“The second-quarter numbers were very
strong in comparison to the fourth quarter of
last year for both residential and commercial
projects,” said Michael. “It looks as though
the residential market hit bottom in the
fourth quarter of 2007, stabilized in the first
quarter of 2008, and now we’re seeing the
first signs of recovery in the second quarter
this year. We’re starting to see a modest
upward trend, but we're still a long way from
where we were in 2004 and 2005 when the
market for new home construction was
booming in Volusia County. We’re starting to
head back in the right direction.”
In the three-month period ending June
30, 375 single family building permits were
issued, up from291 permits issued in the first
quarter and 253 permits issued in the final
three months of 2007.
The value of residential construction in
the second quarter jumped to $99.5million,
up from$69million in the first quarter, and
$59.7 million in the fourth quarter of last
year.
On the commercial construction side, 56
building permits were issued in the second
quarter, down from85 permits issued in the
first quarter. However, the combined value
of the projects permitted in the April-June
period was $114.2million, up from $94.1 million
in the first quarter.
By contrast, only 25 commercial permits were
issued in the fourth quarter of last year, with those
projects having a combined value of $24.8million.
Among all Volusia jurisdictions, New Smyrna
Beach led the way in the second quarter. The southeast
Volusia city issued 71 residential permits that
had a combined value of nearly $30 million.
“We haven’t noticed a slowdown in processing
residential permit applications,” said Chad Lingenfelter,
one of New Smyrna Beach’s two chief planners.
“Outside of City Hall, there’s certainly been a
slowdown in construction, but developers still are
preparing things.”
Developers in New Smyrna Beach who receive
building permits have six months to show their projects
are progressing or they risk having
those permits expire, said Lingenfelter.
The county issued 69 residential building
permits during the April-June period,
the second highest among the building
permit offices in Volusia. DeLand issued
62 residential building permits. This was
followed by Daytona Beach with 51; Port
Orange with 41; Deltona with 32, and
Ormond Beach with 21.
Daytona Beach issued 16 commercial
permits during the second quarter, the
most of any jurisdiction in the county.
Orange City issued 15 commercial permits.
This was followed by Port Orange with six;
the county and Ormond Beach with five;
and DeLand and Edgewater with four.
Most of the new commercial construction
projects in Orange City are for
retail, according to Chester Murray, the
city’s director of development services.
Significant projects underway include
the West Volusia Retail Center, an L.A. Fitness
center, and Villa Grande, a 122-unit
upscale adult-only apartment complex.
Murray said the city classifies the Villa
Grande residential project as commercial
because it is a multifamily.
“We have several commercial projects
under review and more in the pipeline
that are stalled because of the national
economy,” said Murray. He said a number
of national retailers have expressed interest
in opening stores in Orange City, but
they’re not willing to make commitments
until the economy improves.
Building permits issued in Orange
City are good for a year, but developers
must show “substantial progress” during
that period for those permits to be
renewed, said Murray.
