Sep. 18—New housing continues to help drive construction in Joplin, according to city building permits in August.

There were 25 permits for new homes filed last month, valued at nearly $5.4 million.

Other units also are being built, including condominiums in a historic downtown building.

In all, August permits reflect at least $15.4 million in construction, bringing the total for the city's fiscal year to more than $115 million. The fiscal year runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31, and is for construction taking place inside the city limits.

Large permits in August include:

—$3.4 million for new commercial at 548 N. Cattleman Drive, by O'Reilly Development.

The Springfield-based company has handled other large projects in Joplin, including an affordable housing complex aimed specifically at providing housing and support services for income-limited residents and veterans with special needs called Forest Park North Apartments at 2801 S. Adele Ave. The project included 40 apartments, an office and community building. The company also built Wildwood Senior Living retirement community.

—$1.7 million for renovation of a historic building at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Virginia Avenue. The two-story building will be turned into eight condominiums, each a minimum of 2,000 square feet, plus parking. There also will be two other smaller units that will be short-term rentals.

Jeff Neal and Neal Group Construction are doing the renovation work, which is expected to be completed in 2024.

Jennifer Longnecker, one of the partners, said the permit is part of an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million investment in the building, which is 28,000 square feet, and includes a car elevator from its former days as a car dealership for the now defunct Paige-Detroit Motorcar Co., a maker of luxury automobiles that went out of business in the late 1920s.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of a historic downtown district, Longnecker said, and it's one of the oldest buildings downtown.

It began life as the Southern Livery Co., owned by Frank Hollcroft, in 1900, offering services to travelers who arrived in Joplin via railroads or streetcars and who needed a horse or buggy, or for those who rode or came by buggy into town. It later was used as a downtown parking garage and also by Hertz Rental Car company, but it has been unused commercially for several years.

In all, 122 permits for new homes valued at $26.8 million have been filed for new homes in Joplin, or about $220,000 per home.

—$1 million for an addition to a truck car wash at 3101 S. Beacon Ave. in Joplin, off of 32nd Street.

An application for an $8.7 million for new apartments on South Moffet Avenue was filed in August, but the owner on Monday said the project is not moving forward at this point.

Year to date

Other large commercial projects permitted this fiscal year for Joplin include:

—$11 million, filed by West-Rock, a global company that specializes in packaging, for a commercial addition to its plant at 4200 E. 32nd St.

—$9.5 million, filed by Menards for 3317 S. Geneva Ave. The permits include a store, a storage outbuilding and a gatehouse at the entrance and exit to the lumber supply yard. The site is part of the 32nd Street Place development, north of Sam's Club and west of Hammons Boulevard.

—$8.9 million for work at 7331 N. Highway 43 for a new building at the Joplin Regional Airport, used for storage and equipment.

—$4.3 million for commercial improvement for the Target store at 3151 E. Seventh St.

—$4 million for work at 3457 W. Eddy Lane, site of the Turkey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

—$2.9 million by Ledford Construction, which included eight permits for duplexes on Kenser Court, on the south side of 32nd Street, close to Flying J.

—$2.8 million for a single-family home on Cambridge Road.

—$2.6 million by Owens Corning for a plant expansion at 1983 State Line Road.

—$2 million for a new car wash at 1626 W. Seventh St. that will be west of the new Starbucks property, formerly MoJo Burgers.

—$1.9 million for new commercial construction at 1949 S. Snowberry Lane, home of Turnaround Ranch. Freeman Health System and Ozark Center, its behavioral health services branch, recently opened Hope Cottage at Turnaround Ranch, a residential treatment program for teens. The 5,908-square-foot Hope Cottage, resembling a single-family home, provides a safe and comfortable place to live for adolescents, with emphasis placed on privacy and safety, according to Freeman officials. Each resident has his or her private bedroom, along with individual-use restrooms and showers. The cottage's center is an open area with seating and an atrium. Turnaround Ranch also houses a school, a gymnasium, a family center and outdoor recreation areas. Two additional cottages are planned.

Construction pace

The $125 million in permits Joplin hit in the first 10 months of its fiscal year — Nov. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023 — is slower than in recent years.

Construction in the city hit $224.5 million for the fiscal year that ran from Nov. 1, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2022, according to city building permit records. In the previous fiscal year — Nov. 1, 2020, to Oct. 31, 2021 — building permits for Joplin reflected $168.2 million in construction. Total building in Joplin the year prior, which ended Oct. 31, 2020, came to nearly $246 million.