Housing Starts in County Show an Improvement

Builders started a total of 754 housing units in Ventura County in the first five months of this year--the best performance since 1991.

This year’s total compares with 719 homes started in the same period last year, according to the Construction Industry Research Board, a trade group.

Four years ago, housing units begun in the county totaled 942.

The board says 90% of the residences started through May of this year were single-family houses or condominiums. They accounted for 679 of the units started during the period. The rest were duplexes or apartment buildings.

In contrast, only 47% of the homes started through May, 1991, were single-family homes or condominiums.

Construction of all kinds, including industrial and commercial projects, totaled $226 million in the first five months of this year, up from $203 million in the same period last year, the trade group said.

The overall figure through May, 1995, was the largest for the period since $312 million in 1990.