DELAWARE VALLEY DATA
1980-89 RESIDENTIAL
BUILDING PERMITS

DATA BULLETIN NO. 64

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NOVEMBER 1999DELAWARE VALLEY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMSSION

This data bulletin contains 1980 through 1989 building permit data for the extended 28-County data Service Region and replaces Data Bulletin No. 24, 28, 29, 32, 36 and 37. This information is derived from reports and publications compiled by the Bureau of the Census Construction Statistics Division.

Municipalities provide the Census Bureau with tabulations of the number of housing units authorized, according to the following types of structures:

(1) One-unit structures - A single-family house, or house with one dwelling unit. Includes semi-detached and row houses if the units are separated by a ground to roof party wall. Does not include mobile homes.

(2) Two-unit structures - A duplex, or house with two dwelling units. If built side by side, they do not have a ground to roof party wall and they generally have a common attic, basement, heating plant, and other common features.

(3) Structures with three or more units - Each building contains three or more housing units having a common basement, heating plant, stairs, water supply and disposal facilities, or entrance. Triplexes, garden apartments, and highrise buildings are included in this category; condominiums and cooperatively-owned apartment buildings may also be included.

The figures presented in this data bulletin are for the total numbers of housing units authorized in each of these three types of structures.

RECENT TRENDS IN BUILDING PERMIT ACTIVITY

Table 1 summarizes residential building permit activity by type of structure for each county in the region during the decade spanning from 1980 to 1989. In this time frame, the largest percentage of building permit activity within the five Pennsylvania counties occurred in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Within the four New Jersey counties, the largest percentage of building permit activity took place in Burlington County.

BUILDING PERMIT ACTIVITY BY MUNICIPALITY, 1980 THROUGH 1989

Table 2 (below) lists the municipalities in the 9-county DVRPC region (excluding Philadelphia) with the greatest number of housing units authorized by building permits in the 1980s. Most new suburban residential construction continues to take place in the townships which lie in the outer edges of the region. While many of the older municipalities closer to the region's core are almost completely developed, plentiful land and lower costs continue to attract new housing development to the suburban and rural townships.

Table 3, which begins on page 5, lists new housing units authorized by type of structure for all municipalities in the 28-county region for 1980 through 1984. Table 4, which begins on page 27, lists new housing units authorized by type of structure for all municipalities in the 28-county region for 1985 through 1989.

Most of the numbers in Tables 3 and 4 are as reported directly by the municipality listed. Where municipalities did not report building permit activity throughout the entire twelve months of the year, the Census Bureau reports the total yearly number of building permits through imputation; that is, the total number is estimated, based on past building permit activity in that municipality.

Table 5, on page 50, provides sub-regional and regional totals.

While data on the numbers and types of authorized residential construction are useful indicators of where development is taking place, data users must be cautious in using these statistics as indices of municipal population growth. For instance, there can be substantial delays between issuance of a building permit and construction of the dwelling. When large apartment buildings are involved, for example, completion of construction may take several years. The Census Bureau estimates that 98% of all housing units authorized are actually constructed.

The permit activity reported in this bulletin refers to new construction only, and does not include the production of housing units through conversions or alterations (unless the construction costs exceed $100,000.) Nor do the permit data take into account the gains or losses to the housing stock that result from changes in the use of structures, or for units removed due to demolition, fire damage, other forms of destruction or abandonment.

Finally, building permit tabulations cannot provide any information on occupancy or vacancy, or on the types and sizes of households which occupy either the newly constructed units or the already existing housing stock. Data Bulletins regarding population and housing characteristics, as well as building permits for 1990 through 1998, are available from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission by calling (215) 592-1800 or by visiting our website at www.dvrpc.org.

The following municipalities boundaries cross two or more counties. The Census Bureau reports building permits for select municipalities and does not divide permits between counties:

Milford city - Kent and Sussex Counties, DE (reported under Kent County)
Smyrna town - Kent and New Castle Counties, DE (reported under Kent County)
Adamstown boro. - Berks and Lancaster Counties, PA (reported under Lancaster County)
Telford boro. - Bucks and Montgomery Counties, PA (reported under Montgomery County)
Bethlehem city - Lehigh and Northampton Counties, PA (reported under Northampton County)

The following municipalities experienced Governmental Unit Changes effective May 10, 1988 that were not reflected in this report.

Caernarven township, Berks County - area reduced by incorporation of New Morgan borough, Berks County.
Robeson township, Berks County - area reduced by incorporation of New Morgan borough, Berks County.
New Morgan borough, Berks County - incorporation from parts of Caernarven and Robeson townships, Berks County (Census MCD: 212; FIPS place: 53916).

The following municipality was not in the 1980 Geographic Idendification Code Scheme (GICS); however, the municipality appeared in the 1980 and 1981 reports.

Matawan township, Monmouth County, NJ.

The following municipalities experienced Governmental Unit Name, Geographic Code, or Political/Statistical Area Description (PSAD) Changes subsequent to this time series:

Aberdeen city, Harford County - PSAD change, from town to city, effective January 28, 1992
Berkeley township, Ocean County - FIPS code change, from 05300 to 05305, effective January 1, 1990
Kingwood township, Hunterdon County - FIPS code change, from 37050 to 37065, effective January 1, 1990
Piscataway township, Middlesex County - FIPS code change, from 58980 to 59010, effective January 1, 1990
Birmingham township, Delaware County - Name changed to Chadds Ford township effective January 1997 (not reported by the Census Bureau as of June 1, 1999)

DVRPC 9-County Region consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey.

Philadelphia - Wilmington - Trenton CMSA Region consists of the Philadelphia PMSA, the Trenton PMSA, the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton PMSA and the Wilmington-Newark PMSA Region.

Philadelphia PMSA Region consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties in New Jersey.

Trenton PMSA Region consists of Mercer county in New Jersey.

Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton PMSA consists of Cumberland county in New Jersey.

Wilmington-Newark PMSA consists of New Castle county in Delaware, Cecil county in Maryland and Salem county in New Jersey.

NOTE: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) changed their definition of CMSA and PMSA in 1992. Any comparison of this data with later data should be done with caution.