COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — While single-family home permits increased in most areas, the apartment industry is seeing a big drop with new permits. This is according to the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. They are going to present this data to City Council on Monday.
Let's break down the numbers for new house permits:
- El Paso County saw an increase of 15% for new permits last year compared to 2023.
- Colorado Springs also saw an 8% increase.
Most of the new homes are going up on the east side in Banning Lewis Ranch. That area saw an 83% increase when compared to 2023. However, one area did see a decline of 30% for new permits. That would be Monument, CO.
We spoke with Greg Dingrando, with the Pikes Peak Regional Building department. He says their staff of 130 had no problem handling the workload. "We are very very busy in the Pikes Peak region, we are a unique setup as a regional department because we oversee 8 jurisdictions so we do need to have a large amount of staff on board to handle all that."
Here's the breakdown on new multi-family (apartment) permits:
- Only 838 new apartment units were permitted in 2024, down by 63% and the lowest since 2015
- Just under 3,800 units were completed last year, still just over 6,000 units under construction.
As far as commercial construction goes, there was a 25% decline in new permits in 2024 compared to 2023. That's the third straight year we've seen a decline, according to the PPRBD. Still, there are some new commercial projects planned. Some include: the Patriot Park Apartments, Abrams Elementary, and renovations at the COS Airport.
Union workers at King Soopers stores in Pueblo are set to go on strike on Friday
The announcement came from Local 7 President Kim Kordova on Thursday during a news conference, according to Scripps News Denver.
