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Posted on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 8:58 a.m.

Home construction in 2009 totaled 9 percent of 2004 levels in Washtenaw County

By Paula Gardner

It’s no secret that the home building industry is a fraction of its size from just a few years ago.

But how much did it fall off?

According to regional data from SEMCOG, 2009 single-family home permits in Washtenaw County totaled just under 9 percent the total recorded in 2004.

The areas with the highest activity in 2009:

• Pittsfield Township, with 32. • Lima Township, with 23. • Superior Township, with 22.

The falloff from peak home production years in both Superior and Pittsfield townships is well over 100 units - resulting in a percentage drop of about 75 and 90 percent respectively.

But in Lima, which escaped the big building boom in 2004 due to its lack of sewer access, only saw a 50 percent drop.

Here are the single-family building permit numbers, by municipality, for all of Washtenaw County. Totals from 2004 are in parenthesis.

Ann Arbor - 9 (2004: 55) Ann Arbor Township - 0 (2004: 13) Bridgewater Township - 0 (2004: 10) Chelsea - 3 (2004: 52) Dexter - 8 (2004: 82) Dexter Township - 8 (2004: 77) Freedom Township - 1 (2004: 8) Lima Township - 23 (2004: 45) Lodi Township - 2 (2004: 69) Lyndon Township - 1 (2004: 20) Manchester - 0 (2004: 15) Manchester Township - 3 (2004: 22) Milan (Washtenaw portion) - 6 (2004: 89) Northfield Township - 3 (2004: 19) Pittsfield Township - 32 (2004: 167) Saline - 0 (2004: 38) Saline Township - 2 (2004: 7) Scio Township - 5 (2004: 91) Sharon Township - 1 (2004: 16) Superior Township - 22 (2004: 201) Webster Township - 2 (2004: 73) York Township - 3 (2004: 50) Ypsilanti - 2 (2004: 5) Ypsilanti Township - 13 (2004: 419)

Washtenaw County - 2009: 157 (2004: 1,775)

Comments

Paula Gardner

Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 2:35 p.m.

No, no remodeling in those numbers (happily for the builders, who've kept working by doing remodeling work!) It's just single family homes. And we're not going to cook any crow for you - happy you asked:)

scooter dog

Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 1:11 p.m.

Are you saying in the 157.remodeling projects like additions and garages or just 157 single family homes? As usual I am probably wrong.Lotsa crows flying around today.lol

Paula Gardner

Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.

It's true! There were also permits, county-wide, for 20 two-family homes, 30 attached condos and 3 multifamily units - and 39 demo permits, so a net gain of 171 housing units. Here's a story that I wrote in December about home-building accelerating by the end of the year. It specifically mentions 6 homes in Dexter Crossing. http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/ann-arbor-area-home-builders-see-new-construction-rise-this-fall/

scooter dog

Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 12:42 p.m.

I find it very hard to believe that there were 157 permits to build new houses in washtenaw county in 2009,I have never seen a new house being built near the dexter area.I'd like to see a detailed list of where they were built and I am not talking about the areas where they build them all connected to each other either.157 new houses on 157 single family lots,not in my area.If I am wrong I'll eat crow.