Connecticut towns and cities are slightly ahead of the tally of houses, condominiums and apartments they’d permitted during most of last year, according to new data.
Building permit data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and disseminated by the state Department of Community and Economic Development Wednesday show 4,843 total housing units OK’d through Nov. 30, the most recent data available. That compares to 4,219 units permitted through Nov. 30, 2022. In total, 5,244 homes were given the go-ahead last year.
The 2023 tally breaks down as 1,821 single-families, 118 two-families, 85 three- and four-families and 2,819 units in buildings with five or more units.
Relatively few of the 268 units permitted for construction in November were given the go-ahead in any one community – New Haven led the pack with only 28 units. Year-to-date, Stamford far outstrips its fellow towns and cities with building permits for 419 units, followed by Rocky Hill at 311 units, New Haven at 307 units, Bethel at 257 units and Branford at 217. All other communities covered by the survey issued building permits for fewer than 200 units.
If the state’s municipalities keep this pace up, they could clock in one of the best housing production years to date despite the tough construction financing environment, with an asterisk. The Census Bureau was able to begin receiving permit data from 14 more towns in 2022 than it got data from between 2015 and 2021, when only 104 municipalities were reporting information.