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Houston County seeing large number of building permits approved in 2018

So far in 2018, the County has approved 99 residential permits and five commercial permits, bringing in families and $11.5 million worth of commercial investment

Houston County is seeing millions of dollars in commercial growth and a boom in housing permits.

In the start of 2018 alone, the County's seen five commercial permits worth more than $11 million and nearly 100 residential building permits.

Dan Antkowiak, his wife and his dog, moved from Bibb to Houston County in March of last year to be closer to grandchildren.

But once they got here the street filled in quickly.

“There were five houses on this street, we were the only one that was occupied, now they're all filled up,” Antkowiak says.

He says most of the neighbors are military and more homes are on the way, including two under construction right across the street.

One of Houston County's newest neighborhoods

Antkowiak says the nearby commercial growth in Bonaire helps them all.

“We moved up here there weren't as many people here, but the neighborhood has grown so fast that we really needed some more retail outlets, so the grocery store being nearby is really a big plus,” Antkowiak says.

The new Bonaire Publix is just one part of the $24 million commercial investment in the County thanks to 11 new commercial building permits since 2017.

The Publix and its shopping center accounted for more than $9 million.

From January to March of 2018, there's been 99 single family residential building permits.

Plumber Thomas Moskaly says business is good in Houston.

“We've been steady in this one neighborhood now for the last 2.5 years and I came to work in Houston County back when the economy got bad, and really Macon never has regrouped where everybody else around them building's coming back, Macon just hadn't really come back with the residential,” Moskaly says.

He gets 75 percent more work in Houston than Bibb.

In the McCarley Downs neighborhood he's helped on nearly 30 homes this year.

99 residential permits in the first quarter of 2018 is the highest the County's had to start a year since 2013 when they had 71.

In the first quarters of 2014 to 2017, they approved 43, 49, 59, and 60 permits respectively.

County Building Official Timothy Andrews says the nearly 100 residential permits this quarter is the highest he's seen since before the housing crisis nearly 10 years ago.

He said that residential growth often leads to commercial growth like the Publix shopping center.

“Again, that's an indicator of a spin off probably of the housing industry, because some of these commercial businesses are service generated businesses that provide goods and services to those single-family purchasers,” Andrews says in his office at the Houston County Annex building.

The other commercial permits approved in 2018 show that a Great Clips haircut business and nail salon are going next to the new Bonaire Publix.

There also will be a new Dollar General on Highway 341.

The other multi-million dollar commercial project is the planned expansion at Perdue Farms near Perry.

Andrews says the availability of land and public sewer in the Bonaire area is one of the reasons it’s grown and continues to grow residentially.

Moskaly told 13WMAZ a lot of his Houston County customers tell him they’re either active duty military, retired military or moving to the County for the schools.

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