Joplin building permits take big jump in May
Jun. 12—Large projects drove up building permits in May for the city of Joplin.
Construction in May came to $30.3 million for the city, and brought the total for the fiscal year to nearly $85.9 million. The city's fiscal year runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31.
Menards filed three permits valued at nearly $9.5 million. That included an $8.5 million permit for property at 3317 S. Geneva Ave. for the Menards store. A second permit at that address for $812,000 is for a storage outbuilding and a third for $150,000 is for a gatehouse at the entrance and exit to the lumber supply yard. No date has been given for the start of construction.
The site is part of the 32nd Street Place development, north of Sam's Club and west of Hammons Boulevard.
Last year, Springfield-based Ross Construction filed $34.5 million in permits for new apartments from 3301 to 3329 S. Hammons Blvd., which is also part of a $188 million mixed-use, retail and residential development.
The 32nd Street Place is a 75-acre site on 32nd Street east of Range Line Road that is being developed by Woodsonia Joplin LLC. That company has relocated the former BKD accounting office that was on the property acquired by the developer. The accounting business was moved to a remodeled building south of Sam's Club. The developer has rebuilt and reconfigured Hammons Boulevard, and is working on a $33.6 million movie theater plan with B&B Theatres chain. No permit has been filed for the theaters.
The largest single contract was $8.9 million for work at 7331 N. Highway 43, for a new building at the Joplin Regional Airport, used for storage and equipment.
Bart Starkey, airport manager, said it will be for the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter Station, as well as for snow removal and equipment, with work projected to begin in the spring of 2024 and wrap up that fall.
The city of Joplin also filed three permits valued at nearly $4 million combined for work at 3457 W. Eddy Lane, site of the Turkey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Earlier this year, the city approved a construction agreement with McClanahan Construction for an equipment building for the plant. The building is to include solar panels, and the contract also sets out several repairs that are to be made to other parts of the plant.
Other large permits in May included:
—More than $1.8 million by Schuber Mitchell Homes for 10 homes around the city.
—$1 million by Jasper County Sheltered Facilities for improvements to its property at 809 S. Illinois Ave.
Ryan Melton, president and CEO of Community Support Services, said the organization hopes to begin work this summer on the former Vatterott College location, renovating its 30,000 square feet, which will allow it to more than double the number of people served with its day program. It also will house some back office and administrative services.
So far this fiscal year, 61 permits have been filed for new homes, with the total value of those permits at more than $16.5 million, or a value of nearly $271,000 per new home.
Year to date
Other large city projects permitted this fiscal year include:
—$11 million, filed by WestRock, a global company that specializes in packaging, for a commercial addition to its plant at 4200 E. 32nd St.
—$4.3 million for commercial improvement for the Target store at 3151 E. Seventh St.
—$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.
Construction pace
The $85.9 million in permits Joplin hit in the first seven months of its fiscal year (Nov. 1, 2022, to May 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.
The figures reflect only construction taking place inside the city limits.
