New single-family building permits are up 28 percent in Wake County through the first six months of the year, according to data compiled by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County. Permits are up in all Wake County municipalities except Wendell and Zebulon. Those showing the biggest percentage increases were Garner, where permits are up from 16 last year to 58 this year. In Rolesville, permits increased from 38 to 85.
The News & Observer reports municipalities in western and southern Wake also continue to see increased activity, with permits up 62 percent in Holly Springs, 42 percent in Apex and 42 percent in Fuquay-Varina.
Many new home communities in Holly Springs and Apex are benefiting from the pending completion of the new N.C. 540 extension in western Wake County. The 18.8-mile toll road, the state’s first, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The first section, a 3.7-mile stretch called the Triangle Parkway, opened in December. Raleigh permits were up 23 percent over the first half of the year, while Cary’s were up 10 percent.
Thus far the increase in permitting activity has not translated into an uptick in the number of new homes listed for sale in the Triangle. There were 1,456 new homes on the market in July, down 26 percent from the same period a year.