City Issuing More Building Permits

Residential construction in Norwalk is picking up. That is the perception of Bill Ireland, the city’s director of code enforcement, who says applications for building permits have increased in the last few months. “I think we hit our low point and have started back up,” said Ireland. “I sure hope we have.”

Some of the permit requests are for additions to existing houses, Ireland said. But there is also an increase in new construction whether it is people buying houses to tear them down and rebuild on the land or residents subdividing their property and selling the newly created lots for new houses. And though activity has definitely increased, it has not returned to the frenetic pace of a couple years ago, said Ireland.  “It is all happening at a normal pace, a sane pace,” he said. “The biggest difference is people are asking for prices rather than asking when a contractor can start.”

Construction business had been “dead” since 2008, he said. The stagnation affected many of the smaller businesses in town, what Ireland described as the “father and son construction companies.” Though the companies didn't fold, they laid off many of their workers. With more Norwalk residents requesting building permits, more of these locally-owned companies are hiring back workers. Ireland expects the local building supply companies will soon benefit from the activity as work gets under way. “I hear the phones are ringing again,” he said.

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