At the last City Council meeting (January 23), City of Crookston Building Inspector Greg Hefta reported that the city’s construction and permit numbers had nearly doubled from the amount permitted in 2020 and even succeeded their numbers in 2019, showing the department is returning to pre-pandemic amounts.
Hefta said when the pandemic began in 2020, the city had just over $5 million worth of permittable permits and/or evaluations associated with permits, and in 2022 they have just over $10 million of permitted work done in the city. “For new single-family dwellings in 2022, there were six new units for about $1.6 million plus regarding those, and the industrial portion of the work that came in for the city was $3.8 million,” Building Inspector Greg Hefta explained. “Those two numbers were part of that $10 million current construction for the city of Crookston for the year 2022.”
At the beginning of July of 2022, Hefta reported building inspections were low for the summer in residential construction buildings, where he had only seen one new construction. But soon after, several projects at the beginning of August. “I was surprised at the interest after when there was such a quiet beginning of the year, but to be honest, that’s the nature of the game. You can’t predict what people are going to build. I’m happy for the city of Crookston, the tax base, and everybody else as they have a new residence as well,” Building Inspector Hefta explained. “There were six residential homes they individually decided to move forward with. There’s two that are going to be done on Eickof, one on 3rd Avenue North, two on 5th Avenue South, and one other one on Washington as well.” A home on Eickhof Boulevard was a modular home that was recently placed with the foundation, and site work was completed in several areas over the fall. They are currently waiting for spring to complete construction.
On the industrial side, the main project is the Ag Innovation Campus which is currently being built on Ingersoll Avenue.
With a strong end to 2022, the City of Crookston has seen an increase in permit evaluations for projects for 2023. “From the number of permits that have been taken out, I’ve already seen an increase in evaluations for what’s coming this year, but this is very early in the year, and things can change in a dime,” said Hefta. “If I had a crystal ball, I’d say it’s looking good, but let’s wait until the end of 2023 for a better view.”
With any future residential construction plans, the city has updated its fee structure requiring $50 per permit for fencing, signs, curb cuts, etc. These permits are flat fees and are not based on evaluation like other city permits. All permits must be dropped off at the Building Department Office in the back of City Hall during City Hall hours.
Pictures of two of the current constructions on Eickhof Boulevard and 5th Avenue South can be seen below-
