Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Connecticut’s municipalities approved more housing units in May of this year than they did one year ago, according to statistics released by the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Buoyed up by a large set of approvals in New Haven, the state saw 535 housing units approved, compared to 260 in May 2019. Much of 2020’s approvals were in the form of large multifamily projects – 398 units in total – while 125 units of single-family housing were approved.

In total, the state has seen 7.39 percent more housing units approved in 2020 than in 2019. Single-family homes saw a 16.18 percent drop in approvals while multifamily housing – the majority of the 1,903 units approved so far – saw 24.44 percent more units approved.

Most of the May 2020 approvals were located in New Haven – 307 units in May and 688 units for all of 2020 – and Norwich, which had 60 units approved in May.