Feb. 8, 2021

With building permits issued for 100 single-family houses in 2020, the city of Harrisburg set a record for the value of construction.

Permits totaled nearly $53 million in construction valuation.

Of that, nearly $42 million was new residential construction, up from $23.2 million in 2019 and $13.3 million in 2018. Those 100 new homes were an increase from 88 in 2019. There also were 16 new multifamily units, up from seven units in 2019.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Michael McMahon, planning and zoning officer, said in a statement. “You would think due to the pandemic all construction would have slowed, but that was not the case.”

Harrisburg also totaled $11.1 million in nonresidential construction.

“This has been the most growth our city has ever seen, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon,” McMahon said.

“Due to the low interest rates on home loans, we saw many young families decide the time was right to buy instead of continuing to rent,” he said.

The commercial activity likely will continue to build, said Jesse Fonkert, executive director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Association.

“More homes being built in Harrisburg points to further opportunity for additional commercial development,” he said. “Harrisburg’s growth will continue its record pace and the community’s leaders are well-prepared for the future. Even more big things are yet to come from this growing community.”

Out-of-state migration also was crucial in Harrisburg’s growth. The community welcomed people who are working remotely for the foreseeable future and people from states such as California, where property values can be considerably higher, who decided the time to move was now, he said.

With several residential and commercial developments in the works, early indications for this year look just as promising, he added.

“By the end of January, there were over 40 residential building permits issued, and commercial development accounted for over $10 million,” McMahon said. “These are the same numbers the city had accumulated by the end of March in 2020.”