New Home Construction Dips in Middletown

New Jersey is seeing a bump in home construction, according to a NJ Spotlight report.

New residential construction levels declined significantly in the late 2000s due to the recession but the industry is finally starting to rebound, NJ Spotlight said. There was a 38 percent increase in the number of homes built in New Jersey from 2009 to 2012.

But in Middletown, 14 residential building permits have been issued through May for single-family houses. In 2012, a total of 37 permits were authorized for single-family units, a 2.6 percent drop since 2009. Those figures compare to 2011’s 77 units, 50 single family; 2010’s 44 units, 26 single family; and 2009’s 38 units, 28 single family.

NJ Spotlight’s comprehensive map also shows an increase in construction value in Middletown. In 2009, the construction value per home was $164,037 while it dipped to $117,027 in 2012 and rose to $226,076 for 2013.

Despite Middletown's decline in home construction, many Monmouth County towns are following the state's pattern. For example, Aberdeen saw a 100 percent increase in home construction from 2009 to 2012, Howell saw a 245 percent increase and Hazlet had an 80 percent rise.

Rebuilding at the Jersey Shore post Superstorm Sandy could be a contributing factor to the 45 percent increase compared to the first five months of 2012, NJ Spotlight reported. But the state is also seeing a boom in building in areas that were not severely damaged by Sandy, especially in the construction of multifamily units.

Last year, 17,939 units were authorized statewide, an increase from the 12,952 in 2011, NJ Spotlight reported. Residential construction saw a real low in 2009 at 12,421, the lowest number of permits issued in more than two decades. The pre-recession high was in 2005, when 38,588 new housing units were authorized throughout the state.