Sacramento-area home builders continued their historic slowdown in construction during July, starting 44 percent fewer homes, condos and apartments than the same time last year, the California Building Industry Association reported Friday.
But that was a mild tap on the brakes compared with slowdowns in cities such as Vacaville, Stockton, Modesto, Merced and Fresno, statistics showed.
Statewide, builders are on track to build 72,000 to 75,000 homes, condos and apartments this year, the lowest number since the state began tracking building permits in 1954.
Last year, builders started 74,000 residential units in the first seven months. This year, they started 41,800 from January through July, according to statistics supplied by the state's Construction Industry Research Board.
Builders in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties started 3,523 units through July. The same time last year they started 5,845.
– Jim Wasserman
