New Home Construction On the Rise in Oak Creek

New single-family home construction in Oak Creek last year increased at a higher rate than the Milwaukee region and Wisconsin.

In 2011, 50 permits were issued for new single-family homes. That is a 16 percent increase over 2010, which officials point to as a sign that local economic conditions are steadily improving.

The 50 new homes have a combined value of $10.1 million, according to a city inspection department report. The total value of all new construction in the city—including multi-family, commercial and manufacturing buildings—was $15.1 million, making single-family residential development responsible for two-thirds of the added value from new construction in Oak Creek.

Oak Creek's numbers compare well to the rest of the region, City Administrator Gerald Peterson said.

In metro areas around Wisconsin, permits to construct new homes fell 10.5 percent, according to a Journal Sentinel report. Oak Creek's increase was a break with that trend, and the city also outpaced the greater Milwaukee area, which saw a rise of 4.3 percent.

The city started off strong again this year, with three permits taken out in the first few weeks of January.

"We've got some pretty strong demand still," Peterson said. "We're seeing things starting to ramp up. 2011 was better than 2010, and we're expecting in 2012 we're going to continue to see some of that ramp up."