Rapid City building permits high in August

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Construction is on the up in Rapid City as August had the third-most monthly building permits with the fifth-highest monthly valuation since 2000.

The City’s Building Services Division issued 889 permits with a valuation total of $48,365,367, according to a press release sent out by the city Thursday. From last year, building permits increased by 71%. In August 2019, Rapid City issued 520 building permits with a value of $24,195,581.

This month ranks well due to Samuelson Development, LLC building the Tallgrass apartments on Philadelphia Street, which costs $7,150,000. Other activity includes Monument Health hospital’s fifth-floor build-out on Fairmont Boulevard costing $4.2 million or Dakota Star Federal Credit Union’s facility work on E. St. Patrick Street costing $1.2 million.

So far, Rapid City issued 3,296 building permits with a total valuation of $158,415,670. For the first seven months of 2019, the City issued 2,436 permits with a valuation total of $141,282,736.

“There was a lot of activity at City Hall in August,” said City Community Development Director Ken Young. “A lot of work with home repairs, but we also were pleased with a good number of larger projects, namely permits taken out for the building of apartment complexes.”

The City issued 11 permits last month with a total permit valuation in excess of $1 million each last month. Also, roofing permits remained steady with nearly 700 of the 889 issued permits applied to residential (683) roofing with a total valuation of $8.3 million.

“In our previous record-setting months, there was always one major mega-project that led the way,” Young said. “This past month, there were a number of notable projects but it was a buildup of activity across the board.”

TOP MONTHS OF BUILDING PERMIT VALUATION (Since January 2000)

November 2019: $123,469,502 (Civic Center Arena - $111.5 million)
January 2018: $97,566,028 (Rapid City Regional (Monument) Health Phase II Construction - $92.5 million)
March 2016: $62,679,361 (Black Hills Corporation for national headquarters Horizon Point - $45.8 million)
August 2017: $54,847,635 (Rapid City Regional (Monument) Health expansion - $38 million)
AUGUST 2020: $48,365,367 (Samuelson Development’s Tallgrass Apartments - $7.15 million)