Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - There was a dip in new home construction in Rochester, but the boom in commercial construction continued last month.

The City Building Safety Department issued only 28 permits for new single-family homes, which is the lowest monthly total for August in four years. The total number of permits for new homes this year is now up to 292, which exactly matches the total through the first 8 months of last year.

Overall, the city approved 284 building permits valued at over $65 million last month. That pushed the valuation total for the year above $345 million, which is about $40 million ahead of last year’s pace.

Last month’s valuation total got a big boost from a permit that was issued to the City of Rochester. The City Building Safety Department report puts the value of the permit for the new parking ramp adjacent to the new Hilton Hotel under construction in downtown Rochester at $24 million. Permits worth over $15 million were issued for the 128 unit River Glen apartments near Foster Arend Park and a permit valued at $2.5 million was approved for a new Casey’s General Store along 7th Street Northwest in an area just west of Highway 52.

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