Community Corner

New Home Construction Booms in Freehold Borough

The state saw a 38 percent increase in the number of homes built from 2009 to 2012.

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 Freehold Township, one permit for a single-family home had been issued through May. That figure compares to 2012’s lone permit for a single-family home, 2011’s three single-family units, 2010’s 41 multifamily units and 2009’s zero permits.

Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

NJ Spotlight’s interactive map also shows a decrease in construction value in Freehold Township. In 2012, the construction value per home was $$722,214 while it dipped to $535,704 in 2013.

Freehold Borough is seeing a different pattern. Freehold Borough has issued nine permits, four for single-family homes through May. In 2012, the borough authorized 17 permits, seven for single families, a 21 percent increase from 2009. Those figures compare to 2011’s 13 permits, eight for single families; 2010’s 16 permits, 11 for single-family units; and 2009’s 14 single-family units.

Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Construction value has actually seen a slight increase in Freehold Borough. In 2009, the construction value per home was $105,823; 2012, $121,893; and 2013, $125,306.

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.


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