Building Permits Highest in Atlanta; Southland Still Weak

Home builders in Atlanta took out 7,220 permits for new construction in the first quarter of 1993, the most of any metro area in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the National Assn. of Home Builders on 107 areas. The Atlanta figure was a 4% increase over first quarter 1992.

The main factor behind the city’s housing boom is job growth, which was up 5.1% in February over a year ago, the NAHB said.

The No. 2 area was Washington, D.C., with 5,610 permits, up 19%. No. 3 was Phoenix, with 4,870, up 13%; No. 4 was Chicago, 4,510, up 12%, and No. 5 was Dallas, 3,560, down 4%.

Ranked by percentage increase, the top five areas were Sioux Falls, S.D., up 278%; Charleston, W. Va., up 136%; San Antonio, up 81%; Las Vegas, up 60%, and Las Cruces, N.M., up 58%.

California’s housing markets remained weak, as measured by first-quarter 1993 building permits, the NAHB reported, with only Bakersfield and San Jose showing increases, of 43% and 4%, respectively.

In the Southland, permits in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metro area declined by 1% for single-family homes and 32% for multifamily buildings. Orange County showed a drop of 15% for single family, but an increase of 16% for multifamily. The Riverside-San Bernardino area showed a drop of 19% in single-family permits and 69% in multifamily. San Diego had a 22% drop in single-family and a 71% drop multifamily. Ventura single-family permits dropped 7%; multifamily dropped 34%.