PICKING UP SINGLES

Don’t mistake that tap-tap-tap you should be hearing soon for the sound of a busy woodpecker. Instead, it will be the sound of Orange County developers putting up more houses. In June, permits for 2,308 new single-family homes were issued -- the highest number in the past 30 months. In fact, the 7,318 such permits issued during the first six months of 1988 is a 40% increase from the same period in 1987 and a 61% jump from the 1986 January to June period.

Here is the trend for the last 30 months in the number of new single-family home permits issued:

June 1988: 2,308

WHAT’S NEW IN HOUSING UNITS

(Number of new units for which permits issued)

Jan.-June Jan.-June 1987-’88 County * 1988 1987 % Change SINGLE-FAMILY UNITS Los Angeles 8,900 8,955 -1 Orange 7,318 5,218 +40 Riverside-San Bernardino 21,281 14,889 +43 San Diego 6,370 10,192 -38 STATE TOTAL 80,258 73,710 +9 MULTIFAMILY UNITS Los Angeles 15,149 21,075 -28 Orange 6,957 9,187 -24 Riverside-San Bernardino 4,364 4,689 -7 San Diego 5,778 10,191 -43 STATE TOTALS 44,121 63,926 -31 TOTAL HOUSING UNITS Los Angeles 24,049 30,030 -20 Orange 14,275 14,405 -1 Riverside-San Bernardino 25,645 19,578 +31 San Diego 12,148 20,383 -40 STATE TOTALS 124,379 137,636 -10

* Most recent data available

Note:

Single-family housing includes detached, semi-detached, row houses and townhouse units.

Row houses and townhouses are included in single-family housing when each unit is separated from the adjacent unit by an unbroken ground-to-roof party or fire wall.

Multifamily housing includes duplexes, three-to-four unit structures and apartment-type structures with five units or more. Multifamily housing also includes condominium units in structures of more than one living unit that do not fall into single-family structure definition.

Source: Construction Industry Research Board.