Building permits for mobile home and industries rose in Chester County in 2010, but the number issued for single-family and commercial projects dropped sharply.
According to a release from the Catawba Regional Council of Governments, building permit activity in the county was mixed last year. The number of single family permits went from 35 in 2009, down to 20. The numbers were either unchanged or up in the region’s other counties, as Lancaster jumped from 494 to 564, Union stayed at 18 and York went from 922 to 1,001.
“A moderate decrease in the number of single family permits as compared to 2009,” the report concludes.
Last year’s number of 35 was down 47.8 percent from the previous year, when the number stood at 67.
There were no permits issued for multi-family structures, the same as last year. Neither Lancaster nor Union registered one either, though York County had 10. That was a steep drop with 52 having been issued the year before.
Chester County issued 28 permits for mobile homes last year, a number that was up by 40 percent from the previous year, jumping from 20 to 28. Two years ago 61 such permits were issued. The other three county’s in the region saw drops in that category, with Lancaster going from seven to six, Union from 33 to 32 and York from 88 to 78.
Commercial permits dropped from six to three in Chester County last year. Lancaster (from 15 to 22) and Union (from none to two) saw increases in that area, while York joined Chester in seeing a decrease, going from 92 to 87.
Industrial permits were up across the board. Chester’s number jumped from two to three, Lancaster’s from none to two, Union’s from none to one and York’s from 13 to 18.
By Travis Jenkins, Staff Reporter with The News & Reporter