Auburn's Construction Projects Tops $23 Million

Article by Dave Kurtz | KPC News | February 5, 2020

AUBURN — New construction valued at more than $23 million occurred in Auburn last year, says a city report released Tuesday night.

The total includes approximately $16.4 million for residential improvements, $6.1 million for commercial improvements and $800,000 for institutional improvements, according to the Auburn Department of Building, Planning and Development.

The value of construction was 36% lower than in 2018, when new projects included two hotels and the new Community Corrections center, all on the west edge of Auburn.

The largest building projects in 2019 were the Team Quality Services corporate headquarters downtown, Culver’s restaurant, S&S Storage, Van’s operations center and Specialty Security Services on West 9th Street.

Other major construction included the Post & Miller office on C.R. 35, 1st Source Bank inside the Team Quality Services building, an addition to Feller & Clark Funeral Home and interior remodeling at the Walmart and CVS stores, the report says.

Construction permits were issued for 71 new dwelling units, including 55 single-family homes and 16 duplex units at Sunrise Apartments on East 7th Street.

“It’s been very consistent over the last several years” for single-family homes, said Amy Schweitzer, administrator of the department. The city saw 53 single-family homes built in 2018 and 57 in 2017.

This year in housing, “We kind of expect the same. The economy is good, the economy is strong,” Schweitzer told the Auburn Common Council as she delivered her report in City Hall.

The average value of new homes for 2019 was $245,000, with an average size just over 3,000 square feet, including garages and covered porch spaces, the report says. That figure declined from an average value of $264,000 for homes built in 2018.

Of the 55 single-family homes last year, 51% were built in the extra-territorial jurisdiction outside the city limits, including the Bear Creek Estates, Fawn Creek Estates, Heron Lake, and Bridgewater North subdivisions.

Among the other new homes, 29% were in the northeast quadrant of the city, and 18% were in the southeast quadrant, plus one single-family dwelling on the west side of the city.

Approximately 50 lots for single-family dwellings and 10 lots for duplexes currently are available for purchase and new construction within the city’s boundaries, Schweitzer said. These lots are in Bridgewater, Duesenberg Place, Hunters Glen, Timber Trace and Summerset Ridge.

Another 210 residential lots for single-family dwellings are available in the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction. They include 120 lots in Bridgewater North, which will be annexed to the city in June. The others include 137 in Heron Lake, 38 in Bear Creek and 16 in Fawn Creek Estates, plus 18 lots in Heron Lake for townhouses.

In commercial construction, Schweitzer said she expects to see more activity this year in the 8@69 development west of Interstate 69, near The Home Depot. Vasari Development of Fort Wayne already has obtained approval to build a medical office for Fort Wayne Orthopedics at 820 Smaltz Way, north of the Hampton Inn hotel.

Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_70eb2651-655a-50db-b3a1-54528b93cbcd.html