Buildin activity in Ssan Diego County sank to its lowest level on record in 2009, but there was an unexpected increase in December that may signify better things to come in 2010.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Construction Industry Research Board in Burbank reported that 2,989 housing units werre authorized in 2009, down 42 percent from 2008, and a fraction of the boom level of 18,314 in 2003.  2009 was the slowest year on record since the 1940’s.

However, December permits more than doubled to 285 units from a level of 137 units a year ago. This increase was due to more building of single-family homes. It was also an improvement over the 149 units approved in November.

Of all the cities in San Diego County, only three —  El Cajon, Oceanside, and San Marcos — issued more permits than in 2008.

The Chief Executive of the San Diego County Building Industry Association said that even if there is improvment this year, it will not represent much of a turnaround. “We have come to the conclusion that the worst is behind us — it can’t get worse,” he said.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 8:44 pm and is filed under San Diego County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.