Contact: Sarah Bruckner 949 553 9500 x120

IRVINE, CA – The Building Industry Association, Orange County chapter (BIA/OC) has reported an increase in the number of building permits issued for new housing from November until December 2006. Single family permits were up 6.3%, with December issuing 119 units bringing year end totals to 3,093.

Multi-family units have been significantly on the rise for the past year and are continuing to increase. The trend of urban infill in Orange County has brought 356 permitted units in December 2006, up 128% from November 2006. The year closed with 5,223 total multi-family homes permitted, an increase of almost 66% from 2005.

The BIA/OC’s Chief Executive Officer, Kristine Thalman was pleased with the report, “the latest information is consistent with the previous three quarters’ figures for 2006. The multi-family numbers validate that Orange County is, in fact, growing up and catering to a greater variety of consumers and homebuilders are responding to a younger generation of homeowners”.

Throughout the 29 metropolitan areas statewide, Orange County is leading in total residential growth from 2005 with a 15.4% increase over the previous year. In Southern California, the Los Angeles/Long Beach area reported a 2.7% increase, the second highest. For 2006, statewide totals for both single and multi-family housing units in building permits issued is down 21.8%.

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The Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/OC) is a non-profit trade association representing more than 970 companies employing over 114,000 people affiliated with the home building industry. The BIA/OC mission is to promote proactive participation in the development of economic and community issues in Orange County. The BIA/OC is affiliated with the California BIA and the National Association of Home Builders.