Lonsdale issues $29.6 million worth of building permits in 2004

By Wade Young

Montgomery Messenger

The city of Lonsdale grew more last year when they issued more than 346 building permits in 2004.

The permits, worth $29.6 million, are a marked increase from the 305 building permits issued in 2003 worth $21.1 million.

Intern City Planner Tom Washa has worked for Lonsdale for two years and has seen the sharp increase in the number of permits issued.

He said Janet Jirik, the city office manager who actually issues the permits, has stayed very busy, especially with the new home construction permits.

The total permits broken down were for:

New home construction - $27.7 million

Building permits - $764,913.

Commercial - $1.1 million

City - $39,800.

Of the 346 building permits issued for Lonsdale, 159 of them were for new housing construction with 148 for single-family homes and 11 for townhomes or a triplex.

The city’s growth in new homes has shown a marked increase in the past three years. In 2001 only 65 new home permits were issued. In the previous decade, from 1990 to 2000, the city issued 160 total new home building permits.

Washa credited the Lonsdale attraction to two important factors that drew people to the community.

“Lonsdale is a nice place to live,” he said. “It has the small town feel that you don’t get in the suburbs, and it’s cheaper than living in the metro area.”

The report was given to the Lonsdale City Council at its reorganizational meeting January 3, 2005. The report also showed that Lonsdale approved 979 total buildable lots as of January 1, 2005. Of those lots, 546 were vacant. The city has 225 proposed, concept or preliminary lots to be approved this year.

As for 2005, Washa said the city is already ahead of last year’s permits for the first month of the year, thanks in part to the warm winter the area has received.