July 1, 2021

Building activity in Sioux Falls for the first half of the year is just shy of a half-billion dollars.

Through the first six months of the year, building permits totaled $492.2 million, compared with $286.1 million in 2020. For the same time in 2019, they added up to $350.5 million.

Butch Warrington, the city’s chief building official, noted that in 2012, the total construction value for the entire year was $490.5 million.

“This has been surpassed in six months only nine years later. Amazing!” he said.

“Depending on what the second half of 2021 brings, this could be the first year of over a billion dollars in total construction value.”

New commercial construction is almost twice as much as a year ago at $173.5 million, compared with $90.2 million. Two years ago, it was at $114.6 million.

New residential construction also is booming at $166.5 million, compared with $107.6 million for the first half of 2020 and $108.1 million two years ago. That represents 475 new single-family homes, compared with 330 for the same time last year and 340 in 2019.

Apartment construction, which falls under the commercial category, continues to climb, with permits issued for 1,031 units. It was at 284 units last year and 338 in 2019.

Major projects that were issued permits in June include a FedEx distribution center and maintenance garage in Foundation Park for $27.1 million and The Slate at Harvest Creek apartment complex near 57th Street and Veterans Parkway for $17.5 million. That project includes 118 units in 17 buildings, ranging in size from fourplexs to 12-unit structures.

Smithfield Foods was issued a permit for $6.2 million to build a wastewater treatment building at its campus on Weber Avenue.