Montco housing units increase by 42 percent

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Housing units built in 2013 increase by 42 percent

NORRISTOWN Planning Commission data show a 42 percent increase in the number of housing units built in Montgomery County in 2013 compared with 2012.

The largest growth was in multifamily housing, such as apartments and condominiums, which tripled in 2013.

Stand-alone houses increased 19 percent, and single-family attached houses, such as duplexes or rowhouses, increased 12 percent.

New construction was most concentrated in Towamencin, which gained a major apartment complex, followed by Upper Providence, Montgomery Township, Salford, and Skippack.

The Planning Commission's report found a continuing trend of smaller lots and smaller homes over the last decade.

The 2013 construction added $252 million in taxable property value to the county, the report said.

- Jessica Parks