2/15/2021 11:44:00 AM City issued 15 home permits in 2020
Jimmy’s Salad Dressings & Dips, a longtime Stewartville business, is in the process of relocating to 1500 Second Avenue Northwest, above, a building previously occupied by Halcon, a local manufacturer of high-quality furniture. At the same time, Halcon is moving to 1711 Second Avenue Northwest, Jimmy’s longtime location.
Even as the construction of Flats 55, Stewartville's new 55-unit apartment complex, made headlines in 2020, local builders were busy putting up a good number of residential dwellings as well. Cheryl Roeder, city clerk, said last week the city issued 15 new home construction permits in 2020, up from the six permits the city handed out for new homes in both 2018 and 2019. By comparison, the city issued permits for 14 new homes in 2009, 18 in 2008 and 20 in 2007. The numbers were even higher earlier in the 2000s, when the city typically gave out 40 to 50 permits for new homes each year. Especially considering the construction occurred during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 15 new homes is an impressive number, Roeder said. Joya Stetson and Lexi Williams of Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA), work with the city's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to support existing businesses and attract new companies to Stewartville. "Joya and Lexi are fielding calls every day and meeting with people interested in Stewartville," Roeder said. "I can only assume that is going to continue." Agreements and improvements: Jimmy's Salad Dressings & Dips, GEOTEK and Halcon, three longtime Stewartville businesses, continued to improve their facilities in 2020, Roeder said. Tom Slightam, president and owner of Jimmy's, said in August Jimmy's reached an agreement to exchange properties with Halcon... For more on this story pick up your copy of the Feb. 16 Stewartville STAR.
