GULF SHORES, AL – The big – as in tall – news on Pleasure Island just might be plans for two new condo developments, one in Gulf Shores and one in Orange Beach, each topping 20 stories.

But just below or just reaching the treetops is even bigger news in single-family residence construction in both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Especially Gulf Shores.

In that city there have been 77 permits issued for single-family construction just since Jan. 1. That compares with about 150 for all of 2015. In January fees collected from building permits were up 95 percent over those collected in January 2015 and in February were 205 percent more than the total collected in February of 2015.

“We’re still booming with residential housing,” Gulf Shores City Planner Andy Bauer said.

Over in Orange Beach the number seem a little modest with only 13 permits issued so far in 2016, but there are three subdivisions with preliminary approvals to build 118 houses.

“We’re busy as we’ve been since 06-07 when it was crazy, crazy,” Orange Beach Building Official Lannie Smith said. “It’s a good mix now. We’re doing few commercial buildings, hotels, a condo and a lot of single-family stuff, too which is good. It’s not one-sided like it was at one time when it was mostly condos.”

Harbor Ridge in the Terry Cove subdivision is approved for a 22-home development, Robinson Grove, which is east of the Walker Key development, has approval for a 27-lot subdivision and Beach Village, situated between the Village of Tannin and Gulf State Park, has the preliminary approval for at neighborhood of 69 houses.

In the hotel market, three are underway in Orange Beach with 63 rooms planned for Indigo on the north side of beach road next to Ron Jon Surf Shop. Springhill by Marriot suites is under construction north of the Orange Beach Events Center at the Wharf and will have 140 suites. Approved but not yet started is the 36-room White Sands hotel which will be between Ron Jon and Indigo.

East of the Cotton Bayou Beach Access in Orange Beach, the Tides hotel is being built where a Days Inn destroyed in Ivan once stood. It will have 60 rooms and is already taking pre-registrations for rooms beginning June 30.

In Gulf Shores the vast majority of the 77 building permits are in Crimson Ridge on the south side of County Road 8, Rocky Road Loop on the north side and Andhurst subdivision on the north side of County Road 6 just east of the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

Also in Gulf Shores Our Point of View, a 10-unit townhouse destroyed in Ivan, is being built east of Royal Palms, the Pass Time cottage home development east of Little Lagoon Pass will add nine homes and on the west side of the pass a 16-unit cottage home development called Cottages at Lagoon Pass is going up.

On East Second Avenue yet a third cottage-type development is planned. It’s called Beach Life Condos and there will be eight total units paired in four duplexes.

Leonard Kaiser is starting infrastructure on a seven-lot development called Midtown Gulf Shores. It will surround the new National Bank of Commerce being built at West Second Street and Commerce Avenue.

According to city documents Midtown will be on 3.71 acres with intentions of building individual buildings with a combined square footage of 38,730 for professional offices and retail, 11,600 square feet for restaurant space and 11 second-story residential units.

“It’s a true mixed use development unlike any we’ve seen in Gulf Shores,” Bauer said. “Right now he’s just building the infrastructure, the parking, the driveways. He’s not got any building permits for actual buildings yet.”

An 89-room Hampton Inn just south of the city hall complex in Gulf Shores is nearing completion.