Building permits for new single-family homes are down in most North Texas cities.
New single-family building permits are down 23% in Frisco, 38% in Little Elm, 7% in Prosper, 37% in Sherman, and 15% in Denton through the first 11 months of 2023, according to data provided to The Dallas Express from Addison-based Tomlin Investments.
The North Texas suburbs that saw increased permit activity between January 2023 and November 2023 include Celina (+48%), McKinney (+39%), Princeton (+57%), Melissa (+5%), and Anna (+6%).
Tomlin Investments does not track permit data for Dallas, but according to historical data from the City’s Development Services Department (DSD), Dallas is down 13.75% year over year.
DSD issued 186 single-family permits in November, a slight decrease from the 198 issued the month prior and the 198 issued in November 2022, according to the department’s last two impact reports.
Although new single-family permits are down almost 14% on the year in Dallas, the City is no longer dealing with a residential backlog as it was in years prior.
Still, DSD has seen challenges this year stemming from long commercial turnarounds, a fee study that spotlighted how the department has essentially been burning cash, and insufficient outreach to builders and development stakeholders, as reported by The Dallas Express.
With development activity wrapping up for the year and only one month of permit data remaining for 2023, DSD and City Manager T.C. Broadnax must look ahead to 2024 to address any remaining development issues.
One of the first items on DSD’s agenda is to relocate to its new permit office, which is slated to begin the week of December 18 and end in early February.
By moving to a “ONE-STOP” permit office, DSD hopes to provide better customer service, accelerated permit turnaround times, and an enhanced work environment for its staff.
