Drop in residential building permits expected to continue

Area homebuilders in the Tri-cities area started slowing down on building in 2007 and have continued to pull back into todays market. There was an upward trend 2004 through 2006 in Washington and Sullivan Counties. Both counties saw 2008 permit totals more than a third lower than 2004's numbers and even steeper pullbacks from 2006, the top year in residential building boom.

In 2006 a whopping 1,009 permits were issued in Washington County and 688 in Sullivan County. 2008 slowed down to 515 in Washington County and 378 in Sullivan County.