Single-family home permits rise sharply

Year-to-date building permits for the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota region are up more than 7% through October, led by a sharp rise in single-family homes, according to U.S. Census data.

Through October, there were 4,104 single-family building permits, a 14.5% increase over the 3,584 permits at the same time a year ago. For October alone, single-family permits increased from 343 to 459.

Total permits year-to-date increased from 5,007 in 2014 to 5,364 in 2015. There was a sharp decline in October, however. Total building permits for the month decreased year-over-year by nearly 36%, from 852 to 547. That drop is mostly because of a flurry of multifamily developments in October 2014. Multifamily units for the month are down more than 86%, dropping from 535 last year to 71 this year, according to the data. Year-to-date, multifamily permits fell from 1,493 to 1,260.