October Construction Permits Decline by 50%

              October construction
permits decline by 50%
Construction figures in October
last year had bounded over the $100
million mark in Shreveport, but a
continued 23 percent lag in building
hasn't made that statement come
true this October.
With only $5.8 million in building
permits sought this month,
Shreveport's Permits and Inspec-tions
Division has recorded a 50
percent decline from the $11.4 mil-lion
in permits issued last October.
Building permit figures are based
on a specified amount per square
foot of construction.
The 50 percent October decline
contributes to an overall annual de-crease
of 23 percent for 1980. At the
end of last October, $106.2 million in
permits had been issued for 1979
compared to $81.6 million so far this
year.
However, officials at the permits
division are confident 1980's figures
will take a giant leap once permits
are sought for construction which
has been announced. The Louisiana
State University Medical Center will
be conducting about $21 million in
construction. That permit alone
would put 1980 figures back into
competition with 1979 construction.
The lapse in this month's figure
showed up in all four categories of
construction recorded by the permits
division.
October residential construction
declined 49 percent from $5.4 million
worth last year to $2.8 million the
past month. Single-family residen-tial
construction contributed heavily
to the residential decline. Last Octo-ber
76 houses at $3.2 million was
recorded compared to 28 houses at
$1.4 million this month.
Construction on existing com-mercial
structures dropped 32
percent from $2.1 million last Octo-ber
to $1.4 million this month.
New commercial building sank 51
percent. Figures last year were $1.7
million compared to $830,524 this
October.
Industrial construction dipped
from $2.2 million last October to
$815,839 this year, a 63 percent de-crease.
Construction figures for this month
include the following:
• Residential — 28 single-family
dwellings, $1,350,910; 2 patio houses,
$64,940; 2 mobile homes, $14,400; 2
fourplexes, $107,440; 98 additions,
$507,240; 255 repairs, $648,648; 1 pool,
$14,459; 10 mobile home tie downs,
$3,580; 30 demolitions, $12,000; 16 struc-tures
moved, $29,300. Total is 444 permits
at $2,754,917.
• Existing commercial — 15 addi-tions,
$323,851; 76 repairs, $1,038,558; 1
demolition, $2,000; and 65 signs, $49,525.
Total is 157 permits at $1,413,934.
• New commercial — 1 store,
$127,500; 1 service station, $75,000; 4
classrooms, $61,824; 2 tents, $30,000; 1
airplane hangar, $142,200; 1 fire station,
$361,000; and 1 radio tower, $33,000. Total
is 11 permits at $830,524.
• Industrial — 1 industrial building,
$220,000; 4 warehouses, $569,839; and 1
treatment plant, $26,000. Total is 6 per-mits
at $815,839.