Ponca City development increased in 2013

Today is one of the last days of 2013, and needless to say Ponca City had its best year economically in along time.

I spoke with Ponca City development services director, Chris Henderson about how this years growth compares.

He said in the 13 years he has been on the job they haven’t issued this many permits.

“We still have a month to go and we have issued $31,700,000 in new construction permits,” Henderson said.

It’s only been more than $30 million a couple times, development had decreased because of the recession.

Henderson said permits issued have remained in the $20 million mark and sunk as low as $9 million in 2010.

Henderson said the best way to measure the health of the economy is new residential construction.

“Again it was just creeping along at just 2 or 3 permits a year, and partially due to our housing improvement program we actually issued 12 single family permits in 2013, which is equal to the same amount of permits the last four years," Henderson said

Henderson said Ponca City is healthy and trending upward.

He said the two largest projects to 2012 were the Waverly Estates senior housing and the Consolidated Oil Well project.

Both of these cost more than $5 million.