April showers may bring May flowers, but it looks as though the spring season has set the city of Madison up for a different type of growth.
Despite the economic effects of the pandemic, both residential and commercial growth in Madison have shown no signs of slowing down.
Sydney Byram, office manager for the city of Madison Buildings and Permits Department, said her department has been kept busy throughout the months of March and April, particularly with residential permits.
The city is on track to meet its average construction numbers for this time of year, while also continuing with various construction projects that are already underway.
“Honestly, with everybody being at home and doing more projects and whatnot, we have been pretty busy,” Byram said.
Within just the past two weeks, Byram said she received four new commercial permits.
“Commercial is still stacking up,” Byram said.
As for residential, she said they received approximately five residential plans for single family homes. “I’ve also gotten a lot of pools,” Byram said, referring to the projects residents have taken on while social distancing.
Since Byram began working for the city in 2017, she said construction costs in the city up to this point in the year fluctuate from year to year. Typically, the city could see construction totalling $350,000 to $500,000, depending on the types of projects before the city.
This year, construction costs are on par with previous years, coming in at around $350,000 so far for 2020.
With ongoing construction in Madison, projects are still on track.
In addition to the four new commercial permits the city has received, Byram said they also received a request from Malco to construct new recliner chairs in the existing building.
Earlier this year, Malco submitted a plan to construct a boutique bowling alley inside the theater’s building. However, their efforts were brought to a stop when the city denied the plans, citing a conflict with zoning.
The recent request from Malco is to place new recliner chairs in the place of the proposed bowling alley.
Demolition is nearly complete at the site of the Madison at Main development, according to Byram. The next step will be to bid the project out, which Byram said could go to multiple contractors.
The Madison at Main development will be the city’s designated downtown area and will include a mix of businesses and the new Madison City Hall, among other things.
At the Village at Madison, a mixed-use development that was approved over a year ago, construction is underway.
The project will be half residential, with zero lot line houses, and half commercial, with the addition of the Half Shell Oyster House and a variety of retailers. The entire development will be 18.5 acres. Approximately 10 acres of that will be commercial, with restaurants, retail and office space.
Byram said all the lots on the residential side have already been purchased. The Half Shell building has been constructed, while work is ongoing on the inside.
As for the rest of the development, Byram said they are in the grating and dirt work part of the process. The developer, Mark Castleberry with Castle Properties, said everything from the large trees and landscaping to it being a pedestrian-friendly area will give the development a downtown vibe.
According to Byram, other upcoming projects in the city of Madison include: a nursing home on Bozeman Road and Colony Dental on Fountains Boulevard.
The Subway on Colony Crossing and McDonalds’ on Highway 51 will be renovated.
