By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

New home construction in Livingston was down last year according to a new report from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

Using the number of residential building permits issued by 232 communities in SEMCOG’s 7-county district, they are reporting a 2% decrease in new home construction across the region, but a 13% decrease in Livingston County in 2019, compared to 2018.

According the latest Residential Construction in Southeast Michigan report, high labor and supply costs plagued developers, making it difficult to provide new homes at an affordable price point for potential buyers. This pushed buyers towards the existing home market and towards apartment rentals. Apartment construction was strong in the region last year, but not locally, as there were zero apartment building permits issued by Livingston County in 2019. Livingston County did record the largest number of new condominium permits by percentage, with 15% of its total. The other 85% of permits issued were for single family homes. In total, Livingston County had 664 building permits issued- 563 for single family homes, and 101 for condos. The year prior, saw 761 total permits.

Preliminary data for January and February of 2020 show the region on par with 2019 numbers, but with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting in March, and the executive order that banned non-essential construction until April 30th, the report states it is unclear how severely the residential construction industry will be affected, and for how long, at this time. A full copy of the report can be at the link below.