Rochester construction work picking up

Rochester home builders had their busiest month since last summer in May

as they took out 35 permits for new single family homes.  And construction workers involved in commercial projects were also busy.

The city has issued 113 permits for new single family homes so far this year, down 16 from the same period a year ago.  But a spokesman for the Building Safety Department says applications for more permits have been steady.

Several permits for large commercial projects were approved last month, including one for a new Staybridge Motel near the Costco store.

That was valued at $8 million.  A $7 million permit was approved for the Scheels store that is replacing the Sears outlet at Apache Mall. It covered the shell work of the store.  Another $7 million permit for the finish work is under review.  A $3 million permit for the Charter project at the IBM site was also approved.   And a nearly $8 million permit for the city’s new fire station was approved.  The Rochester School District also took out several large permits as it adds space to existing buildings for its all-day kindergarten program.