compared to 2017.

There were 144 new single-family homes permitted in Yakima during 2018, with a combined estimated valuation of $34,254,140. In 2017, there were 90 permits issued for new single-family homes with a combined estimated valuation of $21,797,069.

“These are encouraging signs of growth for the City of Yakima,” said City Councilmember Jason White, who chairs the Council’s Economic Development Committee. “Hopefully, we can sustain this trend through 2019.”

Other areas of notable construction growth in 2018 included:

• Permits for duplexes rose from 16 in 2017 to 35 in 2018, with estimated valuation increasing from $4,000,454 to $9,951,757.
• Permits for new commercial construction climbed from 60 in 2017 to 71 last year. The estimated valuation also rose from $27,675,378 to $39,163,347 in 2018.
• The total number of permits issued in 2018 was 1,224 with combined valuation of $112,279,486. Both figures are well above overall 2017 numbers of 1,127 permits valued at $81,457,182.

“I believe part of the growth success is from the Permit Center in Code Administration,” said Code Administration Manager Joe Caruso. “The objective is meeting and working with architects, builders and residents for a transparent application process from the permit issue stage to the project breaking ground. The Permit Center has received many accolades for exceptional service of which we are proud.”

Building permit statistics for 2018 and previous years are available on the City of Yakima’s Building Permit Portal website at  www.buildingyakima.com/public/documentsview